Towns in Australia

Exploring Australia, town by town

Riverton SA

Riverton

Postcode: 5412

Riverton is a small township which was once part of the transport route from the copper mines to the coast.

Riverton is 96 km north of Adelaide. It is characterised by an attractive tree-lined main street (Torrens Road) and a large number of interesting historic buildings ranging from the delightful old railway station to the cottage and outbuildings of August Scholz.

The first Europeans into the area arrived in the 1840s. James Masters, an innkeeper and pastoralist, sent his shepherds, with herds of sheep, into the Gilbert Valley and they roamed across the land taking advantage of the good supplies of grass. The district was surveyed in 1853 and farmers were sold 32 hectare lots of land. The real change, and the real development of the town, occurred with the discovery of copper at Burra and Kapunda.

Today the town is very much focussed on the main street which is the main artery from the north to Adelaide. It is a pleasant service town for the surrounding area and the visitor should make a point of seeing the Railway Station (one of the most elegant in Australia) and going for a walk down the main street.