Gawler is reputed to have been the first country town established in South Australia. In 1837 Colonel William Light and his assistant, Boyle Travers Finniss, passed through the area accompanied by Mr McRandall. Light viewed the future site of Gawler with favour, for he recognised that it was ideally positioned on the road to the north and the Murray River.

He recommended that McLaren take Gawler as the first Special Survey for the South Australian Company, but his suggestion was not followed up, however, Henry Dundas Murray, John Reid, and ten others acted on Light's recommendation and applied for a Special Survey of 4000 acres (1618 hectares).

The town was laid out by William Jacob from a plan supplied by Colonel Light and named Gawler after the then Governor of South Australia

Gawler Today

Gawler is a community of over 19,000 people located 40 km north of Adelaide and adjacent to the Barossa Valley region. Gawler provides its local residents with the benefits of country living with town services and easy access to large city facilities, while residing in an area combining heritage and modern amenities.

Gawler Visitor Information Center

Contact Details:

Lyndoch road, gawler
9:00am - 5:00pm 7 days
Email visitor.centre@gawler.sa.gov.au
Telephone: (08) 8522 9260
Fax: (08) 8522 6817