Didicoolum, South Australia

Didicoolum is a homestead located in the gazetted locality of Petherick in the Australian state of South Australia.

Location

Didicoolum is located within the state government region of the Limestone Coast at 36º 25' 24.06"S 140º 13' 55.51"E.
It is at an altitude of 32.59 metres above sea level, and is in the Hundred of Petherick.

Name

The name Didicoolum is considered to be derived from the Aboriginal word didikalam, referring to waterholes. However Professor Norman Tindale believed it is related it to tartankaram, referring to a smoke fire of the ancestral being, Karam.

Mining Activities

Gold drew the attention of gold prospectors as early as 1886, and in 1899 a vein of goldbearing quartz was discovered which raised hopes for the further expansion of gold mining activities in the South-East of Australia. However, the search quickly turned to the discovery of petroleum between Lake Albert station and Didicoolum station.