James Johnston's parents brought their large family to South Australia in 1839 in the largest ship seen in the colony to that time, the great East Indiaman Buckinghamshire. By 1840 they were in the Onkaparinga Valley, opening up the Oakbank district.
James and his father, William, created a brewery by the riverbank - the start of a family influence which spread far beyond the valley. Obviously not short of money, it is recorded that they brought an English stonemason out to build grand homes for the two brothers who are principally remembered as the brewery's leading lights.
Both houses are still
landmarks. Oakbank House was built for James and his family at the edge of the
brewery complex, while Dalintober
is perched above Elizabeth Street and was originally owned by
Andrew Galbraith Johnston.
The brewery complex is still largely intact, now selling cordials and soft drinks. Sales are available on site, so you can walk through the courtyard and savour the character of one of South Australia's most venerable drink manufacturers.
In Elizabeth Street are memories of Oakbank's second brewery. It was founded in 1885 by Henry Pike, once employed by the Johnstons as carpenter and cooper. As a hobby he made a few gallons of ale by a process learned, apparently, from his mother. From this grew Pike's Dorset Brewery, named after his native country in England. The distinctive brewery tower is a landmark and the attached building is filled with the cottage crafts of Oakbank weavers.
Apart from hand-woven fabrics from wool, cotton, linen and silk, there are the mellow surroundings of Pike's Brewery, a few relics of the brewery days and photographs which help tell its story. Both breweries ceased beer production because of a virus in the yeast, the only cure for which was to shut down for some years.
In the main street is a venerable oak tree reportedly brought as an acorn in James Johnston's pocket. The family hailed from the Oak Bank district of Glasgow, and this was a perfect way to transplant the name. There is more to see of Oakbank's absorbing past - a heritage walk leaflet is available locally.
Oakbank's Easter Racing
Carnival - one of the best of its type in the world - began during the
1860s.
The competitive nature of South Australians and a pride in their mounts led to
the first races on a patch of land provided by the Johnstons.
Put on a more formal footing in 1875 with the creation of the Onkaparinga Racing Club, the following year saw the first official race. The grandstand was 'a brewery wagon owned by Johnstons, and the judge stood on an upturned butter box'.
The prospect of a steeplechase came about when the committee examined the proposed course and found that a large gum tree had fallen across it; the fallen tree promptly became one of the jumps. When it rotted away a new tree replaced what had become a symbol of the Great Eastern Steeplechase. The selected tree was left overnight, partly cut through. By morning the wind had blown it down - across a road, through telephone wires and tangled in power lines.
Such is the folklore of the Oakbank Easter Race Meeting - for more than a century a sporting and social institution - and still with a log as one of the jumps.
The
primary schools
of Balhannah and Oakbank, both dating back to the
1850s,
merged in 1938
to form the Oakbank Consolidated
School.
This title was changed in 1944
to Oakbank Area School.
Oakbank Area School is one of the R-12 State Schools in the Adelaide Hills. A
comprehensive History of the school "Under
the Gums"
was published in 1988.
Oakbank Tourism Information Section by Adelaide Hills On-Line.
Please
e-mail webmaster@adhills.com.au
with your comments or questions.
