Wudinna

Wudinna is a town in South Australia. The area was first settled by Europeans in 1861 when Robert George Standley lodged a claim for 10sqmi of land surrounding Weedna Hill ('weedna' later became changed to Wudinna which may be an Aboriginal word meaning 'the granite hill'). It was proclaimed a town in 1916. It is on the Eyre Highway across the top of Eyre Peninsula. It is the seat of the Wudinna District Council.The region is known as The granite country for its deposits of granite in the area, with tourists able to travel the granite trail to explore local landmarks. Quarrying of granite has occurred in the local area since the 1990s. Some granite blocks quarried at the Desert Rose Quarry near Mount Wudinna can be up to 8 cubic metres in volume and weigh 20 tonnes, before being cut into smaller blocks for shipping around Australia, or for export to Asian and European markets. This granite was employed in the construction of The Australian Farmer, an 8-metre (26 ft) high statue that was carved in the town as a community project to commemorate the early settlers and provide something memorable for tourists.Mount Wudinna is Australia's second largest monolith after Mount Augustus. It is located 12km north-east of the township. The site is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.South Australian Heritage Register]].