A Haunting at the Gawler Railway Station

 Is the Gawler Railway Station haunted?  Recently, I have had reports of a spectre haunting the Gawler Railway Station. The first railway station was built here in 1857. The first train arrived on 5 October 1857 and was described in the Register as a ‘train of 13 first and second class carriages, plus three to four open carriages carrying approximately 900 passengers. The carriages were profusely decorated with flags and banners, and the engine was garlanded with flowers'.
  The train departed at 9:15 am, accompanied by the strains of the National Anthem, and reached Salisbury by 10:00 am, arriving at Gawler at 10:50 am.

  The 1857-built railway station was demolished, and a new one was built in 1879. The new station featured a booking office, waiting, refreshments, ladies' rooms, and station master and luggage departments.

The following is a historical sample of some of the deaths that have occurred at the historic railway station.

  In 1875, Station Porter Charles Woods died at the station after suffering a fit and falling from a train carriage onto the rails and stones below.[1]   In 1896, Porter, Donald McAuley tried to jump from the platform onto a moving engine – something he had successfully performed many times before. This time, McAuley slipped and went under the train. His right leg was instantly amputated by a train wheel, while his left leg was shattered at the ankle. Despite medical treatment, McAuley died just a few days later.[2]
 In 1893, the Broken Hill express was leaving Gawler, with Guard Peter Power standing on the footboard of the breakvan. As the train left the platform, Power was struck by a water column, causing him to lose balance and fall under the last wheels of the carriage. His legs were almost severed at the ankles. Power was taken to the Adelaide Hospital by train, but expired the following day.[3]  In 1911, George White, an engine driver, died suddenly at the Gawler Station. White was sitting on a seat talking to a fellow employee when he suddenly leaned back and died.[4]

  The reported ghost is often seen sitting on the benches of the station. From the description given, it appears to be male and dressed in an older style suit. The entire apparition is grey in colour and stares south, as if waiting for the train to arrive. It is now known who the apparition was in life.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2026

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[1] 'ACCIDENTAL DEATH AT GAWLER.', The Express and Telegraph, (15 December 1875), p. 2.

[2] 'Accident at the Railway Station.', Bunyip, (30 October 1896), p. 3.

[3] 'Fatal Accident at the Gawler Railway Station.', Bunyip, (4 August 1893), p. 2.

[4] 'SUDDEN DEATH.', The Register, (18 January 1911), p. 5. 

 Pelberre Railway Station

 

  Pelberre Station was a stop on the railway line between Gawler and Angaston. Pelberre is believed to be the Kaurna word for fruit. The station was situated near Bella Street, Gawler East, one stop from what is now Gawler Central (formerly Gawler North Railway Station).
Other stops that existed between Gawler and Lyndoch included Kalbeeba Station, Kalperri Station, Sandy Creek, Warpoo and Wilamba.[1]

 In 1947, Nancy Haese (24), her mother Amy Haese and Robert Lee (38) were travelling in their car when they were hit by a train at Jolly’s crossing. The mother and daughter were in the front seat, and Lee was in the back of the 1927 open touring car.
 According to the News,

The railcar struck the motor car alongside the steering wheel. The car was then crushed against the cattle pit guard rails, and carried 40 yards before it was hurled down a 15-ft. embankment. The 60-1b rails forming the cattle pit guard were bent and broken.
 With the exception of the engine and bonnet, the car was a twisted mass of steel and wood after the accident.
 The rear axle was ripped, out and carried along by. the railcar's cowcatcher, until it slid down the embankment when the railcar stopped 125 yards past the point of collision.[2]

  Nancy Haese was driving the car back to the family property. Lee was an employee; the three had been picking grapes on the Adelaide Road side of the railway line at Warpoo. The gate to the Haese property was just 20 feet from the crossing where the car was struck.
 Nancy was killed instantly. Mrs Haeses and Lee both suffered fractured skulls and died later in the Hutchinson Hospital, Gawler.
 In an article in The Register Newspaper, it states that the original stop at Warpoo was known as Haese’s, and was little more than a flattened piece of ground where the train stopped to pick up and drop off passengers.[3]

  The Angaston line from Gawler opened in 1911. Regular passenger services ceased in December 1968. In November 1996, Transadelaide introduced Sunday services to Nuriootpa, and in 1998, Bluebird Rail Operations ran the Barossa Wine train on the line, which ceased in 2003.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller (c) 2025

S.A.R. 1938 train timetable courtesy of Martin Walker.

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[1] Manning G.H., A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia, State Library of South Australia, p. 669.

[2] 'Three Killed in S.A. Crossing Smash', News, (30 April 1947), p. 1.

[3] 'Country News.', The Register, (7 May 1925), p. 13. 

McDonald, J., & Johnson, B., ‘Barossa Valley Lines to Truro, Penrice Quarry, and Angaston.‘ Lost in South OZ, (2024), https://lostinsouthoz.jarmlibrary.me/.

 Hallowe’en in Gawler.

 

   In 1894, the Gawler Branch of the South Australian Caledonian Society held its Hallowe’en function in Gawler’s Town Hall. Over 100 people were present, with proceedings opened by a bagpipe recital by honorary Gawler pipers, D. Garland and J Harris.
 The Gawler Chief of the society, Professor Lowrie, made an opening speech before the dance floor was opened to the crowd. Several Scottish country dances were engaged in, before pianoforte recitals by Misses McDonald and Barnet were performed. Scottish pies and short breads were served to the crowd, who danced late into the following morning. Before the gathered guests departed, they broke into a raucous version of Auld Lang Syne.[1]

 

  In 1954, the Gawler Caledonian Society celebrated Hallowe’en at the Gawler South Hall. In attendance were Norman and Mrs Campbell, Chief of the Royal Caledonian Society, Gawler Mayor Mr E.C. Goodger and acting Mayoress, Mrs E.H. Lawrence, the Chairman of the Mudla Wirra District Council, Mr and Mrs R.L. Haydon and Mr C Martin.
 The hall was decorated with black cats, witches, ghosts and other traditional Hallowe’en decorations. The Royal Caledonian Pipe Band played for the gathered guests, and Miss Heather McIntosh gave a demonstration of dance. Songs were then presented by Mr Sandy McDougal, Mrs P Beveridge, Miss Shirley Davidson, Walter Ried, Ron Tuckwell and Steve Cho.
Games were played, with ‘dookin’ for apples’ causing great amusement among the crowd. ‘Bun on a string’ was also a crowd favourite.[2]

 Mr Hedley Thomas filmed the event, and it is for this reason I am writing this post – if anyone knows where that footage might be, please let me know, as it would be a worthy contribution to the Gawler Heritage Centre's collection!

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2025

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[1] 'S. A. Caledonian Society.', Bunyip, (2 November 1894), p. 2.

[2] 'Pipers Present at Gawler Hallowe'en.', Bunyip, (29 October 1954), p. 1.

 Lightning Strikes – The Death of Mr Carey

 It was a Friday afternoon January 25 1901, Thomas Carey, a farmer near Templers, was returning home after visiting Gawler. He was riding in a wagon with six horses. His brother, Jeremiah Carey, an employee of Mr Flett, had also been in Gawler that day, and rode with his brother as far as Flett’s farm near Roseworthy.
 Thomas waited with his horses and wagon while his brother went into his lodgings and found an overcoat that he gave to Jeremiah. Mr Flett invited Thomas to park his wagon at the farmhouse and stable his horses as a fierce storm had settled in. Thomas declined the invitation.  Jeremiah then changed his clothes and went with Mr Flett to check on an overflowing drain. The men walked for a little while but noticed Thomas's wagon was sitting idle alongside the road. They walked over to it and found all six horses and Thomas dead.[1]

Authorities were alerted, with Mounted Constable Grosser the first on the scene. He found Thomas Carey sitting in an upright position, his body leaning back on the hay frame. His feet were resting on the shafts. Thomas’ left leg was scorched above the ankle, as was the left side of his neck and face. His moustache and hair on the left of his body was badly singed.  Thomas’ body had many small burn marks, especially across his torso. His hat had been blown off his head and was lying 200 yards away.
 The horses were lying dead where they had stood, with no apparent electrical or fire damage. The wagon was also unscathed.
Mr A.G. Both, J.P. stated that an inquest was not required and approved for the burial of the man and his horses. The horses were buried in a 10-foot-deep, former waterhole on the property of James Dingle.[2]

Thomas Carey was buried at the Willaston Cemetery. The Bunyip newspaper reported that the funeral procession was one of the longest ever seen in the district at the time, with over 100 vehicles following the hearse. [3]

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2025

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[1] 'STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.', Border Watch, (30 January 1901), p. 1.

[2] 'Killed by Lightning.', Bunyip, (1 February 1901), p. 2.

[3] 'Killed by Lightning.', Bunyip, (1 February 1901), p. 2.

Gawler Underground - Union Mill

Union Mill

1 Julian Terrace, Gawler

  The Union Mill was established in 1855 by Harrison Brothers, opening on the site of their unsuccessful tannery. It was the second flour mill in Gawler. In 1863, it was purchased by Walter Duffield. In 1880, The Adelaide Milling Company bought the Union Mill. In 1933, Jeff Brothers leased the mill from the Adelaide Milling Company.

  In 1864, the middle floor of the mill gave way. The western wall fell, and many of the windows were blown out by the weight of mountains of wheat. The destruction poured into what is now Julian Terrace. In the 1870s, a train siding, coming from the tram line in Murray Street, was built into the Union Mill yard. The rail line had its own turntable to spin trucks around and take them back the way they had come after loading and unloading. The mill also had its own weigh station.
Fire destroyed much of the building in 1914. Rebuilt, but smaller. The mill ceased operations in 1968. In 1975, fire destroyed parts of the southern section of the building.

Centrelink and the CES were situated here in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was a medieval-themed restaurant that operated on the second floor in the 1990s. Where Asian Central is located today, there was an open-air dining area, which was enclosed in the early 1990s.

Today, the Salvation Army, Pole for Fitness, Asian Central and Action Psychology occupy the retail spaces of the former Union Mill.

Go underground via this link

researched and written by Allen Tiller

Gawler Underground - Rudall and Rudall

Rudall & Rudall 

25 Murray Street - Gawler

25 Murray Street was built for the South Australian Banking Company (later known as the Bank of South Australia) by builder Henry Brown. It was designed by architect Thomas English, who would later become Mayor of Adelaide and a Member of the Legislative Council. It opened on the 4th of April 1859.[1]
The South Australian Banking Company operated from the premises between 1859 and 1892. The second owner of the building was the Union Bank of South Australia, between 1892 and 1928. It was then occupied by Rudall and Rudall circa 1928.

Rudall and Rudall was founded by John Rudall (1820 – 1897) in 1854.[2] John Rudall was Gawler’s first Town Clerk a position he held until 1881 when he was appointed the resident Gawler Magistrate. Samuel Bruce Rudall (1859 – 1945), John’s son, took over the position of Town Clerk in 1881, a position he held until 1914. He was also a State MP between 1905 and 1915. Samuel’s son, Reginald John Rudall (1885-1955), was a Rhodes Scholar in 1908. He was a state MP from 1933 until 1955, including a seven-year term as Minister for Education, and nine years as Attorney General under the Playford Government. Reginald and his wife suffered greatly during World War two when both their sons, Jon and Peter, were killed in action.

In 1955, the Rudall connection to the law practice ended when Reginald died. Lawrence McAusland Bills (1913 – 1975) then took over the law firm. He served Rudall and Rudall from 1937 until his death in 1974. His son, Anthony ‘Tony’ McAusland Bills (1941-2010), then took over Rudall and Rudall. Peter Ryan and Nick Pullman are today the partners of the firm and are supported by seven associate lawyers and seven legal assistants, making it the largest legal firm in the Gawler region.

Go underground via the link below.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller

[1] 'The Bank of South Australia', Bunyip (), (15 April 1892), p. 2.
[2] Rudall and Rudall Lawyers, History, (2024), https://www.rudalls.com.au/about/history/.

Gawler Underground - The Prince Albert Hotel

Prince Albert Hotel

109 Murray Street, Gawler

  The Prince Albert Hotel on Murray Street opened as the New Bushman Hotel on 31 March 1847 – the sign above the door states it was opened in 1859 by J. McEwan, but this is most likely the date it opened under the Prince Albert name. It retained this name until 30 March 1851, when it was renamed Young’s Hotel. The name reverted to the New Bushman Hotel in July 1852, then Smiths Hotel from 1855 until March 1859, when it was renamed The Prince Albert Inn. As of April 1869, the hotel has had the name The Prince Albert Hotel.[1] In the late 1990s, it became Fibber Magee’s until 2011.[2] The hotel name was then reverted to The Prince Albert Hotel. The hotel’s current legal trading name is the P/A Hotel.[3]

  A local legend states a tunnel used to run underneath Murray Street from the Gawler Arms Hotel into the Prince Albert Hotel, with another tunnel running up to the Hutchinson Hospital (built in 1913) on East Terrace. There is no evidence in the basement to prove either of these alleged tunnels true.

Go Underground via this link:

Researched and written by Allen Tiller

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[1] Ibid.

[2] The South Australian Government Gazette, No. 53, (28 July 2011), pp. 3142.

[3] The South Australian Government Gazette, No. 123, (3 August 2000), p. 414.

Gawler Underground - Good Samaritan Convent

St Joseph’s Good Samaritan Convent

6 Porter Street

St Joseph’s Good Samaritan Convent was built in 1910, opening on October 3rd. The first nuns moved in on 11 November 1910. It served as a school for Sisters of the Good Samaritan and could house twelve female boarders. The chapel, rectory, music room, dormitories, lavatories, bathrooms, community room, sacristy and staircase hall were on the upper level. The north wing contained a reception room, refectory, scullery, kitchen, laundry, cellar, and another outer office.[1] Past students speak of the honour of polishing the cedar staircase and chapel, or ringing the Angelus Bell, all of which still stand intact today.

Music was a large part of instruction in the Convent, with many important musicians being classically trained here, including internationally renowned musician Brenton Langbein OAM, who went on to study at the University of Adelaide. He would later play with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and become a star of the classical music scene in Europe, and a theatre in the Barossa is named after him.

In 1973, the convent and the smaller convent next door were sold to Hristos (Kristos) and Mavis Zisimou. The Zisimou’s, for a while, ran the property as a boarding house. According to her son, Mavis helped people turn their lives around with tough love, an iron fist, and a loving heart. The convent was sold to Dr Naomi Rutton in 2022, who has plans to turn it into a health retreat.

Go underground via the link below

researched and written by Allen Tiller




[1] 'The New Samaritan Convent, Gawler.', Southern Cross, (7 October 1910), p. 8.

Gawler Underground - Imprint Flowers

Imprint Flowers

1 Tod Street Gawler

 

The building located at 1 Tod Street, now Imprint Flowers, started as Taylor and Ponder Carpenters and Builders in 1855.[1] Ponder left the company, and a new partnership started with Alexander Forgie. Taylor and Forgie were carpenters and builders, and sometime in the 1870s, extended their business to include undertaking. In 1902, Alexander Forgie died, dissolving the partnership of Taylor and Forgie, however, Alexander’s sons, Alexander junior and James Forgie, took over the business.

  In 1908, The Bunyip newspaper reported that a fire gutted the ground-floor offices of Taylor and Forgie, but it did not penetrate through to the boarding house above.[2]

  There is a belief that this site was used as a morgue – and there may be a little truth in that - occasionally bodies were stored here, but the reality was, in the Victorian era, when people died their bodies were prepared for funerals in their own homes. This was generally due to there being no refrigeration storage, so people were buried within a few days of death. This changed once embalming became the norm, and this is more likely the period, in the early 1900s, that bodies were stored here temporarily.

Taylor and Forgie moved to Cowan Street, Gawler, in 1968. Since then, the shop has been a coffee house, a secondhand store, a baby shop, Bake and Brew, Fairy Secrets, and a flower shop.

Go Underground and visit the basements via this link

Researched and written by Allen Tiller

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[1] 1942 'TAYLOR & FORGIE', Bunyip, 24 July, p. 2.

[2] 1908 'A FIRE.', Bunyip, 1 May, p. 2.

Gawler Underground - Table Top Warfare

Piles Building

146-154 Murray Street, Gawler.

Built in 1877 for owner John Pile by Mr J. J. Peek of Gawler South.[1] The shop on the end that was most recently B Music was built by Taylor and Forgie Carpenters around 1880.[2] This retail shop has been F. Lines and Sons Butchers, W. Miller Butcher, and Arthur T. Hewett Butchers.
The Commercial Bank of South Australia, Stewert Music Emporium, and H.B. Crosby have all occupied the premises; as have many other businesses, including R.J. Lavis Draper and Grocer, Gawler Curtains and Blinds, The Salvation Army, Stratco, Malcolm Buckby M.P., Reminisce Photography and a family-run deli.

International movie connection: Frank Thring Sr. worked at H.B. Crosby, making boots. Thring married Gawler born Grace Wight while they were both actors in the Gawler Theatrical Club. Frank and Grace's daughter, Viola, known as Lola, dated future Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt before dumping him and marrying his father! Thring later founded EffTee Pictures - a massively successful movie house. Frank Thring's son with his second wife Olive, went on to star as Pontius Pilate in Ben-Hur, and starred in the movies The Howling 3, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and a host of TV commercials.

In the early 1980s, artist Audrey Emery opened the Brownstone Jazz Cellar, a coffee shop in this basement. The Brownstone Jazz Cellar only lasted a couple of years; it was incredibly successful, but with success came rent increases that priced it out of the cellar. It closed circa 1983.

Go Underground and visit the basements via this link

TABLE TOP WARFARE

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[1] 'Editor's Notes.', Bunyip, (9 February 1912), p. 2.

[2] 1878 'COLONIAL MANUFACTURES.', Bunyip (Gawler, SA : 1863 - 1954), 12 July, p. 2.

 Is Architectural history a lie? 

– The Tartarian Mudflood Conspiracy.

 

A basement window looking out to Murray Street - Gawler.

 Recently on the Haunts of Adelaide Facebook page, we have had a few conspiracy theories that certain older buildings in Adelaide were built by a highly advanced global empire that visited Australia (and other locations around the globe) pre-European settlement. The conspiracy is that the Tartarian global empire was intentionally erased, and that history was rewritten to make buildings seem younger and more modern.[1] Subscribers to the theory believe that a vast, technologically advanced empire arose in north-central Asia, and spread peacefully across the globe. They believe that approximately one hundred years ago a great cataclysm occurred that toppled the empire which led to many of its buildings being destroyed, and its history erased from records.[2]

European Cartographers often used the toponym ‘Tartary’ to describe Central Asia. The area was bound by the Caspian Sea, the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. There were a multitude of different cultures living within this area. Tartary was not defined, nor did it represent one race of people. In modern terms, this area spans from the east of the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea and includes Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and Siberia.[3]

The Tartarian ‘theory’ was originated and perpetuated by pseudo-historians who combined a Russian fervour for their allegedly lost empire (Tartaria being the supposed real name of Russia according to some conspiracy believers) with an alternative historical chronology. Basically, the timeline we all know is actually much shorter in reality. This theory has then been picked up by influencers and shared as a fact being hidden by someone in authority – usually a shadow Government, the Rothschilds, the Illuminati or the Secret Owl Society. [4]

Buildings such as the Capitol in Washington, the Pyramids in Egypt, The Great Wall of China, and Bastian Star forts, such as seen in Portugal, Netherlands, and Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka was a Portuguese and Dutch colony, so no mystery how the design was utilized there). Here in Adelaide, buildings being assigned to the Tartarian include the Adelaide Town Hall, the General Post Office and the Edmund Wright Building. This is despite detailed records of design and photographic evidence of construction.

 One of the things that Tartarian conspiracy theory believers love to argue as a feature of Tartarian architecture is buildings with basement windows. If you look around Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Gawler, or Kapunda, you’ll see this common feature that allows light to get into basement rooms with pre-electric light (it is widely believed that Port Adelaide has lower basements because the city was ‘built up’ to stop tidal floods, however, there is no evidence of this. One would think if this were the case the original ground-level doors would be visible in what are now basements, and sub-basements, that were originally basements, would be present in all buildings).

Another feature of the conspiracy is that much of our history has been intentionally razed or destroyed by disasters and war. An example is the fire in the Norte-Dame de Paris, the 12th-century Roman Catholic cathedral in France was seen as a deliberate attempt to destroy more Tartarian architecture by conspiracy believers.[5]  Some believers in the theory cite Napoleon’s invasion of Russia as the beginning of the rewriting of Tartarian history and add that further World Wars destroyed much of what was left of the empire in the 20^th century. However, they do not cite how Napoleon’s army overcame the vastly superior weaponry of the Tartarian – as one must assume, a world power with such great architectural stills, would also have an advanced military and weaponry.[6]
  There is little reasoning offered on why such a coverup and rewriting of history has occurred. Much of the rhetoric involves believers riffing on old maps, weaving together narratives based on conjecture picking out small inconsistencies, and a flagrant disregard for documented history.
 There also seems to be little or no understanding of economic differences between now and two hundred years ago. Today, glass, steel and concrete are reasonably cheap to build with; stone, terracotta and marble are not. It was also much cheaper to hire skilled workers and labourers two hundred years ago than it is today.

© Allen Tiller 2025

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[1] Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, What Is the Lost Empire Of Tartaria?, Discover, (2023), https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-is-the-lost-empire-of-tartaria.

[2] Zach Mortice, ‘Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’ the QAnon of Architecture’, Bloomberg, (2021), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-27/inside-architecture-s-wildest-conspiracy-theory.

[3] Mark C. Elliot, "The Limits of Tartary: Manchuria in Imperial and National Geographies". The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 59, (2000), pp. 603–646.

[4] Josie Adams, Inside the wild architecture conspiracy theory gaining traction online, The Spin Off, (2022), https://thespinoff.co.nz/internet/14-01-2022/inside-the-wild-architecture-conspiracy-theory-gaining-traction-online.

[5] Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, What Is the Lost Empire Of Tartaria?, Discover, (2023), https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-is-the-lost-empire-of-tartaria.

[6] Zach Mortice, ‘Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’ the QAnon of Architecture’, Bloomberg, (2021), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-27/inside-architecture-s-wildest-conspiracy-theory.

Allen Tiller - South Australia's History Festival 2025

 

I have a few things going on this year for South Australia's History Festival.

I have worked with Gawler Youth to develop a geocache that investigates Gawler's history and it's ghosts. The Youth chose the name "History behind the mystery". It opens on May 12th at the Gawler Youth Space at the Gawler Civic Centre.

I have been working with Daniel Down of Gawler Photographs to bring you Gawler Underground:

Come visit our FREE exhibition titled "GAWLER UNDERGROUND". Check out two years’ work exploring some of Gawler's most hidden basements.
  Not only will you be able to see detailed photographs of these historic basements, but you'll be able to get a real feel for what's below Gawler’s streets by connecting to our YouTube channel through QR codes supplied at the event, giving you a firsthand look inside these basements.
  Artists will also present their own interpretations of the basement/building/moods.
  Outside the cafe space in the Gawler Civic Centre:
Mon - Sat
May 13th - May 31st
Find out more here: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/1221942235989540

I will be presenting Playford Ghosts on Saturday, 17th May at the Playford History Festival
book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/playford-history-festival-stage-line-up-tickets-1278638796059

And I will be presenting Ghosts of Salisbury - Wed May 21st - at Salisbury Library
book here: https://festival.history.sa.gov.au/events/ghosts-of-salisbury-with-allen-tiller/

#gawler #history #ghosts #allentiller

 Gawler's Unfulfilled Commercial Precinct

  In 1954, the Gawler Council was planning for future population growth. They estimated that Gawler would soon reach twenty thousand people and that the town centre would have to be redesigned to accommodate the extra traffic.
A survey was conducted and showed that at the time Gawler’s main shopping area consisted of 84 Shops, Willaston had 6 shops, Gawler South, had 7 shops, and ‘other areas' (e.g. Evanston) had 5 shops.

The plan to increase shopping in the town included expanding the shopping precinct west towards Reid Street and closing Jacob and Tod Streets to vehicles between Murray Street and Dundas Street, forming a pedestrian precinct for shopping.[1]

Today we Have the Woolworths Complex and Drakes west of Main Street, and an Aldi opening in 2025. However, no streets have been closed, and the 'shopping precinct' is still unattached, e.g. - no mall or shopping centres like Munno Para or Elizabeth. 

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[1] 'PLANNED FOR GAWLER OF 20,000 PEOPLE', Bunyip, (5 November 1954), p. 1. 

REMAINS OF A DIPROTODON FOUND.

 In 1924, The Mail (newspaper) reported that Professor Walter Howchin unearthed the bones of a Diprotodon at Gawler. It also reported that other bones had been found in the bed of the River Torrens, and at Lake Callabonna in the States far north.[1]

 In 1936, describing Gawler’s river system, the Bunyip newspaper referred to a Kaurna people allegory of the Moole Yerke Perre, a large ‘weird antediluvian monster (that) was responsible for the permanent marks made by its nose and shins,’ in the riverbeds and banks. The Bunyip reporter then links this creature to the 1891 discovery of Diprotodon fossils in Gawler.[2]

The Bunyip reported on the original 1891 find of bones,

Scientific Discovery at Gawler South.

REMAINS OF A DIPROTODON FOUND.

A discovery of more than ordinary interest was made at Gawler South a few days ago by some workmen who were excavating a tank on the property of Mr. Thomas Molan.  When they had sunk about 8 ft. they came upon a deposit of bones. At first, they took very little notice, and as they were very crumbly shovelled them out with the clay.
 After a time the size of some of the bones attracted their curiosity, and one of the members of the Gawler Geological Class having been communicated with it was thought to be the remains of the extinct Australian marsupial, the diprotodon.
  Mr. W. Howchin, F.G.S., the lecturer of the Gawler Geological and Mineralogical Class was informed, and came up on Wednesday afternoon. He at once confirmed the opinion. Bones continued to show themselves right across the tank and to a depth of 11 ft. At the latter depth a portion of the head was unearthed, and as it was desired to get it out as perfectly as possible it was decided to obtain the services of Mr. A. Zielz, of the Adelaide Museum.
  That gentleman came up yesterday morning, and completed the exhumation, although he had to be content to get the head out in pieces. The diprotodon is said to have lived in the post-Pliocene age — before the age of man and was about the size of an elephant. Its head was about 3 ft. in length. Very few remains of the species have been discovered, and the best skeleton is said to be in possession of the Adelaide Museum it having been obtained from the Burra district recently. No complete skeleton, however, has yet been found. It is impossible to tell yet how complete the present skeleton is as the bones are so broken, but Mr. Zietz does not think it will be as perfect as that obtained from the Burra.
   All the bones were carefully packed in cases with sawdust preparatory to being sent to the Adelaide Museum for reconstruction. Just as they were about to be taken away the owner of the property appeared on the scene and declined to allow them to go to Adelaide unless he was paid £10. As Mr. Zietz could not promise that amount without consulting his Committee, the cases were placed in the hands of Mr. E. Potter, the Chairman of the Gawler Geological Class, until a decision is arrived at.
 A large number of persons visited the scene of the discovery yesterday. Mr. W. H. Percy, who was working on the property, rendered valuable assistance in getting the remains out, and the contractor, Mr. James Peek offered every facility.[3]

Perhaps, when recollecting in a 1952 issue of The Advertiser Ernest L.B. Potter of Croydon, he remembered wrongly that his uncle Edward Potter had discovered the Diprotodon, instead of Professor Howchin. In an Out Among the People column, it was reported,

ERNEST L. B. Potter (West Croydon) tells me that as a boy of 10, about 1890, he remembers a diprotodon skull being found in an excavation for an underground tank at Gawler South, near Dead Man's Pass on the South Para and the road to One Tree Hill. His uncle, Edward Potter, a geologist, pronounced it to be a diprotodon.[4]

 

The skull and bones found in Gawler were identified as those of a Diprotodon from the Pleistocene Epoch of Australia.  Diprotodon Optatum became extinct about 25, 000 years ago and was known to exist while indigenous populations were in the area. These animals grew up to 3.8 meters long from head to tail and stood about 1.7 meters tall at the shoulder.  Its closest relations today are the wombat and the koala.

For more information on the Diprotodon, please visit here: Diprotodon: Not a wombat

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024.

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[1] 'Prehistoric Times In South Australia', The Mail, (1 March 1924), p. 1.

[2] 'Early Gawler And District Nomenclature.', Bunyip, (11 December 1936), p. 8. 

[3] 'Scientific Discovery at Gawler South.', Bunyip, (24 July 1891), p. 2.

[4] 'Out Among The People', The Advertiser, (2 September 1952), p. 4. 

 

Gawler National Trust Heritage Museum

In the past year, I have held 3 presentations at the Gawler Heritage Museum, raising close to $2000 for the museum. Many people still don’t seem to know Gawler has a museum in Murray Street, so I thought I might share a ghost story to see if it generates some interest and gets some people visiting…

This building started as Gawler’s Telegraph Station and was built in 1860. Pre-internet and telephones, A wire signal was installed that allowed a tapped, morse code message to be sent to Gawler from Adelaide or Port Adelaide when the mail arrived.
Eventually, the Post office moved next door and this building became the Gawler School of Mines and the Gawler Adult Education Centre. From 1915 until 1953 it was the Commonwealth Government Electoral Office. In 1966, the building was transferred to the National Trust. It is now Gawler’s National Trust Museum.

Ghosts

The building is allegedly haunted by twin girls who sit on chairs on
the upper level. A witness claimed to have walked into the room and saw the little girls sitting there,
talking to each other. They did not seem to notice the living lady, and vanished before her eyes, as she
stared at them in shock!

Another ghostly occurrence is linked to the old piano upstairs, during a paranormal investigation, the piano was heard to tap out a few notes – perhaps this was a ghost playing a tune…or typing our morse code…