Whites Flat (also known as White Flat) is a rural locality in the Eyre and Western region of South Australia, situated within the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula.[2] The boundaries for the locality were formally established in October 2003 for the long established local name; this had originally been named after pastoralist Samuel White.[4]
| Whites Flat South Australia | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Whites Flat | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°30′44″S 135°51′12″E / 34.512202°S 135.853239°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 54 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5607[2] | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Eyre Western[3] | ||||||||||||||
| County | Flinders[3] | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Flinders[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Grey[2] | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Footnotes | Coordinates[4] | ||||||||||||||
The main feature of the locality is the Tod Reservoir. It also contains the Tucknott Scrub Conservation Park, which lies in its north-west corner.[4]
Whites Flat Post Office opened on 1 October 1897[5] In 1915, Whites Flat was described as consisting of a post office and local hall, the latter simultaneously serving as school, church, dance hall and lecture room, for less than a dozen inhabitants. The hall had been built by the local residents with their own labour.[6] The school survived for several decades; in 1942, air raid trenches were dug for the students.[7] In 1950, it was reported that "the tiny little post office at White Flat remains unchanged" and that the writer "would be sorry to see the day of the demolition of this little thatch-roofed place which stands a sentinel of the early days".[8]
The post office at Whites Flat is long closed; however, the building, reputed to be the "smallest post office in Australia" survives, having been relocated to the National Trust of South Australia-owned Koppio Smithy Museum in adjacent Koppio.[9] The White Flat Community Hall remains open to the community today.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Whites Flat (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Search result(s) for Whites Flat, 5607". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Search results for "Whites Flat LOCB" with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Counties'". Location SA Map viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Search result(s) for Whites Flat, 5607". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Whites Flat". Post Office Reference. Premier Postal. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "From White's Flat". The Mail. Vol. 4, no. 185. South Australia. 27 November 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 3 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "AIR RAID TRENCHES AT WHITE'S FLAT SCHOOL". Port Lincoln Times. Vol. XV, no. 702. South Australia. 23 April 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 3 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Around White's Flat". The Chronicle. Vol. 92, no. 5235. South Australia. 20 April 1950. p. 32. Retrieved 3 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Koppio Smithy Museum". National Trust of Australia. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "19 May 2015 Minutes". District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
