Peters Hill, South Australia


Peters Hill,, formerly Peter's Hill is the highest peak in the Belvidere Range of hills in South Australia, a northern extension of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Description

Peters Hill sits atop a north-south ridge about west of the surveyed town of Hamilton and around nearly due east of the town of Riverton. The surrounding country supports grazing on the higher peaks and dry grain farming on the slopes and plains.

Naming

Peters Hill has been named as such since as early as 1842. Without doubt, the hill is named after William Peter, a Scottish grazier who in 1841 pioneered European settlement in this district. His sheep runs extended all round this hill, one of his head stations being nearby." 'Peter's Hill', as well as the neighbouring 'Mr Peter's Head Station', are both marked and named on a survey plan drawn up in 1842 for the Secondary Towns Association.
Despite that evidence, some history sources have caused confusion by citing alternative origins which are obviously incorrect. Among these are the Manning Index. This identifies three sources for the hill's name. One is William Spence Peter, as already mentioned. Another asserts it was named after “Peter Inkster, an early settler.”, However, Inkster did not migrate to South Australia until 1852, by which time the name had been in use for at least ten years. Lastly, it was supposedly named 'Petatz Hill' after Martin Petatz, a Germanic settler who owned a nearby property. However, Petatz’s name is not recorded in official records as a landholder. More likely, Petatz is simply a translated form of the name Peter.