The bandstand in Millicent

Millicent (including Southend and Tantanoola)
Substantial rural centre servicing the surrounding farms and timber industry.
Located 402 km south east of Adelaide and 50 km from Mount Gambier, Millicent is one of the major centres on the South Coast. It is an important rural centre for the surrounding farms and timber industry. There is a great feeling of parkland and open, green space around the town.

It is believed that the Bungandidj Aborigines occupied the area before European settlement. The first European into the district was Charles Bonney who, in 1839, overlanded cattle through the area. He was followed shortly afterwards by Samuel Davenport who established Mayurra sheep run in 1845. It was later managed by George Glen.

In 1863 a major swamp clearing project began and the previously useless land was turned into rich wheat and barley crops by the creation of an elaborate and deep drainage system. The key development occurred when a drain was blasted which allowed the swamp to drain into Lake Frome. It is said that there are 1450 km of drains and 500 bridges in the area.

A town was surveyed in 1870 and built on land previously owned by Mayurra Station. The town was named 'Millicent' after Millicent Short the daughter of the first Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide. When she died in 1930 the Adelaide Advertiser's obituary offered a fascinating insight into her life and how she came to be honoured by the town. 'The death occurred in Mount Gambier on Sunday,' it reported, 'of Mrs Millicent Glen. Mrs Glen was ninety-four years of age, was the eldest child of the Right Rev. Dr Augustus Short, first Bishop of Adelaide, and was born at the vicarage, Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire, England on 29 September 1837. With her parents she arrived at Adelaide in December 1847. The Bishop chartered the Derwent, of 362 tons, to bring his family and several clergymen to Australia, the journey occupying 117 days.

'Mrs Glen had vivid recollections of the appearance of Adelaide at that time. She remembered seeing stumps of trees in Rundle Street, and had seen bullock waggons bogged there. Miss Millicent Short (Sir James Fergusson named the town of Millicent after her) married Mr George Glen, of Mayurra Station, at Trinity Church, when Bishopscourt, North Adelaide, was just being completed. Mr and Mrs Glen came back to Robe in the vessel Ant, and drove to Mayurra, a distance of sixty miles. With the exception of her two maids, Mrs Glen was the only white woman in that part of the country. She took great interest in the tribes of blacks who lived near the station.

'Mayurra Station at that time was an immense run, extending from Tantanoola to Rendelsham and occupying the whole of the land upon which the township of Millicent is now built.'

In 1872 the first hotel, the Somerset Hotel, was constructed. It is still in operation although it is hardly the original building. At various times the hotel has served as a school and a court house. Famously it was the site of a court hearing involving many prominent citizens and the charge of looting. In 1876 a barque, the Geltwood, was wrecked on the coast nearby. The next morning saw the beach littered with bodies and cargo from the ship. The locals felt no qualms about pilfering the flotsam and jetsam and a court case followed where they were all acquitted on the dubious grounds that they didn't know that looting from a shipwreck was a crime. The Shipwreck Room in the Millicent Museum has the anchor from the Geltwood.

The railway arrived in 1879 thus ensuring Millicent's continued importance as a major regional centre. Today Millicent is a prosperous country service centre with a strong tradition of timber and milling as well as agriculture and fishing industries. It is also a popular tourist destination.

Things to see:  

A machinery display at Millicent Museum

Millicent National Trust Museum
The Millicent National Trust Museum, located on Mount Gambier Road, is considered one of the best rural museums in South Australia. It has excellent displays of local history, historic farm machinery, a range of horse drawn vehicles and some interesting local Aboriginal artefacts. In recent times it has been organised thematically with separate sections on the history of Millicent, artefacts from the Victorian era, Aboriginal rock engravings and so on. The centrepiece of the museum is the town's original primary school which dates from 1873. It is open from 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. weekdays, weekends and public holidays from10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Contact (08) 8733 0904 for more information. The entrance is through the Millicent Visitor Information Centre.

Swimming Pool
The Millicent swimming pool is probably the best swimming pool of any town in Australia. It is called a swimming lake and is surrounded by a pleasant park. If you arrive on a hot sunny day take a dip.

Tantanoola
The Tantanoola tiger is on display in the Tantanoola Hotel. The place is very small and very spread out. It is a tiny town located near a huge woodchip operation.

Tantanoola Tiger
Trying to establish the correct dates and the actual facts surrounding the Tantanoola tiger is almost impossible. No two versions are the same although there is a kind of central germ of truth. Where there are more than one possible date I have simply listed them all with question marks.

It is claimed that the first sighting of the Tantanoola tiger occurred in (1883? 1889? 1895?) when a young man riding near Tantanoola claimed he saw a large shaggy animal leap over a fence with a sheep in its jaws. (Or was it because two tigers escaped from a travelling circus?) This led to hysteria in the local area. Children were escorted to school by men with guns. People refused to leave their homes at night. Loaded shotguns were carried by virtually everyone. Eventually a local bushman, Tom Donovan, assisted by three other men, managed to shoot a large wild dog (an Assyrian wolf?) was shot in 1895. It was given to the Tantanoola Hotel which had it stuffed and declared that it was the Tantanoola tiger. It is claimed that in 1911 Robert Edmondson and David Bald were arrested for stealing and killing sheep and that this was the real resolution to the problem. Not a tiger/wolf/dog but some canny men. Who really knows?

Tom Donovan had the animal stuffed and kept it in a private museum in Nelson. In 1905 it was placed in a glass case and put on display in the Railway Hotel which changed its name to the Tantanoola Tiger Hotel.

Tantanoola Cave
Tantanoola Cave, located 16 km from Millicent, may be the only cave in Australia which claims to have wheelchair access. It is a single cave which has been formed in an ancient coastal cliff. It is notable for its excellent columns, shawls and helictites. The cave was first discovered by Boyce Lane in 1930 and since then has been a popular local attraction. For opening times and cave tours contact (08) 8734 4153.

Canunda National Park
Located on the coast and stretching from Carpenters Rocks to Southend (an area of 9359 hectares which stretches for 40 km), the Canunda National Park is a large coastal park characterised, as is much of the Coorong to the north, by huge sand dunes which are covered by silky tea trees and coastal wattle. There are a number of access points. Two wheel drive can enter from Southend. Other entry points require 4WD.

At the Southend end of the park is Cullens Bay Blowhole and Boozy Gully Lookout both of which are excellent if the weather conditions are right. Be warned: the beaches in the Park are dangerous.

This is an important sanctuary where the endangered orange-bellied parrot, the rufous bristlebird and the olive whistler can be seen although it is more likely that you will see western grey kangaroos, echidnas, wombats, seals and white-breasted sea eagles. Contact the Ranger's Office on (08) 8735 6053.

Wyrie Swamp Site
Located 7 km south of Millicent, the Wyrie Swamp is an important archaeological site. About 10,000 years ago local Aborigines visited the shores of the swamp. A peat bog which has yielded a number of important early Aboriginal artefacts including a simple short spear, a digging stick, pointed stakes, two barbed spears and nine boomerangs. The wooden boomerangs found in the swamp are some of the oldest ever discovered in Australia.

	Tourist Information
	Millicent Tourist Information Centre Museum Complex 1 Mount Gambier Rd Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 0904 Facsimile: (08) 8733 3205
	Motels
	Diplomat Motel 51 Mt Gambier Rd Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2211 Rating: ***
	Millicent Motel 82 Mt Gambier Rd Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 1044 Facsimile: (08) 8733 3905 Email: millicentmotel@iprimus.com.au Rating: **
	Hotels
	Grand Hotel 55 George St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2242
	Somerset Hotel/Motel George St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2888 Rating: **
	Cottages & Cabins
	Hillview Caravan Park Dalton St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2806 Facsimile: (08) 8733 1166 Rating: **1/2
	Caravan Parks
	Hillview Caravan Park Dalton St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2806 Facsimile: (08) 8733 1166 Rating: ***1/2
	Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park Park Tce P.O. Box 47 Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 3947 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Bamboo Garden Chinese Restaurant George St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2882
	Gino's Pizza & Pasta Bar George St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 4433
	Millicent Community Club Davenport St Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 3888
	Millicent Diplomat Motel 51 Mount Gambier Rd Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2211
	Millicent Motel 82 Mount Gambier Rd Millicent SA 5280 Telephone: (08) 8733 2655