Mount Barker, South Australia

Mount Barker township was surveyed in 1839 by Duncan McFarlane, who was hoping the area could be used for wheat and grain farming. The land was divided into lots of 80 acres (32 ha), although farmers didn't settle until 1844, when John Dunn built the first steam flour mill outside of Adelaide. The flour mill ran for 50 years and is now a tourist attraction. All of the towns major buildings were built soon afterwards, with a post office (now replaced) in 1860 and a police station (also replaced) that was built in 1878. In 1883, the railway line from Adelaide to Strathalbyn was laid,[6] but that line is now discontinued, with the line terminating short of Balhannah, and is used by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway.

Mount Barker has since developed into a large urban centre, which is developing very rapidly. The Mount Barker district council is the area that experienced the fourth largest growth between 1996 and 2006 in South Australia, with an increase of 3,800 new residents (3% growth per year). Mount Barker is ranked fifth for fastest growth in South Australia.[12] During the last 10 years, many new subdivisions have been developed, such as Martin-Dale and Waterford. During this period, there has been an economic boom in Mount Barker and a number of additional malls and shopping centres, such as the Adelaide Hills Home-maker Centre, with a Radio Rentals, a Harvey Norman and the new offices for the District Council of Mount Barker. There have also recently been lodged plans for a new shopping centre, which will feature a major department store larger than 4,000 m ².[13]

Mount Barker is famous as the place where the value of subterranean clover, Trifolium subterraneum as a fodder crop was discovered, proved and first promoted by A. W. Howard. His property stood at the south-east corner of Princes Highway and Bald Hills Road. Subterranean clover had been known for a very long time in Central and Southern Europe, but was looked upon as a roadside weed. Howard proved that clover was a valuable fodder plant in some soil types in temperate climates. Subterranean clover revolutionised farming practices, converting many struggling farms into successful livestock holdings.

The discovery spread across Australia and to many other countries, due largely to Howard's generosity in publishing articles about clover, supplying seed free of charge around the world, and advising on handling. By the time of his death (2 March 1930), thousands of hectares in South Australia were carrying subterranean clover. It was growing in all Australian States, and requests for seed and information were being received in great numbers from almost all countries in the world with a temperate climate.

Howard's work is commemorated by a roadside plaque, by the incorporation of a clover leaf into the arms of the District Council of Mount Barker, and by the Howard's End vineyard and winery on the same site.

Mount Barker showing roads and land use.
Blue:Residential
upper right: farmland rezoned to residential in 2010.
Orange:CBD
Green:Industry

In 2003, largely due to concerns that Adelaide's urban sprawl was encroaching onto surrounding farmlands, the then State Planning Minister Jay Weatherill made a commitment to contain the expansion of Mount Barker.[14]

In 2008 a consortium of five developers sought the rezoning of 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of prime agricultural land in order to build an additional 7,700 new homes which would increase the population of Mount Barker from 10,258 to around 35,000. The land included 40 hectares (99 acres) rezoned to light industry in order to provide jobs for the new population.[15] The plan was rejected by the Mount Barker Council as it had just completed a 15-year development plan for the area that would retain the town's "rural character" and it could not afford the required infrastructure, a decision supported by a survey indicating that the rezoning was opposed by 98% of residents.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

In April 2009, the developers approached Paul Holloway, the State Planning Minister, to override the council decision, arguing that the land had "no outstanding attributes except for its suitability for urban development." In May 2009 the Minister announced that his office would go ahead and bypass the council. The following month Mark Parnell, the SA Greens representative in the South Australian Legislative Council made a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1991 for copies of documents passed between the developers and State Government.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

In December 2010, the State Government approved the rezoning, and development and construction began without the usual council infrastructure. However, the state Government agreed to a $550 million infrastructure support package. The rezoning included amending the area's bushfire risk level from high risk to only a general risk. The council expressed concern that the reduction of the threat level would lead to a reduction of building standards compared to those standards required for homes in high risk areas and pointed out that the previous year, Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires Royal Commission had recommended that there should be less building in bushfire-prone areas.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

The FOI documents, released in February 2012, indicated conflict of interest and poor planning practices. One document revealed that the Minister had ignored Planning SA's request not to make any commitments to the developers before the state's own 30-year plan was completed. South Australia's Planning Minister John Rau (2010–present) said that the Government should not have approved the rezoning of land without the government and council being able to support that community with infrastructure. The Government has since announced it will reform the state's planning process, calling it "dishevelled, disjointed and inconsistent".[23][24] A new interchange on the South Eastern Freeway at Bald Hills Road has been built to improve travel times and road safety for commuters travelling to the east side of Mount Barker and reduce traffic congestion in Mount Barker.[25]

In March 2013, the State Ombudsman, Richard Bingham, handed down a report into a possible conflict of interest. The report found that the property consulting firm Connor Holmes "had a clear conflict of interest" that was known to Planning SA who took no action. Bingham suggested that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) should investigate the Mount Barker development.[14]

Connor Holmes was employed by the State Government to produce a Growth Investigations Report (GIA) as part of the state's 30-year plan. The GIA was to identify areas suitable for housing developments. At the time Connor Holmes was bidding for the GIA contract it was also acting as a consultant for the five developers and was actively lobbying the State Planning Minister Paul Holloway to support the Mount Barker development on their clients behalf. The Government has declined to release the GIA report but the Ombudsman's report noted that the urban boundaries proposed in the GIA were the same as those proposed by the five developers. On 6 March 2013, SA Greens MP Mark Parnell gave notice he would introduce a motion to the Legislative Council to refer the matter to ICAC.[14]

The matter was investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 2013 with its findings published in June 2015. ICAC found no evidence of corruption.[26]

Mount Barker has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb), Trewartha: Csbk). It has warm, dry summers; mild, damp springs and dry autumns; and cool, wet winters. It is generally cooler and wetter than Adelaide. It has a mean maximum temperature of 20.0 °C (68.0 °F) degrees and a mean minimum temperature of 8.8 °C (47.8 °F) degrees. Winters are damp and chilly with cloud cover. When clear weather does occasionally occur in winter, night time temperatures can drop below 0 °C (32 °F).[28]

Summers are warm, with temperatures in January regularly nudging 30 °C (86 °F) and one or two days each year over 40 °C (104 °F). Summer nights can still be cool. The average rainfall for the year is 737.2 millimetres (29.02 in), higher than Adelaide due to its elevation.[28] Mount Barker is typically the driest during January, with an average of 23.4 mm (0.92 in) of rain. July is usually the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 113.3 mm (4.46 in).

Local average temperatures have been kept since 1862/63. Extreme temperature records are only found from 1957 onwards.

The Mount Barker Mountain Pool, next to the caravan park

Mount Barker has numerous activities that are available. The Keith Stephenson Park has the Linear Trail, a lake a playground and a skate park. The Mount Barker lawn bowls club is just across the road from Keith Stephenson Park. The linear trail goes to the Laratinga Wetlands, and is about 3 km long. There are many walking trails and a few barbecues at the Laratinga Wetlands.

Just up the hill from Keith Stephenson Park is the Mount Barker Wallis Cinema. The cinema has seven screens, all with full Dolby Digital surround. The cinema is partially underground, with only about three rows of seats raised above ground level, and the rest is below. The cinema is right next to the Auchendarroch House restaurant.[35]

Mount Barker has two ovals, the Mount Barker oval, right next to The Recreation Centre, where the Mount Barker Show is held, as well as local HFL footy matches. The other oval is Dunn Park, which is located near Cornerstone College and the caravan park, although it is not used much any more. The various schools in the area have their own ovals. Mount Barker has a public swimming pool, located near the caravan park, open from September to May.

Mount Barker has a single 18-hole, 5,614m golf course that is near the residential area on Bald Hills Road. The golf course is a par 70.[36] Mount Barker is home to the SteamRanger Heritage Railway which operates The Southern Encounter steam trains through Strathalbyn and Goolwa to Victor Harbor.

Mount Barker has a rugby league team, the Adelaide Hills Tigers, who compete in the NRL South Australia Metro competition.

The Ukaria Cultural Centre, designed by architect Anton Johnson and built in 2015, is a leading venue for chamber music. Apart from its concert hall, it also has the Garden Terrace, which is a multi-purpose function space. The centre runs a residency program.[37]

Mount Barker has an independent weekly local newspaper which serves many Hills towns, The Courier, published on Wednesdays. Founded in 1880, the paper has never missed a print run. It has been in the hands of the same family, the Marstons, since 1954. It has a circulation of 7,500 as of May 2020, down from 15,000 in its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s.[38]

Three radio stations service Mount Barker; 5MU (94.3 MHz), Power FM (100.3 MHz) and Lofty 88.9 (88.9 MHz).