Eurelia
Eurelia is a small town in South Australia.[1] Its name comes from the local Jadliaura language and translates to "place of the ear". It is thought that local Dreamtime stories associated with the Ranges locates Eurelia as an "ear" of a prostrate man.[2]
The pronunciation of the town's name gives rise to some long standing jokes. One joke[3] has two railway porters at each end of the platform and as each train pulls in one would call out "You're a liar! You're a liar", and the other would reply "You really are! You really are!". (I.e. the town's name sounds like either "you're a liar" or "you really are", depending on which syllable the stress falls). The "correct" pronunciation is "you really are"[2]
The District Council of Carrieton, based in adjacent Carrieton, was known as the District Council of Eurelia for the first six years of its existence, from 1888 to 1894.[4]
Railways
Eurelia was on the Peterborough–Quorn railway line, built in 1881, and ceased regular use by the 1980s. It then became the northern terminus of operations of the Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society running trains from Peterborough between 1981 and 2002.
Eurelia had two dams, the first built when the railway was constructed by C & E Miller. The original dam held 20 million gallons. This dam was later supplemented when a new dam of 20 million gallons capacity was built to the north of the original dam, with the intent that the old dam would act as a settling pond. Construction started in 1948 and was completed in 1952. The dam remained empty until 1958 when, after heavy rains in the region, both dams filled.
Water from the dams was shipped across the SAR during times of drought.[5]
References
- ↑ Eurelia page at Geoscience Australia
- 1 2 Manning, G; 1990 Manning's Place Names of South Australia ISBN 05437687505
- ↑ Tom Burton, Words in Your Ear, Wakefield Press, 1999, ISBN 1-86254-475-1, page 101, relating a joke told to him by Alan Brissenden
- ↑ Marsden, Susan (2012). "A History of South Australian Councils to 1936" (PDF). Local Government Association of South Australia. p. 11. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ↑ Doncaster, N (as Editor) - Eurelia Dams - The Partyline No67 Autumn 1997; Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society (the article notes the material has been drawn from; Shepard, M; Ups and Downs of Eurelia 1876 to 1976