History

1800	1850	1900	1950

14000- 40,000 BC	Aboriginal tribes settle the Yorke Peninsulas (from dating of artefacts found in coastal sand-dunes.
1800
1802	Yorke Peninsula is named by Captain Matthew Flinders R.N. on the (after the Right Honourable Charles Phillip Yorke), narrowly beating French navigator Captain Nicolas Baudin (who rather fancied 'Cambaceres Peninsula' himself!)
1846	Charles Parrington takes out one of the first sheep runs on Yorke Peninsula at Oyster Bay (Stansbury).
1847	The Narunga tribe, comprising the Koornarrah, the Winderah, the Dilpah, and the Wareeh has an estimated population of 500.
1851	The Rogers family takes out a pastoral lease in the Yorke Valley
1850
1856	The Troughbridge lighthouse is built. It is the first cast iron lighthouse in Australia
1860	Copper is discovered at Wallaroo.
1861	Copper is discovered at Moonta.
1866	A tramline is constructed to link Wallaroo and Moonta.
1868	Point Pearce Mission Station is opened.
1870	Moonta Bay jetty built.
	Port Broughton's 384m long jetty built at the cost of 1200 pounds.
1872	The first site for Maitland (named after Julia Maitland, a relative of the governor of SA) is planned
1873	Over 300 people are buried in unmarked graves in the Moonta Cemetery after a typhoid epidemic.
1876	Minlaton dedicated.
1877	The Yorke Valley Hotel is opened.
	First blocks of land in Arthurton go up for sale
1878	Port Victoria jetty opened
	Wallaroo Mines primary school opens. At its peak it served over 1000 students.
1875	Moonta's population peaks at 12,000
1876	Town allotments in Port Victoria are put up for sale.
	Work begins on the Ardrossan jetty
	Augustus Tocchi establishes the SA Salt Refining Company
1879	First large ship arrives in Port Victoria- the 'Cardigan Castle'
1880	Aboriginal population falls to just 100. Introduced diseases, clashes with police and settlers, and deliberate killings are the main factors.
	The first train arrives at Kadina station
	The CH Smith Power factory in Ardrossan officially opened
	The Kadina institute library (now the Kadina Town Hall) is opened. The clock tower was added in 1903.
1882	The Corny Point lighthouse starts operations
1884	Maitland Town Hall opened
1885	Moonta Town Hall built.
1900
1900	The 'Clan Ranald' sinks off Troubridge Hill with the loss of 40 lives.
	Point Turton's 13km long 'drain' is dug by twenty men with picks and shovels. It takes almost a year to complete.
1902	Port Vincent wharf is built
1904	The "Ethel' is wrecked on the South West coast.
	The building now occupied by the Edithburgh maritime museum (a produce store) was built.
1908	First store opens at Weetulta
1911	Maitland Hospital established
	Clara Ponder renamed the Port Vincent Hotel as the Ventor, after a place in Scotland
1919	Captain Harry Butler flew the first 'over-seas' airmail from Adelaide to Minlaton.
1922	Harry Butlers Avro plane crashes
1950
1951	Moonta receives 500,000 bags of wheat and barley.
1962	Ardrossan Area School opened.
1970	The Port Giles jetty is opened.
1984	The Moonta Mines area is declared a State Heritage Area.
1997	The district council of Yorke Peninsula comes into being by the amalgamation of the four existing councils.