Place Names of South Australia - B
Ben, Mount - Beresford
- Ben, Mount
- Benacre
- Benara
- Benalick Hill
- Benbourni
- Bendleby
- Benson, Mount
- Bentley
- Bentley Ville
- Beresford
Ben, Mount
Nomenclature
In the vicinity of the River Alberga in the Far North discovered by John McD. Stuart on 24 March 1860 and named after Benjamin Head, a surveyor with his party, who died at Peterborough in 1897 aged 60.
General Notes
An interesting and informative interview with Benjamin Head is in the Register,
16 January 1897, page 7a:
-
Ben Head is a slight spare man now, whatever he may have been in his days of muscle and brawn. He has clear cut features and must have had a share of good looks in his youth. His eyes are keen, even now, and he gives one the impression of a man who was wiry and enduring in his prime. A good bit of
colour through his illness, he could not throw much vim into his account of his experiences with Stuart, at first, but warmed up to it as he went on to answer questions... 'Oh! As for me, on coming back from Stuart's trip I went into the government service and served 26 years as guard and porter down south on the Kingston to Naracoorte line...'
His obituary is in the Register,,
26 March 1897, pages 5e-6f and
information supplied by Rev John Blacket on
30 July 1912, page 5f.
Also see Head Range.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Benacre
Nomenclature
In 1844 a single-storeyed house was built in the Glen Osmond district by G.F. Shipster and purchased by William Bickford circa 1846:
- [It was] surrounded by what was to be a garden of flowers and fruit trees. A second storey was added by a later owner, Thomas Graves, and the house "Benacre'' still stands.
General Notes
The garden and property are described in the Register,
24 August 1880 (supp.), page 1e and
"An Artesian Cascade" on
27 April 1915, page 8a.
Its sale is reported in the Register,
1 March 1924, page 8h:
-
It was owned originally by G.F. Shipster and after the subdivision of section 270 by the main road it passed to Robert Cock. It was then purchased by William Bickford who planted the first garden and built a portion of the residence. A later owner, Thomas Graves, had the grounds replanted as a shrubbery and built 'the present two-storey house.' It was claimed that the garden contained an assortment of trees and shrubs second only to the Botanic Gardens. At the death of Hon. John Lewis the property was subdivided into 39 building blocks.
An obituary of Mrs James Lewis is in the Observer,
14 July 1906, page 38b.
Biographical information on John Lewis is in the Register,
1 December 1921, page 8e;
an obituary is in the Observer,
1 September 1923, page 39c.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Benalick Hill
Nomenclature
East of Copley. Probably corrupted from 'Benalack', the name of a mine which was worked in the vicinity, about one mile east of Nicols Nob.
General Notes
The Register of
24 June 1899 at page 5b says, inter alia, "the only claim being worked is one owned by Mr Benalack [sic]."
Biographical information on him appears on
4 November 1899, page 11c:
-
Mr. E. Benalack (sic) pegged out the mine and held it until recently when he sold to an Adelaide company. An evening passed under his hospitable roof in the agreeable company of his wife, sons and daughters, went by all too soon. The family possesses a white cockatoo that journeyed with them from Broken Hill and its equal would be difficult to find. It will waltz as gracefully and accurately as any lady; it has been taught to be as hospitable as its owners and immediately on your arrival will ask you to 'Have a drink' or 'A smoke.' It appears to understand anything said to it and will correctly answer 'yes' or 'no' to questions. It will distinctly kiss and imitate a person lighting a pipe.
Also see
Advertiser,
8 July 1899, page 11c,
Chronicle,
29 July 1899, page 21b.
Also see South Australia - Mining - Coal.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Benara
Nomenclature
A corruption of the Aboriginal penayera - 'leaves of trees'. Land in the district was first taken up by the South Australian Company and in 1851 they sold the lease to John Ellis of Buckland Park and the Hummocks. The late Thomas C. Ellis gave the tower and clock of the Mount Gambier Town Hall at a cost of £1,000. He died at Benara on 21 December 1920.
General Notes
The Benara School was opened in 1894 and had its name changed to "Burrungule" in 1896;
The Benara Flat School was known as "German Flat" until 1918; it closed in 1959.
The property is described in the Chronicle, 8 July 1899, page 17a:
-
The estate consists of 36,000 acres in addition to some leased land and is more noted for its fine cattle than its sheep. The sheep number about 40,000 and the cattle form a magnificent herd of 1,500 head.
Information on the pastoral property is in the Observer,
22 December 1923, page 18a.
Benara - Obituaries
An obituary of Hugh Cameron is in the Register,
11 June 1884, page 5b.
An obituary of Thomas C. Ellis is in the Register,
22 and 27 December 1920, pages 9c and 4g,
Observer,
1 January 1921, page 19b.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Benbourni
Nomenclature
The 'lost' town in the Hundred of Blyth. The name appears on a land office plan and was surveyed by Private Holledge of the Royal Sappers and Miners. It was described as 'situated near to and north-west of Emu Flats in section 2083'. No record of any subdivision can be found. A document in the Mortlock Library (reference no. 1324/175) says the name 'Benbourni' was applied to sections 2082-84 and 1991-94.
General Notes
The Bumburnie Pound stood on section 260, Hundred of Clare - see Advertiser,
23 October 1862, page 4f.
"Bumburnie Ranges" is mentioned in the Register,
23 September 1904, page 6d.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Bendleby
Nomenclature
The Hundred of this name nn the County of Granville was proclaimed on 18 January 1877, named by Governor Musgrave and derived from the 'Bendleby Run' taken up by A.W.T. and F.A. Grant and F.W. Stokes in 1868, east of Port Augusta on land originally held by Hugh Proby (lease no. 74).
General Notes
The Bendleby School opened in 1886 and closed in 1944.
Information on early settlers in the Hundred is in the Register,
21 March 1882, page 6b.
The opening of the Catholic church is reported in the Register,
19 April 1894, page 3f.
A patriotic demonstration is reported in the Chronicle,
24 March 1900, page 15a.
Also see South Australia - The Boer War.
"The Rabbit Nuisance" is in the Register, 28 November 1907, page 5g:
-
Many people have gone to great expense in erecting netting fences and have thereby placed a charge upon the land which in many cases is more than the land can fairly carry. And the rabbits are worse than ever; in fact, many of the enclosed properties are more infested than the unnetted land... Parliament seems to be unable to enact a measure for the compulsory destruction of rabbits that cannot be driven through with the proverbial coach and four...
Also see South Australia - Flora and Fauna - Rabbits.
An obituary of Thomas Potter is in the Register,
17 August 1912, page 15b.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Benson, Mount
Nomenclature
In 1839, a party of ten men and two Aborigines in command of Charles Bonney journeyed from Hughes Creek near the River Goulburn, Victoria to the Grampians and thence to the River Glenelg, where they halted at Henty's station. En route to Lake Alexandrina Bonney named Mount Benson, which lies 10 km NNE of Robe, after one of his companions.
General Notes
Its school opened in 1887 and closed in 1970.
"A Bark Mill Destroyed" is in the Observer, 28 April 1906, page 15d:
-
In April 1906 Mr. F.S. Wright's bark mill at Noolook, Mount Benson, was destroyed by fire.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary- Wattle Bark.
A photograph of "a relic of old times" is in the Chronicle,
18 May 1907, page 27.
Information on Seymour's Mt Benson run is in the Observer, 7 November 1925, page 17a.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Bentley
Examinations at this school, near Gawler, conducted by the Rev James Leonard is reported in the Register, 3 January 1863, page 2h,
Observer,
3 January 1863, page 4h:
-
School examinations were held at Bentley, near Gawler, in December 1862. Prize winners are given to the order of merit:
Holy Scripture, J. Davis, J. Dunstan, D. Duffield;
Latin, upper section, J. Duncan. W. Richman; lower section, D. Duffield and F. Popham (equal), J. Davis;
Astronomy and Natural Philosophy, J. Davis and J. Duncan (equal), D. Duffield;
Arithmetic, R. Palmer, J. Davis and Duffield (equal);
English History, J. Duncan, J, Davis, Duffield and Palmer (equal);
Geography, Duncan, Palmer, Richman;
Grammar, Palmer and Dawkins (equal), Duncan, and Davis and Duffield (equal).
Davis and Palmer were also examined in German, translation German into English and vice versa, with considerable readiness and accuracy.
See Bentley Ville.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Bentley Ville
Nomenclature
A subdivision of part section 366, Hundred of Blanche by Emma Kilsby in 1919; now included in Mount Gambier along Vansittart Road and bisected by Banksia and Acacia Streets.
General Notes
James Kilsby (1830-1908) arrived in South Australia in the Sea Queen in 1850 and built a house in Gawler which he called "Bentley"; later, his son George Kilsby (1856-1940) applied the name "Bentley House" to a home in Frewville, Mount Gambier. His second wife was the former Eleanor Emma Norman (1873-1956). See P. and B. O'Connor, Second to None, page 192.
The Register of 3 March 1892 at page 3h describes Mr J. Kilsby's "Bentley Gardens":
-
There are also other hop gardens, notably a large plantation of Mr. J. Kilsby called Bentley Gardens, out past Glenburnie.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Brewing.
The golden wedding of Mr & Mrs James Kilsby is reported in the Register,
24 March 1906, page 7a;
his obituary is in the Register,
12 August 1909, page 9g.
Ben, Mount - Beresford
B
Place Names
Beresford
The Register of 13 September 1893 at page 7g shows it as a railway station on the Marree-Alice Springs line.
