South Australia

South Australia (abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's states and territories.

South Australia shares borders with all of the other mainland states, and with the Northern Territory; it is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales, to the south-east by Victoria, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight and the Indian Ocean. With over 1.6 million people, the state comprises less than 8% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the six states and two territories. The majority of its people reside in the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the remainder are settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province, rather than as a convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836, when the colony was proclaimed at the Old Gum Tree by Governor John Hindmarsh.

South Australia (song)

South Australia (Roud # 325) is a sea shanty, also known under such titles as "Rolling King" and "Bound for South Australia". As an original worksong it was sung in a variety of trades, including being used by the wool and later the wheat traders who worked the clipper ships between Australian ports and London. In adapted form, it is now a very popular song among folk music performers that is recorded by many artists and is present in many of today's song books.

History as a shanty

Information on the age, spread, and practical use of the shanty is relatively sparse. However, the evidence at hand does not suggest there is anything particularly or locally "Australian" about the song, contrary to how it has become popularly envisioned since the late 20th century.

It was first noted by sea music author L.A. Smith, who collected it "from a coloured seaman at the [Sailors'] 'Home'" in London and published it in her 1888 collection, The Music of the Waters.

In the 1930s or 1940s, at Sailors' Snug Harbor, New York, shanty collector W.M. Doerflinger recorded veteran sailor William Laurie of Greenock Scotland, who began a career in sailing ships in the late 1870s. The one verse sung by Laurie was published, with tune, in Doerflinger's 1951 book.

South Australian wine

The South Australian wine industry is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the state to be able to produce a range of grape varieties-from the cool climate Riesling variety in the Clare Valley wine region to the big, full bodied Shiraz wines of the Barossa Valley.

Some of Australia's best-known wines like Penfolds Grange, Jacob's Creek, Yalumba and Henschke Hill of Grace are produced here, as well as many of Australia's mass-produced box wines.

As with most agriculture in Australia, irrigation is vital to the success of the South Australian wine industry.

History

The earliest recorded evidence of vine planting was in 1836 by a settler named John Barton Hack in Chichester Gardens, North Adelaide.

In 1838 George Stevenson planted a vineyard in Adelaide and may have been producing wine as early as 1841. Following the spread of urban development, Hack's vines were pulled up and replanted in a new vineyard at Echunga Springs near Mount Barker. In 1843, he sent a case of wine made from the vineyard to Queen Victoria, being the first Australian wine to reach the Queen.

Electoral district of Mitchell (South Australia)

Mitchell is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the state of South Australia. It was first created in the redistribution of 1969, taking effect at the 1970 election. Mitchell is named after philosopher Sir William Mitchell. Mitchell is located in inner-south western Adelaide, covering 26.8 km² and encompassing the suburbs of Dover Gardens, Old Reynella, Reynella, Seacombe Gardens, Seacombe Heights, Seaview Downs, Sheidow Park, Sturt and Trott Park and parts of Darlington, O'Halloran Hill, Oaklands Park and Warradale. The suburbs contained within the seat in 2010 were completely different as recently as 1989. The 1989 seat centered on Park Holme, north-east of the current incarnation of Mitchell, where much of the seat of Elder is. The 1989 boundary bordered the 2010 boundary in the south-west and north-east respectively.

Mitchell has tended to be a marginal Labor-held seat. While Colin Caudell succeeded in winning the seat for the Liberal Party of Australia for the first time at the 1993 election, he was narrowly defeated by Kris Hanna at the 1997 election. Hanna markedly increased his majority at the 2002 election, but defected to the SA Greens in 2003. He subsequently left the Greens in February 2006, and won his seat at the 2006 election narrowly as an independent candidate on a 50.6 two-candidate vote, though Labor got a 65.2 percent two-party vote against the Liberals. However, he lost at the 2010 election to Labor candidate Alan Sibbons. Hanna unsuccessfully contested the seat at the 2014 election. Liberal Corey Wingard won the seat with a 51.2 percent two-party vote which made it the most marginal seat in parliament. It was the first time Labor was in government with the Liberals winning Mitchell.

Electoral district of Mitchell (Western Australia)

Mitchell was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia. It existed from 1983 to 2005 and, under the name Leschenault, continued until 2008.

History

Mitchell was created at the 1982 redistribution and was named for Sir James Mitchell GCMG, former Premier (1919–1924; 1930–1933) and Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia (1933–1951), who was born in Dardanup within the original boundaries of the electorate. It was first contested at the 1983 election. The district was initially a reasonably safe Labor seat based in the eastern and southern suburbs of the regional city of Bunbury, but as Bunbury grew, the seat contracted in size and moved northwards, centring on Australind. The seat then switched to the Liberal Party's Dan Sullivan, who held it until its abolishment. At the 2003 redistribution, the seat was renamed as the Commissioners believed the name "Mitchell" had no connection to the seat as it now stood, and the Leschenault Inlet north and northeast of Bunbury was a clear geographic landmark.

South Australia (baseball team)

South Australia (previously known as the South Australian Bite) compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. They were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed until 1988 where the Claxtion Shield was thereafter awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League until 1999 when they were invited to join the International Baseball League of Australia which they competed in for 2 seasons(1999-00 and 2002), after this point the Claxton Shield reverted to a competition similar to 1988.

History

2009 Claxton Shield Squad

South Australia's 19 man roster for the 2009 Claxton Shield, Announced by Baseball South Australia.

Famous Players

References

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT) is a federal Australian territory in the centre and central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west (129th meridian east), South Australia to the south (26th parallel south), and Queensland to the east (138th meridian east). To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Despite its large area—over 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. The Northern Territory's population of 243,700 (2014) makes it is the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories, having fewer than half as many people as Tasmania.

The archaeological history of the Northern Territory begins over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians settled the region. Makassan traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang from at least the 18th century onwards, and very likely for 300 years prior to that. The coast of the territory was first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first Europeans to attempt to settle the coastal regions. After three failed attempts to establish a settlement (1824–1828, 1838–1849, and 1864–66), success was achieved in 1869 with the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin. Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park in the Top End and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining.