A former goldmining town in the Olary goldfields, Mannahill (gazetted as Manna Hill) is one of the easternmost localities in South Australia. Watch out for the giant Solar Array as you drive into the outskirts of town.
Where is it?: on the Barrier Highway in east South Australia, Australia situated about 310km north-northeast of Adelaide; 120 km from Peterborough.
The Mannahill Aboriginal engravings site is 3 km to the north-east. The engravings here, along with others found in the region, are mainly macropod, bird and human tracks and non-figurative motifs such as circles, dots (often in clusters), lines, abraded grooves and crescents or arcs.
The Manna Hill Gold Field Mine (10.7km away) is a bismuth, gold and lead mine. It is one of the easternmost mines in South Australia.
Bimbowrie Conservation Park has always been a significant place for Aboriginal people and this relationship continues. It is well known for its outstanding geological features and is an important area for mining due to the rich mineral deposits it contains. Reminders of Bimbowie Station are still evident and will remain central to the character of the park. As a result of this pastoral heritage, the park contains many fascinating historical buildings including the Antro Woolshed and relics associated with Cobb and Co coaches.
The historic Bimbowrie Station entered a new era in 2010 when it was proclaimed as a Conservation Park. This initiative ensures the protection of a unique part of outback South Australia. Bimbowrie Conservation Park is located within the Olary Ranges. Many historic buildings are found in the park, standing as relics of more than a century of pastoral production in the region. The Antro woolshed and shearers kitchen are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. Evidence of earlier occupation has also been identified and protected at a number of Aboriginal heritage sites.
Mannahill was located on the stock route that passed from the Barrier Ranges in New South Wales to the then rail head at Terowie. The village also supported early gold mining activity at Mannahill and at Wadnaminga to the south. Mannahill was surveyed in the mid-1880s as a water-supply and maintenance point on the Peterborough to Cockburn railway line which was completed in 1887. The railway station had been previously constructed in 1886. The village still has the Mannahill Hotel which was built in 1889. Mannahill Police Station is situated in Railway Terrace, Mannahill. Local weather records have been kept at Mannahill for 109 years.
The discovery of rich lead-zinc-silver lodes at Silverton NSW and, subsequently, the massive high-grade Broken Hill ore body, aided the efforts of prospectors in the Olary region and contributed to discoveries of gold at Manna Hill (1885), Teetulpa (1886), Kings Bluff (1887), Wadnaminga (1888) and Mount Grainger (1891). The Manna Hill discovery brought 5,000 miners to the field within two months; the field was virtually deserted by 1889 after having produced an estimated 3,100 kg by the time the gold ran out.
