Warooka Accommodation, Hotels, Tours & Information

Warooka

Situated 228 kilometres west of Adelaide, Warooka is a small town known as the gateway to the bottom end of the Yorke Peninsula. The name Warooka comes from the Aboriginal word wiruka meaning 'muddy waterhole'. Warooka is a major service centre for the surrounding area, and offers an excellent central location to explore the bottom end of the Yorke Peninsula, as well as a white sandy and very attractive, sheltered beach perfect for swimming or windsurfing with white sand. Wheat and sheep farmers first settled Warooka in the 1850's, however it was not until 1876 that it was officially established with settlers beginning to move into the town in the late 1870's. Many Irish people settled this area and in 1876 the first stone was laid to the first Catholic Church, in 1877 the Warooka hotel was built. Interesting story: On September 19 1902 at 8.30pm Warooka was hit by an earthquake, measuring six on the Richter scale. The earthquake caused huge damage with the first known deaths from an earthquake ever recorded in Australia.