Northern Areas Council is a local government area in the Mid North of South Australia. The main council offices are in Jamestown.
Most of the region was first settled in the early 1840s, only a few years after the settlement of Adelaide. Several explorers had passed through the area on their way to more remote places, including Edward John Eyre and John Horrocks.
The towns and localities covered by the council are Andrews, Belalie East, Belalie North, Bundaleer, Caltowie, Georgetown, Gladstone, Gulnare, Hornsdale, Huddleston, Jamestown, Laura, Mannanarie, Narridy, Spalding, Stone Hut, Tarcowie, Washpool, Yacka
The present Northern Areas Council is the result of numerous successive amalgamations of smaller town and district governments. Most recently, the District Councils of Rocky River, Spalding, and Jamestown merged on 3 May 1997. Rocky River Council was formed on 4 May 1988 from the district councils of Laura, Georgetown, and Gladstone. Jamestown District Council was a merger of the district council (itself the merger of Caltowie, Belalie and part of Yongala District Councils in 1935) with the Corporation of Jamestown in 1991.
The Northern Areas Football Association is an Australian rules football competition based in the Mid North region of South Australia, Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.
In 2007 Orroroo Football Club were premiers, defeating Broughton-Mundoora Football Club.http://countryfooty.com.au/64.html
In 2008, Crystal Brook were Premiers after a 16 year premiership drought, winning the Grand Final at Crystal Brook defeating Southern Flinders.
The Northern Areas FA was formed in 1909 with founding clubs including Crystal Brook, Gladstone, Jamestown, Orroroo and Laura.
NATCO offers passenger road service between Islamabad, Gilgit and Sost (near the Chinese border). Passenger road service between Tashkurgan and the Pakistani cities of Sust and Gilgit also exists, and road service between Kashgar and Gilgit (via Tashkurgan and Sust) started in summer 2006. However, the border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass (the highest border of the world) is open only between May 1 and December 31 of every year as the roads are blocked by snow during winter.
On 30 November 2006 NATCO started a non-stop express bus service from Islamabad to Gilgit[1].