Traditional Owners The area was originally inhabited by the
Ngarrindjeri Nation which consisted of 18 Lakinyeri (clans). Although the population of the Ngarrindjeri Nation is unknown, it is believed to have been substantial, as the lake and surrounds provided plenty of food and water. The Ngarrindjeri name for the end of Sturt Peninsula was "Tipping", which meant "the lips". Contact with Europeans and subsequent exposure to various diseases in the early 1800s had a devastating effect on the Ngarrindjeri population, and many people died. Many others were displaced or forcibly removed to
Raukkan as Europeans took over the land for farming. The native title rights and interests of the Ngarrindjeri people were recognised in Ngarrindjeri and Others
Native Title Claim on 14 December 2017. The determination granted the Ngarrindjeri people rights including the right to access and move around the Native Title Land, hunt, fish and gather, share and exchange, use Natural Water Resources, cook and light fires for ceremonial purposes, engage in cultural activities and protect cultural sites. All waterways and possibly land parcels are within the
Native Title legislation with developments requiring approval through the
Registered Native Title Body Corporate.
European settlement The Sturt Peninsula was discovered in December 1837 by a team of European explorers led by
Thomas Bewes Strangways and
Young Bingham Hutchinson who travelled by water from
Currency Creek to Lake Alexandrina to ascertain its extent and outflows. Point Sturt was the name they gave to their landing place at the end of the Peninsula. By the early 1850s the land on the Sturt Peninsula was divided into sections and sold to settlers. Early European settlers include dairy cattle breeder John H. Yelland, sheepfarmers
George and William Pearce and Thomas Oakley, and pastoralist and politician
John Howard Angas. Most of the native vegetation including dense woodlands of
Mallee,
pink gum,
She-oak and native pines were harvested for fuel for paddle steamers. The peninsula comprises a sand dune capped with secondary limestone, which provided many challenges to farmers trying to plough their fields. However, the stones were a very useful resource for building houses and fences. Many of the original buildings and stone fences are still standing and are a distinctive feature of what is now Point Sturt. A good example of this architectural element can be seen today in its original form at Nanda Farm (see photo). ==Establishment of the locality==