Poochera, South Australia

Poochera is a small grain belt town 60 km north-west of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. At the, Poochera had a population of 185.The township of Poochera was not surveyed until 1920, and its name is thought to be taken from the name of King Poojeri, a local aboriginal who died in 1917. A nearby hill is also named Poochera, possibly stemming from the same origin.The town had a school which opened in 1920, but closed its doors in 1976.Poochera is the centrepoint of a large agricultural area, the town itself being a strategic grain exchange point for the region's farmers, who specialise in cereal crops and sheep.The town is 53 km away from the Gawler Ranges, and is commonly used as a stop off by tourists, who have access to a hotel and caravan park.Poochera, however, is probably best noted for its nearby colonies of Dinosaur Ant, a rare, primitive species of ant that has attracted entomologists and evolutionary biologists from around the world.