Manoora, South Australia
| Manoora South Australia | |||||||||||||||
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Former Manoora railway station | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°00′02″S 138°49′03″E / 34.0006°S 138.8174°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 134 (SAL 2021) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5414 | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Electoral district of Frome | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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Manoora is a settlement in the Mid North region of South Australia on the Barrier Highway and upper reaches of the Gilbert River. At the 2006 census, Manoora had a population of 277.
Manoora became the temporary terminus of a broad-gauge railway line from Roseworthy in February 1870. It was later extended further to the towns of Terowie and Peterborough in the 1880s. Regular passenger trains ended in 1986. The line was formally closed in March 2004.
The first Europeans to settle at Manoora, in about 1841, were the sheep pastoralists Edward and William Peter, of Scottish origin. Having established their head station near present Manoora, for a few years the brothers (or cousins) held extensive occupation licences reaching toward the Kapunda and Burra districts.
Manoora is named for another early station in the district owned by A W J Grant. The name is believed to be derived from a native name for a spring or water.