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Saddleworth is a pleasant small town on the Gilbert River in the Mid North, 100 kms north of Adelaide. The town, on the Barrier Highway is in the centre of a prosperous farming district in the Gilbert Valley. The a population is around 450. Wheat, barley and canola are the main crops with wool and fat lamb production as well.
Saddleworth was established in the 1800s. Its name is derived from the home of the first settler, Englishman James Masters who took up land covering the area from Riverton to Saddleworth and Auburn as a sheep run in 1840. He built his house just north of Riverton and called it Saddleworth Lodge, named after his former hometown of Saddleworth, in the West Riding district of Yorkshire. The township grew as one of the settlements on the road to Burra, copper mining town.
The historic Siekmann and Moule wheat store built in 1859, houses the Saddleworth & District Historical Society Museum. The original store also housed the town’s first Post Office and the National Bank operated from one room. The building was extended in 1873. Many displays inside give a good insight into days gone by of the region including nearby towns.
The Heritage Walking Trail provides an insight into the history of the area.
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