Regional Profile

Encompassing an area of approximately 12676 square kilometres, the Yorke Region is centred around several agricultural business centres including Balaklava, Kadina, Maitland, Minlaton, Yorketown, Port Broughton, Blyth, Snowtown, Mallala, Two Wells and Lewiston.

The Yorke Region has an estimated resident population of approximately 40734 (2006), with strong growth being recorded in coastal areas. Between 2004 & 2005 the Yorke Region experienced a 0.9% growth in population compared with the States increase of 0.5%.

Compared with the aged distribution of the State as a whole, the Yorke Region has a higher than average concentration of people aged 0 - 14 and 65 years and over.

Although projected population change from 2000 to 2010 as shown in the ABS Regional Profile 2000 edition indicates a decrease, more recent figures show that the District Councils of the Copper Coast, Mallala and Barunga West have had significant population increases since 1996 and anecdotal evidence is that since 2001 the downward trend in the Wakefield Regional Council area has stopped due to the employment opportunities via the Balco and Primo developments at Bowmans and Port Wakefield and further expansion of current industry and the spread north by Metropolitan Adelaide and expansion in neighbouring Council areas such as Clare and Mallala.

The area covered by the Yorke Regional Development Board is virtually surrounded by sea with the Spencer Gulf on the west side and Gulf St Vincent on the east. This Region has access to export outlets with bulk handling shipping facilities at Ardrossan and Port Giles (Deep Sea). The Bowmans Patrick PortLink SA container terminal located at Bowmans is South Australia’s only intermodal freight facility with access to the state rail network that connects the grain silos at Balaklava. Owen, Nantawarra Long Plains and Mallala to Adelaide. The Bowmans site has container loading facilities.

The Region is served by well developed transport and communication networks with the main roads sealed and well maintained minor gravel roads. There is no rail service for freight or passengers on the Peninsula or the Wakefield and Adelaide Plains, however, the Wakefield and Adelaide Plains are traversed by the national Sydney - Perth line as well as by the state rail network.

Recent upgrades to telecommunications infrastructure mean that wireless broadband is accessible in all major towns on the Yorke Peninsula and will be of a similar standard across the Adelaide Plains by April 2008.

The region is rich in agriculture and marine resources. A valuable extension of agriculture is the potential processing ventures, that is value adding by producers and businesses in the Region, producing agricultural machinery and equipment, transport equipment and human foods and animal food processors. In recent years the Yorke Region has experienced growth in Hay processing and exporting via companies such as Balco Australia who have 15% of the Australian Hay export market.

Expansion of the Pt Wakefield Abattoirs by Primo Australia has seen the abattoir being transformed into a high tech export pig processing facility employing over 360 people, with further expansion being planned employment at this facility could increase to approximately 500.

The traditional industry base of the Adelaide Plains has changed in the past 10 years from being reliant on broad acre farming to a much broader base including, intensive farming and animal husbandry i.e. pig and poultry farming, feed lots and horticulture including olives and organic produce and it is recognised as a wine region in its own right.

Horticulture is a rapidly developing industry in the Adelaide Plains, with an enormous glass house producing 20% of the State’s tomato crop located at Two Wells. The Adelaide Plains horticulture blueprint has been undertaken for future development as Adelaide’s urban fringe drives this industry further past the Gawler River.

The Adelaide livestock markets at Dublin have expanded to include cattle along with sheep and pigs.

The region has a healthy fishing industry, which supports general fishing, crayfish, crab and oyster enterprises. The two largest Australian Salmon licences are held in this Region.

Aquaculture is one of South Australia's newly emerging industries and its economic potential is significant.

The Aquaculture industry is still very much in the fledgling stages, with 30 aquaculture operators directly involved within this industry in the Yorke Region. There is also potential for interested groups to establish other aquaculture operations in the Yorke Region.

Significant extractive industries exist in the Region; these include limestone, dolomite, gypsum and sand. High quality salt is harvested, processed and packaged at Cheetham Salt situated at Price, and this is the only food grade salt producer in Southern Australia. Salt is also harvested at Penrice along with sand mining for glass making. A new mine has also been developed at Kulpara in recent years.

The Region now has a thriving energy industry with the State’s largest wind farm located at Edithburgh, with a second and larger farm to begin construction near Snowtown early in 2007.

The Yorke Region is the 4th most visited region in the state behind Adelaide, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Limestone Coast. In the 12 months ending March 2003, Yorke Peninsula was visited by 457,000 South Australians (compared with 417,000 in March 2002 and 32,000 interstate visitors (compared with 23,000 in March 2002).

The quality of the natural environment and the temperate climate are attractors for both residents and visitors. Caravan and camping parks comprise a major element of visitor accommodation. The Innes National Park at the South West tip of the Yorke Peninsula covers an area of 9,600 hectares and attracts in excess of 150,000 visitors per year.

In recent months a new link has been created with the Eyre Peninsula with SeaSA developing a ferry service between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay.

As a result of the growth occurring throughout the region many new residential developments are being undertaken in areas such as Balaklava, Blyth, Pt Vincent, Kadina, Pt Hughes, and Moonta Bay and a 2700 residential water front allotment, retail and service centre being planned for Pt Wakefield.

Disclaimer
The information contained on this website is for guidance only. Action or lack of action should not be based on this information. Seek appropriate professional advice on your individual circumstances because laws and regulations affecting you are affected by your circumstances and change frequently. Yorke Regional Development Board accepts no responsibility for any consequences of anyone acting on or refraining from acting on, information contained on this website.