TAILEM BEND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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A major transport centre built on the cliffs overlooking the Murray River. It is the last town before the river enters Lake Alexandrina.
Location: 99 km east of Adelaide; 21 metres above sea level.
Origin of name: the origin of the name is unsure. There are a number of theories. One source states it is a corruption of the local Aboriginal word 'thelim' meaning 'bend' (the town is located near a major bend in the river). Other sources claim the name originated with Donald Gollan, one of the early European settlers, who called his property 'Taleam' (this and the former suggestion could well be one and the same). Another source states it refers to cutting tails off sheep while another equally dubious suggestion says the name arose from advice given by the Aboriginals on how to get cattle to swim across the Murray 'bendem tail, boss'.
Brief history: Captain Charles Sturt came into this part of Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal territory in February 1830 on his epic journey by boat down the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers from Queensland to Lake Alexandrina, at the mouth of the river. Soon after Sturt's trip through the area, the area was soon opened up and overlanders quickly moved sheep and cattle into the locality. The town was never a river port, being located high on the cliffs above the river, but came into being with the arrival of the railway in 1886. The town became a major rail centre.
Natural features: Murray River; Lake Alexandrina
Built features: town of Wellington (11 km south, Court House (1864); marina; woolshed; Braeside Homestead); cable driven vehicular ferry.
Heritage features: Old Tailem Bend Pioneer Village (5 km north); Poltalloch Station and Homestead (1876).