Yunta, South Australia
Yunta is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's east about north-east of the state capital of Adelaide. It is a service centre supporting both the local area and travellers passing through on the Barrier Highway. It lies south-west of Broken Hill and north-east of Peterborough.
History
An early spelling of the town was Yanta. In 1866 the district was known as part of the Tattawappa and Yanta Run.Yunta township was established in 1887 after the discovery of gold at the nearby diggings at Teetulpa and Waukaringa, when more than 5000 miners made their way through here. From the early 1890s the village was a small but busy railway town on the narrow-gauge line between Cockburn and Port Augusta.
From 1934, Yunta was the base for the famed outback trucking and mail contractor Henry Edgar Ding.
Today Yunta is a small service centre for travellers and the surrounding properties. Yunta also provides an alternative route to the Flinders Ranges and beyond. The natural gas fields at Gidgealpa and Moomba have resulted in improved access roads to South Australia's arid north-east region.
Facilities
Village facilities include a hotel offering meals and accommodation, two roadhouses, two fuel stations, post office, Rural Transaction Centre offering internet access, police station, air strip and a primary school. Opposite the hotel there is a rest area with public toilets which can be used for free overnight stays.The main annual event is the Yunta Picnic Races and gymkhana held in May.