"MOUNT TORRENS" Mount Torrens by balhannah

Mount Torrens is located 46kms from Adelaide and 8 km from Lobethal along the Onkaparinga River. Less than 500 people live here.

Sumner House [1890]

The town (and nearby hill) was named after Colonel Robert Torrens, one of South Australia's founding fathers, apparently in the mistaken belief that the Angas Creek which flows down the hill was the source of the Torrens River.

The town was known as Barton Springs, and here was a farmhouse, smithy, stables and the Cornish Arms Inn.

The town proper was laid out in 1853, and it served the Murray River trade at Mannum as well as a nearby copper mine.

A small gold deposit was discovered in 1870, but by World War I, the town's importance had diminished, and the town that stands today is virtually unchanged since that time.

Mt. Torrens main street

Even though Mt. Torrens hasn't grown or altered much, I still went for a walk as there are lots of very old buildings located in the main street.

Our next stop on our scenic drive from Adelaide is BIRDWOOD.

• In a nutshell:Worth a walk to see the historic buildings