Echunga (/ɪˈtʃʌŋɡə/ ih-CHUNG-gə) is a small town in the Adelaide Hills located 34 kilometres (21 mi) south-east of Adelaide in South Australia.

Echunga South Australia
Hagen Arms Hotel, located in the main street
Echunga
Coordinates	35°06′0″S 138°47′0″E
Population	846 (2006 census)[1]
Established	1839
Postcode(s)	5153
Location	34 km (21 mi) from Adelaide 8 km (5 mi) from Hahndorf
LGA(s)	District Council of Mount Barker
State electorate(s)	Electoral district of Heysen
Federal division(s)	Mayo
Localities around Echunga: Chapel Hill, Biggs Flat Hahndorf Paechtown Jupiter Creek Echunga Mount Barker Meadows Flaxley Bugle Ranges
Footnotes	[2]

The area was settled by Europeans during the period of British colonisation of South Australia in 1839, with the town laid out in 1849.[3] The name of the town was derived from a name takes its name from the Kaurna word Ityangga, meaning "over there"[4] or "close by".[5]

Gold was discovered in 1852 and Echunga became the first proclaimed goldfield in South Australia. This led to a gold rush; however, it did not last long, with the diggings exhausted and all but abandoned within a year. Subsequent discoveries in 1853 and 1854 led to smaller and equally short-lived rushes. In 1868 more gold was discovered at nearby Jupiter Creek, which proved to be a much larger and long-lived field.[3]

For a brief time Echunga prospered and it has been estimated that at its peak it had grown to a population in excess of 1,200.[5] Echunga is part of Battunga Country.[6]

References

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