Peters Hill (South Australia)

Peters Hill, (518m), formerly Peter's Hill (the possessive apostrophe being officially deleted in December 1940)[1] is the highest peak in the Belvidere Range of hills in South Australia, a northern extension of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Peters Hill
Highest point
Elevation518 m (1,699 ft)
Coordinates34°10′42.02″S 138°49′56.17″E / 34.1783389°S 138.8322694°E / -34.1783389; 138.8322694
Geography
LocationSouth Australia, Australia
Parent rangeBelvidere Range

Description edit

Peters Hill sits atop a north-south ridge about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the surveyed town of Hamilton and around 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) nearly due east of the town of Riverton. The surrounding country supports grazing on the higher peaks and dry grain farming on the slopes and plains.[citation needed]

Naming edit

Peters Hill has been named as such since as early as 1842. It may have been named after William Peter, a Scottish grazier who in 1841 pioneered European settlement in this district. His sheep runs extended all round this hill, one of his head stations being nearby.[2][circular reference] "Peter's Hill" is shown on the western ridge of an 1842 plan of the Light River valley. "Mr Peter's Head Station" is shown on the eastern slopes of the valley. named on a survey plan drawn up in 1842 for the Secondary Towns Association.[3]

Other history sources have suggested alternative origins for the name.[4] Among these are the Manning Index.[5] This identifies three sources for the hill's name. One is William Spence Peter, as already mentioned. Another asserts it was named after “Peter Inkster (c.1829-1917), an early settler.”,[4][5] However, Inkster's obituary said that he did not migrate to South Australia until later, by which time the name had been in use for some time.[6] Lastly, it may have been named "Petatz Hill" after Martin Petatz, a Wendish settler who owned a nearby property. However, Petatz’s name is not recorded in official records as a landholder.[4][5] More likely, Petatz is simply a translated form of the name Peter.

References edit

  1. ^ "FORTY-THREE TOWN NAMES CHANGED, Premier's Home Town Among Them". The Advertiser. 6 December 1940. p. 12. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Search result for "Peters Hill" (Record number SA0054601)". Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. ^ Hailes, J. C. (James Chaplin); Secondary Towns Association (London, England) (1842), Plan of the two special surveys on the River Light [cartographic material], Published by J.C. Hailes, 104, Leadenhall Street, for the Secondary Towns Association
  4. ^ a b c "Peters Hill". Gazetteer. Government of South Australia. 15 April 2014. SA0054601. Retrieved 2 August 2020 – via Location SA Viewer.
  5. ^ a b c Manning, G. H. "Peters Hill". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  6. ^ "PERSONAL". The Advertiser. Vol. LIX, no. 18, 211. South Australia. 24 February 1917. p. 9. Retrieved 3 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.