Kite Eye

01/04/2024

The Overland train service passing by an olive grove in Callington, South Australia, on its path towards Adelaide some 60 kilometres distant, on Good Friday, 29th March 2024.

The westerly journey departs from Melbourne and stops firstly in Geelong, then halts in Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, Dimboola and Nhill before crossing into South Australia and stopping at Bordertown then Murray Bridge before descending through the Adelaide Hills and into Adelaide.

The Overland Train from Adelaide to Melbourne, passenger service began in 1887 as the ‘Intercolonial Express’. The change of name, to Overland, came about in 1926 and the journey became the first globally, (just after the end of World War II), to offer air-conditioned carriages and showers in its sleeper cabins.

By the 1950s, the steam engines were replaced by diesel locomotives and now the service, operated by Journey Beyond Rail, runs twice per week during the day, taking ten and a half hours to complete the 828 kilometre journey between Melbourne and Adelaide.

The average length is just under 200 metres and most often consists of seven carriages with the silver carriage immediately coupled to the locomotive being the ‘Cafe 828’ carriage and passenger carriages immediately behind.

The Overland train service passing by an olive grove in Callington, South Australia, on its path towards Adelaide some 60 kilometres distant.The westerly jou...

01/04/2024

The Overland train service passing by an olive grove in Callington, South Australia, on its path towards Adelaide some 60 kilometres distant, on Good Friday, 29th March 2024.

The westerly journey departs from Melbourne and stops firstly in Geelong, then halts in Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, Dimboola and Nhill before crossing into South Australia and stopping at Bordertown then Murray Bridge before descending through the Adelaide Hills and into Adelaide.

The Overland Train from Adelaide to Melbourne, passenger service began in 1887 as the ‘Intercolonial Express’. The change of name, to Overland, came about in 1926 and the journey became the first globally, (just after the end of World War II), to offer air-conditioned carriages and showers in its sleeper cabins.

By the 1950s, the steam engines were replaced by diesel locomotives and now the service, operated by Journey Beyond Rail, runs twice per week during the day, taking ten and a half hours to complete the 828 kilometre journey between Melbourne and Adelaide.

The average length is just under 200 metres and most often consists of seven carriages with the silver carriage immediately coupled to the locomotive being the ‘Cafe 828’ carriage and passenger carriages immediately behind.

https://youtu.be/VTmb9VBgpYQ?si=3sikO-EahIOyfCUW





South Australian Railway Enthusiasts

The Overland train service passing by an olive grove in Callington, South Australia, on its path towards Adelaide some 60 kilometres distant.The westerly jou...

11/03/2024

Woodchester Cemetery, South Australia, in early 2024.

The cemetery sits on Meechi Road in the Alexandrina Council region, around a kilometre and a half from the township of Woodchester. In 1841, section 1788, Hundred of Strathalbyn, about 8 km east of Strathalbyn, was purchased by Edward J. Peake, as attorney for William Leigh of ‘Woodchester Park’, Gloucestershire, England, who subdivided it in 1856.

Further back again, the word comes from the Roman “Wuduceaster” meaning ‘Roman fort in a wood or built of wood’.

The locality has also been variously known as Dalveen and also as Tin Pot. The Register newspaper of 22nd July 1908 states that “Tin Pot was for many years a recognised name in our nomenclature, as old post office stamps prove. It was bestowed from the fact that a swagman, with a tin pot by his side, was found dead in the locality. Why the billycan and not the swagman was honoured, it is difficult to say.”

Meanwhile, the name Dalveen came from the birthplace, in Ayrshire, Scotland, of early property owner Mr William Richardson. He died on 1st October 1883 and was buried in this cemetery on 3rd October 1883 with the The Southern Argus newspaper describing his passing in the terminology of the day as “another old resident has joined the great majority”.

The Woodchester School opened in 1859 and closed in 1941.

This video and more available at our YouTube channel:-
https://youtu.be/LPnMEuZqCpU?si=FlaOQD7g7-6rPhR1

Music by Sleat

21/11/2023

Peace Lutheran Church at Salem, near Callington, South Australia in November 2023.

Now part of the Lutheran Church of Australia - SA & NT, the Salem congregation was founded by Pastor Christian Gottlieb Teichelmann (1807-1888) in 1856. The church was completed circa 1891 and it replaced an earlier building nearby.

Salem, meaning “peace”, was a small Lutheran settlement for which Gottlob Jaensch obtained land grants on 14th January 1853.

Jaensch (1825-1898) migrated to South Australia from Kay, (now Kije), arriving aboard the Zebra, in January 1839 and settling initially in Hahndorf . By the time of his death he was farming over 2,000 acres of land between Nairne and Murray Bridge, South Australia

The Mt Barker Courier newspaper of 4th November 1898, reported on his death, (from an accidental fall from his horse-drawn buggy in Nairne), stating that “a lasting monument of his generosity is found in the church at Salem, which he built and presented to the congregation in 1890 and to the funds of which he subsequently subscribed very liberally.”

Gottlob Jaensch is buried in the Salem cemetery.

Music by Sleat from Adelaide Hills.

Peace Lutheran Church at Salem, near Callington, South Australia in November 2023.The church was built circa 1891 and replaced an earlier building nearby. Sa...

27/10/2023

The Wicks Estate Wines, and lake, in October 2023.
A 133 acre site purchased in 1999 next to Onkaparinga Valley Road, near Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.

The vineyards were planted between 2000 and 2001 with the winery buildings completed in 2004.



Music by Sleat

Wicks Estate Wines near Woodside, South Australia, 10th October 2023

15/09/2023

Kangarilla Recreation Ground, located on Kangarilla Road, Kangarilla, South Australia in 2023.

The oval, some 35 kilometres from Adelaide, is used by the Kangarilla Football Club, (nicknamed ‘the double blues’), who compete in the Hills Football League and have done so since 2006 after a stint in the Southern Football League - South Australia since 1981. The club was formed in 1966 but traces its origins back to an earlier club of the same name, founded in 1901.

The grounds are also home to the Kangarilla Tennis Club and the Kangarilla Netball Club who compete in the Southern Hills Netball Association.

The oval is also used, in summer, by Kangarilla Cricket Club and one of the earliest mentions of this club is the notice of the Annual General Meeting in September 1876 when the Hon. John Carr MP was elected President. Carr (1819-1913) had arrived in South Australia from Yorkshire in the early 1860s and was a prominent campaigner for the complete abstinence of alcohol. He was Minister for Public Works and member of the SA House of Assembly at this time.

The Kangarilla cricketers were granted permission to form a pitch on this recreation ground in 1889. Prior to that it is unclear exactly where they played.

The small pavilion seen here is a century old in 2024 and was constructed in 1924 by Adolph Schmidt using funds raised but the Ladies Guild to provide both a viewing platform and change-rooms for the sports-goers of a century ago.

Music by Sleat

Kangarilla Recreation Ground located on Kangarilla Road, Kangarilla, South Australia in 2023.The oval, some 35 kilometres from Adelaide, is used by the Kanga...

19/08/2023

Oakbank Racecourse and nearby Karkoo in mid-2023.

The Oakbank Racing Club was established in 1875; the same year the Morphettville racecourse opened. The first horse to win the major racing event on the course was ‘Tormentor’, owned by local blacksmith Robert Correll, in 1876, However, a prominent local farmer, named Mr J W Fargher, stated in a 1925 newspaper interview that the first race meetings on the course were held earlier - in 1873.

The Adelaide Observer paper of 11th April 1925 contains an interview with Seth Ferry, a notable horse owner and trainer, on the beginnings of the course. Ferry said "I remember the first race meeting at Oakbank. We had been searching round for some time for a course. Then we visited the Messrs. Johnston's place, at Oakbank. Mr. James Johnston was a businessman, who thought racing was a waste of time, but Mr. Andrew was a sporting gentleman. We had permission to see what sort of a track we could make. That was about 1867 or 1868”.

Unfortunately, in addition to animal fatalities, six riders have suffered fatal accidents on the course.

The first, in 1904, was Francis James Barr, riding ‘Ben Nevis’. He died at the Adelaide Hospital after being taken there by horse-drawn ambulance. Henry "Harry" Holmes died on 17th April 1911 when he fell from the horse ‘Kanmantoo’. He left a wife and three children - all of whom were present at the accident. He lies buried in West Terrace cemetery.

The third fatality was James Edward Mason, riding ‘Wanstead’, on 13th April 1914. Fourth was Stephen Clark who fell on 5th April 1920 and died the following day at the Adelaide Hospital. He is buried at North Brighton Cemetery.

Albert Edward Johnson, known as Alf, died on 2nd April 1934 riding ‘Simon’s Bier’ and Donald McLean became the sixth fatality when he was killed in 1954 falling from ‘Becasson’.

The race was not held on the course between 1941 and 1946 and also cancelled in 2020.

Music by SSleatfrom the Adelaide Hills

Oakbank Racecourse in mid-2023.The Oakbank Racing Club was established in 1875; the same year the Morphettville racecourse opened. The first horse to win the...

02/04/2023

Over ovals…

Burgess Oval, Mount Compass (South Australia), in November 2022.

The oval was named after Ken Burgess (1929-1995) and is one of two ovals in the township, located 60 kilometres to Adelaide’s south, on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The venue is home to Mount Compass Cricket Club - Home of the mighty Bulls.
And was also home to the Mount Compass Soccer Club - folded in the late 2010s.

The nearby Mount Moon overlooks the township which was also known for the Compass Cup; Australia’s premier cow race. The last event was held in 2019 after a 46-year run

Music here by Sleat from Adelaide

Burgess Oval, Mount Compass (South Australia), in November 2022.The oval was named after Ken Burgess (1929-1995) and is one of two ovals in the township, loc...

01/04/2023

Junior surfers on Goolwa’s Southern Ocean beach. The historic port of Goolwa was an early candidate to be South Australia’s capital city but the combination of railway expansion and difficult navigation around the mouth of the River Murray ensured a decline in the area’s prominence.

The word Goolwa is thought to be the local Ngarrindjeri word for ‘elbow’ and named for the shape of the River Murray at this point where it empties into the sea at the Murray Mouth 10 kilometres distant.

Goolwa lies some 83 kilometres to the south of Adelaide.

Music by Adelaide artist Sleat

29/11/2022

The Currency Creek cemetery in November 2022.

Located in South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula, this historic site comes under the care of Alexandrina Council and is one of eight cemeteries in the district.

Video by Kite Eye
Music by Sleat

Currency Creek Cemetery in November 2022The site comes under the care of Alexandrina Council and is one of eight cemeteries in the district.Video by Kite Eye...

05/11/2022

Bugle Ranges, looking north towards Native Avenue and Mount Barker, on 5th November 2022. Population of the locality was 289 at the 2021 census.

29/09/2022

Echunga Cemetery in September 2022.

One of ten cemeteries under the care of Mount Barker District Council in the Adelaide Hills. The first burial here dates back to 1885 and includes Christopher Robert Barret, aged 10 months, on 29th November 1885.

Other notables include World War I veterans Sergeant George Edmonds and Lance Corporal Arthur William Mooney.