Willalooka, South Australia

Willalooka
Willalooka
Coordinates: 36°23′38″S 140°20′56″E / 36.393906°S 140.349001°E / -36.393906; 140.349001
CountryAustralia
StateSouth Australia
RegionLimestone Coast
LGA
Location
Established16 March 2000
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Population
 • Total143 (2016 census)
Time zoneUTC+9:30 (ACST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+10:30 (ACST)
Postcode
5267
CountyBuckingham
Mean max temp22.9 °C (73.2 °F)
Mean min temp8.0 °C (46.4 °F)
Annual rainfall414.9 mm (16.33 in)
Localities around Willalooka
Laffer Keith Brimbago
Petherick Willalooka Carew
Kongal
Swede Flat
Marcollat Marcollat Swede Flat
Adjoining localities

Willalooka is a small service town and locality in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. it is located on the Riddoch Highway between Keith and Padthaway. Christmas Rocks Conservation Park is north of the town adjacent to the highway.

Services in the town include the Country Fire Service, a community hall, tavern, fuel and general store. The dominant industry in the area is farming, especially sheep.

Near Willalooka is the Darwent Waterhole, called by the local Aborigines kongal, meaning 'water mallee'.

Joseph Darwent, an American steamship owner who took up several pastoral properties near Willalooka in the 1870s. Not to be confused with Joseph Darwent (c. 1824 – 20 October 1872), an English accountant, secretary of the Adelaide City and Port Railway Company, then partner in Darwent & Dalwood who contracted for the northernmost section of the Overland Telegraph Line. Nor his nephew, Joseph Darwent, jun. (1847 – 10 August 1926), from Sheffield, who had a property near Coonawarra and lived in Penola, where he was a member of the District Council for 35 years and Chairman for 25.

The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Willalooka had a population of 143 people.

Willalooka is located within the federal division of Barker, the state electoral district of MacKillop and the local government area of the Tatiara District Council.