Naracoorte is a town in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, approximately 336 kilometres south-east of Adelaide and 100 kilometres north of Mount Gambier on the Riddoch Highway (A66). History Before the colonisation of South Australia in 1836, the land now occupied by the town of Naracoorte was situated on the border of lands occuped by the Bindjali people to the east and Ngarrindjeri to the east. Naracoorte was formed from the merger of two towns, Kincraig, founded in 1845 by Scottish explorer William Macintosh, and Narracoorte, established as a government settlement in 1847. The name has gone through a number of spellings, and is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal words for place of running water or large waterhole. It grew during the 1850s as a service town for people going to and from the Victorian gold rush. The Post Office opened on 22 March 1853 and was known as Mosquito Plains until 1861. The District Council of Naracoorte was proclaimed in August 1870 to locally govern the lands of the Hundred of Naracoorte. In 1888 the size of the district was dramatically expanded to include surrounding areas not yet locally governed. As a consequence, in February 1924 the Corporate Town of Naracoorte was established to provide dedicated local governance to the township. In 1935 a cinema, the Austral Theatre, designed by Chris A. Smith, opened at 124-140 Smith Street. It was later known as the Rivoli Theatre. The Kingston-Naracoorte railway line was closed on 28 November 1987 and dismantled on 15 September 1991, followed on 12 April 1995 by the Mount Gambier to Wolseley line, still pending gauge standardisation. Since 1993 Naracoorte has been locally governed by the amalgamated Naracoorte Lucindale Council. It is in the state electoral district of MacKillop and the federal Division of Barker. Industry The town has historically relied largely on sheep, cattle and wheat farming. In recent decades, tourism has become a major industry due to the town's proximity to several wine regions and internationally recognised natural features. Both the World-Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves National Park, the Ramsar-listed Bool and Hacks Lagoons are south of the township. The wine regions of Coonawarra and Wrattonbully lie further south, while the Padthaway lies to the north, placing Naracoorte at the centre of the three. Other places of interest to tourists include: The Visitor Information Centre & Sheep's Back Museum – MacDonnell Street Lions Pioneer