Willunga, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do

Located 47 km south of Adelaide (Mount Compass is a further 12 km south), Willunga is an historic township which was established only three years after the settlement of South Australia.

As far as can be determined the name Willunga comes from the Aboriginal word 'willangga' meaning, possibly, 'the locality of green trees' although some people insist it means 'black duck'.

The Hundred of Willunga was surveyed in 1839 and purchased by Edward Moore. The town was surveyed the following year although it is true that there was already a police station in the district. By 1840 the town's first 'Bush Inn' (the current structure is the third) a slab hut was built. It was around this time that a slate quarry was established in the district. This immediately established the area as the slate was of such quality it was shipped around Australia from Port Willunga. After the success of slate the area became an important wheat growing district. The early settlers named the streets in town after saints which gives the town, which has large numbers of charming old buildings, a quaint European feel. The slate declined in the 1890s and part of the town's charm is that it has largely remained untouched since its glory days in the 1850s and 1860s.

Today Willunga is a town full of genuinely interesting old buildings. It is situated on the edge of the McLaren Valley which lies to the north. Instead of vineyards or slate, modern Willunga is known for its almonds. Each July the town holds its Almond Blossom Festival.

Things to see

Old Courthouse & Police Station Museum
Located in High Street is The Old Police Station and Court House is now a National Trust Museum. Inside the Court House Museum the Court has been accurately recreated and the cells which date from more recent times have been preserved. It is open on weekends in the afternoon. On the side of the building is written 'Court House and Police Station. It was built in 1855 on the government reserve using stone from the adjacent quarries. Major additions were completed in 1864. It was used as a depot to dispense food and blankets to the Aborigines and was for a time a female immigrant depot. Its police and judicial functions continued until 1929 when it became a private residence. It was leased by the Willunga District Council to the National Trust of South Australia, restored and opened as a Museum in 1970.'

The Old Post and Telegraph Station
Over the road from the Old Police Station and Court House is the Old Post and Telegraph Station. The single storey section on the upper end of the building dates back to 1857. The other section dates to 1864. The original single storey building was opened in 1858. It contained the Post Office Telegraph Station and the Residential Quarters of the Postmaster. The two storey was added in 1865. The building ceased its function as a Post and Telegraph Station in 1916 and was sold by the Government in 1935. It was restored in 1986.

The Old Bush Inn
The first Old Bush Inn was established in 1839. It was subsequently rebuilt twice but the modern Old Bush Inn is still a place of considerable charm and historic interest.

Mount Magnificent Conservation Park
Located 12 km south east of the town this attractive Conservation area is part of the Heysen Trail. It is an ideal place to visit if you are hoping to see western grey kangaroos in their native habitat.

Mount Compass
Located 14 km south east of Willunga, Mount Compass is a very small settlement named after the occasion, in 1840, when Governor Gawler lost his compass near this site. Maybe it should have been called Mount Lost Compass. The town serves an agricultural district typified by dairy farms and market gardens.