Towns in Australia

Exploring Australia, town by town

Naracoorte SA

Naracoorte

Postcode: 5271

Naracoorte (population 4674 (1996) is a medium-sized rural town in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region, approximately 330 km South East of Adelaide, Australia, on the Riddoch Highway about half-way between Bordertown and Mount Gambier.

Naracoorte was formed from the merger of two towns, Kincraig, founded in 1845 by Scottish explorer William Macintosh, and Narracoorte, established as a government settlement in 1847. The name has gone through a number of spellings, and is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal words for place of running water or large waterhole. It grew during the 1850s as a service town for people going to and from the Victorian gold rush.

The town historically relied largely on sheep and cattle farming, however tourism has become a major industry with the promotion of the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves National Park and the internationally-recognised wetland, Bool Lagoon. It also receives a substantial number of visitors due to its proximity to the Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, and Padthaway wine regions.

Naracoorte is in the Naracoorte Lucindale Council, the state electoral district of MacKillop and the federal Division of Barker.