The County of Sturt is one of South Australia’s 49 cadastral counties. Governor George Grey proclaimed it in 1842 and named it after explorer Charles Sturt. The county covers 3,440 square kilometres from the Adelaide Hills at Nairne and Tungkillo east to the Murray River, taking in Murray Bridge and Mannum.
Key Facts
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Adelaide Hills / Murraylands |
| Proclaimed | 1842 |
| Named after | Charles Sturt, explorer |
| Area | 3,440 km² |
| Principal towns | Murray Bridge, Mannum, Nairne, Callington |
| Local government areas today | Mid Murray Council; Barossa Council; City of Murray Bridge; Mount Barker District Council; Alexandrina Council |
Hundreds in Sturt County
The county is divided into 10 hundreds.
- Hundred of Angas
- Hundred of Brinkley
- Hundred of Finniss
- Hundred of Freeling
- Hundred of Jutland
- Hundred of Kanmantoo
- Hundred of Mobilong
- Hundred of Monarto
- Hundred of Ridley
- Hundred of Tungkillo
Towns and Localities Today
Murray Bridge, in the Hundred of Mobilong, is the county’s largest town and a regional centre on the Murray River. Mannum, in the Hundred of Finniss, is a smaller river town known for its paddle steamer history. Nairne and Callington, in the county’s western Adelaide Hills hundreds, serve the farming districts closer to Adelaide, and Monarto, in the hundred of the same name, is a rural locality near the county’s centre.
Geography
The county runs from the Bremer River and the eastern slopes of the Adelaide Hills at Nairne and Tungkillo in the west to the Murray River in the east, and includes the part of Lake Alexandrina north of a line from Point Sturt to Pomanda Island. This covers the west-of-the-river portions of today’s Mid Murray Council and Murray Bridge City areas.
History
Governor Grey proclaimed the county in 1842 as survey work extended east from Adelaide toward the Murray River. It was named for Charles Sturt, whose 1830 expedition down the Murray had opened the region to later settlement. Its hundreds were gazetted through the following decades as farming and river trade developed around Murray Bridge and Mannum.
FAQ
Where is Sturt County?
It stretches from the Adelaide Hills east to the Murray River, covering Murray Bridge and Mannum.
What towns are in Sturt County?
Murray Bridge and Mannum are the main towns, with Nairne and Callington in the county’s west.
Is Sturt County still used?
Cadastral counties like Sturt remain in land titles and property descriptions but have no government function today.