Mallala Flour Mill, now the town's museum

Mallala
Tiny sleepy little wheatbelt township
Located 57 km from Adelaide, Mallala is a tiny town with a population of around 500 people. It is 41 m above sea level and has an annual rainfall of 400 mm. The town's name is reputedly derived from the local Aboriginal word 'madlola' which supposedly meant 'place of the ground frog'. It was first used by Phillip Butler who took up a sheep run in the area in the 1840s. By the 1860s the area had been subdivided and a substantial number of sheep and wheat farmers were finding the conditions ideal. The town prospered and a large, and beautiful, flour mill was built to process the local wheat harvest.

The town never grew to any great size. The impressive World War I war memorial in the centre of town records only ten people from the town being killed. In essence the town remained a largely unspoilt 19th century village.

Mallala changed briefly during World War II when a flying school was established in the district. Suddenly the town had a population of over 2,000 people. After the war the buildings which had housed the trainees were used for newly arrived immigrants from war torn Europe. By the 1960s the town had returned to its previous quietness. Today it is a sleepy little village which is a typical 19th century South Australian wheat town.

The area was settled in the 1840s

It is an intensely sleepy little township with a museum in what appears to be an old wheat mill which is only open on Sundays.

Things to see:  

The War Memorial in the centre of town

World War I Memorial
The smallness of the town is perfectly captured in the First World War Memorial which has the insignia 'In honour of ten men who died in defence of home and liberty'. The men died in France, Palestine and Egypt.

Mallala Museum
The town's museum (make enquiries regarding its opening times) is located in the old Flour Mill. It contains an interesting collection of local memorabilia.

Adelaide Plains Parish Uniting Church
The Adelaide Plains Uniting Church was the old Methodist Church. It is an extraordinary church which is out of balance. It looks as though one of the turrets has fallen off. The church was built in 1909 and the stone was laid by Sir Samuel Way, who was the lieutenant-governor of South Australia at the time.