The County of Stanley is one of South Australia’s 49 cadastral counties. Governor George Grey proclaimed it in 1842 and named it after Edward Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1841 to 1845, who had urged financial support for South Australia. The county covers 4,080 square kilometres in the state’s Mid North, centred on the town of Clare.
Key Facts
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Mid North |
| Proclaimed | 1842 |
| Named after | Edward Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies |
| Area | 4,080 km² |
| Local government areas today | Wakefield Regional Council; Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council; Regional Council of Goyder; Northern Areas Council; Port Pirie Regional Council |
Hundreds in Stanley County
The county is divided into 16 hundreds.
- Hundred of Andrews
- Hundred of Ayers
- Hundred of Blyth
- Hundred of Boucaut
- Hundred of Clare
- Hundred of Everard
- Hundred of Goyder
- Hundred of Hall
- Hundred of Hanson
- Hundred of Hart
- Hundred of Koolunga
- Hundred of Milne
- Hundred of Stanley
- Hundred of Stow
- Hundred of Upper Wakefield
- Hundred of Yackamoorundie
Towns and Localities Today
Clare, in the Hundred of Clare, is the county’s main town and the centre of the Clare Valley wine district. Stanley Flat, a small locality just north of Clare, sits within the Hundred of Stanley that gives the county its name. The rest of the county is farming and grazing country served by smaller towns across its five constituent councils.
Geography
The county is roughly bounded by the Wakefield River to the south, the approximate line of the Barrier Highway to the east, latitude 33°28′ S to the north, and longitudes 138°08′ to 138°15′ E to the west. Its terrain rises from grain-growing plains in the south to the Clare Valley’s hills further north.
History
Governor Grey proclaimed the county in 1842, early in the colony’s expansion north from Adelaide. It was named for Edward Stanley in recognition of his support for South Australia in Britain’s colonial office. Its hundreds were surveyed through the 1840s and 1850s as wheat farming and later viticulture took hold around Clare.
FAQ
Where is Stanley County?
It lies in South Australia’s Mid North, centred on Clare and the Clare Valley.
What towns are in Stanley County?
Clare is the main town; Stanley Flat is a smaller locality within the county’s namesake hundred.
Is Stanley County still used?
Cadastral counties like Stanley remain in land titles and property descriptions but have no government function today.