The Northern Areas Council is approximately 200 kilometres north of Adelaide within the ancestral lands of the Ngadjuri and Nukunu traditional owners.

The Northern Mount Lofty Ranges and Southern Flinders Ranges reach into our district, making it a place of stunning landscapes that provide a backdrop to historic towns, vibrant communities and important farming enterprises.

Council is made up of four wards – Belalie, Rocky River, Yackamoorundie and Broughton – and covers an area of 3070km². Almost 2,200km of roads span the region, 133km of which are sealed.

Council’s towns and communities were developed during the prosperous times of traditional cereal and grazing practices complemented by forestry operations and in more recent years, tourism, events and wind energy infrastructure. Jamestown is the main service centre for the district with additional services offered at Gladstone, Laura and Spalding providing for the smaller communities of Caltowie, Georgetown, Gulnare, Narridy, Stone Hut, Tarcowie and Yacka. Council’s close network of towns offers a range of opportunities for shopping, recreation, employment, health and education. Together, Council and the community have built and maintained infrastructure such as recreation facilities and town halls to support the activities of local communities as well as generating interest and income from visitors and tourists.

The Council area hosts a number of significant events, including the Jamestown Fly-In and Air Spectacular, Caltowie Chilled Out ‘n’ Fired Up Music Festival, The Laura Fair, Jamestown Show and Jamestown Races as well as a number of local community events. Trails infrastructure has increased in recent times offering residents and visitors the opportunity to use recreational and mountain biking trails, increasing visitor numbers as well as providing options for healthy lifestyles.

The economy remains firmly based in broadacre farming, with the Jamestown Saleyards one of the few remaining regional livestock sales facilities. Recent windfarm development has made a strong contribution to the economy and has brought new families into the district.