The South Australian border with Victoria and New South Wales isn't a perfectly straight line
this makes me unreasonably mad
this makes me unreasonably mad
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KiwiBird · 36-40, F
170-year-old border anomaly at the crossroads of three states has left residents of a tiny outback community in limbo amid coronavirus restrictions — with one local now calling for the line to be redrawn.
Key points:
Residents of Lindsay Point say they think of themselves as South Australian
Their community is located close to a dogleg in the border with Victoria
One local is concerned about possible emergency service delays because of coronavirus restrictions
The slight dogleg in the otherwise straight boundary near the junction of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales might not look like much, but it caused one of Australia's longest-running border disputes.
The meeting point between the three states is known as MacCabe Corner, near the small almond-growing community of Lindsay Point on the bank of the River Murray.
A cartographical error originated during a drought in the late 1840s, when surveyors ran into difficulties mapping out the border.
It culminated in South Australia accusing Victoria of wrongly appropriating more than 1,000 square kilometres of its land — prompting a dispute which lasted for more than 60 years.
The headline of an article from The Evening Mail newspaper from July 31, 1909.
The Evening Mail newspaper reported on SA launching legal action in 1909.(Trove: The Evening Mail)
After being taken to London's Privy Council in the early 1900s, Victoria won a lengthy legal battle.
It now claims the territory around Lindsay Point — some of which would have fallen into Victoria regardless, but includes farming country which would have been designated SA if the border had been mapped accurately.
While the dispute has been mostly dormant for the past century, border restrictions between states imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have reignited the issue.
Amid a worsening coronavirus situation in Melbourne, Victorians have been mostly banned from entering South Australia after a hard border lockdown was put in place, leaving Lindsay Point partially isolated.
Read our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic
Lindsay Point almond farm manager Tim Preusker, whose home is only about five kilometres into Victoria, said local residents mainly conduct their business in South Australia and it would "make sense" for the state boundary to be redrawn.
Key points:
Residents of Lindsay Point say they think of themselves as South Australian
Their community is located close to a dogleg in the border with Victoria
One local is concerned about possible emergency service delays because of coronavirus restrictions
The slight dogleg in the otherwise straight boundary near the junction of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales might not look like much, but it caused one of Australia's longest-running border disputes.
The meeting point between the three states is known as MacCabe Corner, near the small almond-growing community of Lindsay Point on the bank of the River Murray.
A cartographical error originated during a drought in the late 1840s, when surveyors ran into difficulties mapping out the border.
It culminated in South Australia accusing Victoria of wrongly appropriating more than 1,000 square kilometres of its land — prompting a dispute which lasted for more than 60 years.
The headline of an article from The Evening Mail newspaper from July 31, 1909.
The Evening Mail newspaper reported on SA launching legal action in 1909.(Trove: The Evening Mail)
After being taken to London's Privy Council in the early 1900s, Victoria won a lengthy legal battle.
It now claims the territory around Lindsay Point — some of which would have fallen into Victoria regardless, but includes farming country which would have been designated SA if the border had been mapped accurately.
While the dispute has been mostly dormant for the past century, border restrictions between states imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have reignited the issue.
Amid a worsening coronavirus situation in Melbourne, Victorians have been mostly banned from entering South Australia after a hard border lockdown was put in place, leaving Lindsay Point partially isolated.
Read our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic
Lindsay Point almond farm manager Tim Preusker, whose home is only about five kilometres into Victoria, said local residents mainly conduct their business in South Australia and it would "make sense" for the state boundary to be redrawn.
Marceline · F
@HootyTheNightOwl rivers, mountain rangers and other landmarks are perfectly fine... but if you go with a straight line kind of border might aswell go all the way and not just 99%
HairbrushDiva · 31-35, F
Allelse · 36-40, M
Unless there's some kind of civil war I wouldn't worry too much about it.
There's a little bit that's a straight line in East Gippsland, but not much
littlepuppywantanewlife · 31-35, M
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