The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.
At the 2016 census, Clare itself had a population of 3160 as part of an urban area with 3327 people.
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History
The first European to explore the district was John Hill, who in April 1839 discovered and named the Wakefield River and Hutt River. In early 1840 the first European settlers arrived in the district, led by John Horrocks. The town itself was established in 1842 by Edward Burton Gleeson, and named after his ancestral home of County Clare in Ireland, although the town was first named Inchiquin after Gleeson's property. Lake Inchiquin is now the name of a reservoir located to the north of the town, near the golf club. The layout of the town's road system was apparently designed by a draughtsman in Adelaide, without any knowledge of the local geography. There are several roads in Clare that end abruptly at a cliff face, only to continue again at the top of the cliff, e.g. Wright Street to the top of Billy Goat Hill, and continued as Wright Lane below, running by Woolworths.
The District Council of Clare was established in 1853 and was joined in 1868 by a corporate municipality, the Corporation of Clare. The corporate town seceded from the district council to provide dedicated local government to the township but re-amalgamated with the district council in 1969.
A railway line was built from Riverton to Clare in 1918 and on to Spalding in 1922. It closed in 1984 and the tracks were removed in the following years after damage caused by the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. The alignment now carries the Riesling Trail walking and cycling trail from Auburn to Barinia.
County of Stanley
The County of Stanley, in which lies the town of Clare, is one of the 49 cadastral counties of South Australia. It was proclaimed by Governor George Grey and named for Edward Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1841 to 1845. The Hundred of Clare is centred on the town of Clare. Within the Stanley County also lies the Hundred of Stanley which contains the eastern Clare Valley.
This area was also the location of the Electoral district of Stanley for which, from 1862, the chief polling place was listed as Clare, with subsidiary polling places at Auburn, Mudla Wirra (Gawler), and Baker's Springs (Rhynie). This electorate was only abolished in 1956. Townships served by the seat of Stanley from 1875 included Port Pirie, Crystal Brook, Clare, Snowtown and Port Broughton.
In 1997 Clare and the surrounding district became a part of the much larger District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys for the purpose of local governance.
Stanley Wine Company
Clare is the original location of the Stanley Wine Company, founded in 1894 by Joseph Herman Knappstein; the brand is now owned by Accolade Wines for cask wine packaged for the "drink now" market. Local winery "Mr. Mick" is named for Stanley Wine's Managing Director (1962–1976) Carl Knappstein, known as "Mick", the legendary Stanley Wine Maker.
Wine grapes have been grown around Clare since the early 1840s, with the early explorer John Horrocks planting the first vines at Penwortham. Pioneer Edward Burton Gleeson (the founder of Clare, and its first mayor) also planted approximately 800 vines at his Clare estate 'Inchiquin' in the 1840s. Many small vineyards were then planted, the main ones being planted by winemaker J.H. Knappstein, settler John Hope and brewer John Christison.
For example, in 1904 the Stanley Wine Company completed a large shipment of casks of wine for London totalling about 70,000 gallons. Clare Valley wines exported (in casks) were mainly Stanley port, with "its unique and palatable flavor". This port, with dry burgundy and brandy, formed the bulk of the production sold to Britain, for which the wines had to be preserved ("fortified") with extra distilled spirit, much as we now know our Muscats and Port wines.
Clare's most prestigious winery is at Wendouree, two and a half miles south-east of Clare (but closed to the public), which is "a fine little cellar in a family tradition" that specialises in high-class organic wine production. Mr. A. P. Birks established this cellar "in a tiny way" in a shed in 1895. It is now renowned for its limited volume production of exclusive Wendouree red wines. Penfold's famous Grange also has sources in the Clare Valley.
The town today
As one of the larger towns in the region, Clare is an administrative and service centre for the surrounding area. It has two supermarkets, many other specialty stores, two public and two private schools, three hotels, two motels, a caravan park, race course and showground.
Clare has become recognised for its 'experiences', including the Riesling Trail walking and cycling route from 9 km north of Clare to Auburn (25 km), on the former railway alignment, so named as it weaves past vineyards and wineries, and continuing to Riverton as the Rattler Trail.
The Riesling Trail also makes up a small section of the popular, 900 km (560 mi) Mawson Trail which stretches up to the Flinders Ranges.
Clare is the starting point of the Lavender Federation Trail which traverses the eastern side of the Mount Lofty Ranges past the Barossa Valley through to Murray Bridge. The Clare Valley wine region continues within the same line of hills as the famous Barossa Valley, and also produces wine.
The Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail is a 100 km hiking and cycling trail designed to highlight the premium wine and food and landscapes of the Clare Valley, starting at the Clare Valley Information Centre, Horrocks Highway, 3 km south of Clare.
Attractions
The township of Clare is home to two wineries at opposite ends of the town:
The Knappstein Enterprise Winery, 2 Pioneer Ave, Clare SA (the old Clare Brewery)
Mr. Mick Cellar Door and Restaurant, 7 Dominic St, Clare SA (the old Stanley Winery)
and book-ended by Jim Barry winery in the north and Tim Adams winery to the south. A half-dozen restaurants are situated in and around Clare, counting Cellar Door Restaurants at surrounding wineries.
A further dozen or more wineries surround the town: including Taylors, Kirrihill, Kilikanoon, and Shut The Gate Wines. The Clare Valley contains over forty cellar doors and wineries in all.
A third original Clare Winery was The Clarevale Cooperative Winery, the buildings of which still survive in Lennon Street Clare across from the Clarevale Cottage, the Manager's home. This winery was founded in 1930, with a loan of 8,000 pounds from the State Government, but started crushing wine in 1929. It was later taken over by Kaiser Stuhl.
The Clare Valley Visitor Information Centre is incorporated within the Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre, located 3 km south of Clare on the Horrocks Highway, at 8 Spring Gully Rd, Clare SA.
The Clare Museum of the National Trust of SA is at the Corner, Neagles Rock Road and Victoria Road Clare 5453 SA, about 1 km South of Main Street. Open 1-3 PM Saturdays, and 10-3 PM Sundays and public holidays, except Christmas and Good Friday.
The popular Clare Regional History Group has a large collection of historical books, newspapers and memorabilia at the Clare Town Hall, open to the public on Friday afternoons 1-4 PM, and on monthly Saturday Market days.
Governance
Clare is governed at the local level by the District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys. Clare lies in the state electoral district of Frome and the federal electoral Division of Grey.
Geography
Clare is situated on the eponymous Clare Valley along the path of the Hutt River, about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the Camels Hump Range and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) west of Stony Range. The Skilly Hills rise to the south-west and the Bungaree Hills rise to the north-west.
Climate
Clare has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), with moderately hot, dry summers and cool, wetter winters. Temperatures vary throughout the year, with average maxima ranging from 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) in January to 13.0 °C (55.4 °F) in July, and average minima fluctuating between 15.0 °C (59.0 °F) in January and 4.1 °C (39.4 °F) in August. Annual precipitation is moderately low, averaging 534.5 mm (21.04 in) between 117.7 precipitation days. There are 102.7 clear days and 111.8 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 44.9 °C (112.8 °F) on 24 January 2019 to −5.0 °C (23.0 °F) on 15 June 2006. In the climate box below, temperature extremes were combined from the old Post Office (1957-1994) and current High School (1994-2024) weather stations.
Notable people
Notable people from or who have lived in Clare include:
William Adey, educationist
Peter Albany Bell, caterer and philanthropist
Hooper Brewster-Jones, pianist and composer
Luke Dunstan, Australian rules football player
Albert Fryar, philatelist and sportsman
Edward Burton Gleeson, "Paddy" Gleeson, founder of Clare (1803 -1870)
George Charles Hawker, (1818–1895), pioneer and parliamentarian (1858–1895)
Charles Hawker, politician
Riley Knight, Australian rules football player
H. H. Tilbrook, co-founder of The Northern Argus, and photographer