Are you South Aussies, or what? 'Princeland' proposal divides Mount Gambier

Over 150 years ago, the residents of Mount Gambier found themselves in the middle of a cross-border battle, asked to consider whether they wanted to stay South Australian, or merge with the Victorians.

The idea of developing 28,000 square miles, stretching from the south-east of South Australia and across the south-west of Victoria, into a new colony was one of the most hotly debated issues of the early 1860s and divided the public.

It would be larger than Tasmania and it would be called, rather grandly, Princeland.

"Separation" rumblings began around the early 1860s with the formation of a vocal group of residents known as the West Victoria Separation League, led by Edward Henty from the small Victorian town of Portland.

The reasoning behind the proposal was simple — separate out, self-govern and prosper, far away from the "money-pit" state capitals of Adelaide and Melbourne.

But there were also suggestions the proposal was being pushed because the shipping port of Portland was losing much of its trade to the fresh new port of Port Macdonnell in SA and the move could help recapture the lost business.

In 1850, the front pages of Victorian newspapers proudly announced the passing of the Separation Bill by British Parliament, paving the way for Victoria to separate from New South Wales the following year.

For Princeland to succeed, the league must petition the Queen herself.

The league or '"separationists" as they were known, held public meetings in Dunkeld, Hamilton, Portland and Mount Gambier asking for signatures and also testing the waters with local residents.

Henty had a highly effective vehicle to push the scheme — his cohort and secretary of the league was Mr Thomas Richardson, editor and proprietor of the Portland Guardian newspaper.

Backlash against Government

It was exactly the right time to bend the ear of the residents of Mount Gambier, as townspeople were becoming a bit hostile towards the government of the day, reported the late historian Les Hill in his 1972 book, City Around a Cave.

With a growing population and no hospital, district court or local government, the approximately 2,000 residents were growing restless and believing they were contributing to state funds, but seeing little investment in return.

One of the major bones of contention was the state of the fledgling town's roads — dustbowls in summer and muddy quagmires in winter — and there was considerable annoyance over the fact the town did not even have a basic footpath in the central business district.

As debate raged and public meetings continued, thundering editorials and passionate letters to the editors filled the pages of newspapers across the two states.

Editors did not mince their words.

Adelaide's Weekly Chronicle called the league a bunch of "schemers" and in a scathing editorial, denounced the plan, calling it "unredeemed selfishness".

Meanwhile the good citizens of Mount Gambier were somewhat caught in the middle, with the Advertiser loudly demanding the town's residents declare "whether they are loyal colonists of South Australia, or not!"

At one public meeting in Mount Gambier, the league's Mr Richardson took the stage for two hours and used the words "insane", "ridiculous" and "pettifogging" to describe resident's inability to commit to the new colony, while those same residents shifted uneasily in their seats.

But one of Mount Gambier's most prominent citizens and early settlers — James Umpherston — took the stage and promptly shot him down.

What "thraldom" were they to be delivered from, queried Mr Umpherston, before asking for Mr Richardson to tell them exactly why the residents of Mount Gambier would be better off under the new colony.

But alas, some merry revellers out celebrating St Patricks Day brought the meeting to an untimely end, reported the papers.

As the audience hid their amusement, one decidedly drunk punter got up and commandeered the platform, loudly stating he wanted to "have a poke at our legislators".

But as the months dragged on and no resolution formed, it seemed many were simply fed up with even discussing the prospect of Princeland.

Out of 200 people in the crowd, reported the Portland Guardian, just 15 people were in favour of the proposal, while 13 were against.

Meanwhile, one local columnist wrote that Western Victorian district folks were so fed up with being bombarded with constant separation stories, they flat out refused to even open the Portland newspaper.

The Queen has the final word

Eventually, 1,500 signatures were collected and the league confidently sent the petition stating the case for the new colony of Princeland to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, via the Duke of Newcastle.

Three months later, news arrived that it had been rejected outright, because the new colony involved two states and neither South Australia nor Victoria Governments would agree to the move.

There was a fair amount of outrage from separationists and one newspaper even called the poor Duke of Newcastle "an insufferable fop" for not pushing the matter further.

But triumph ruled in others.

Although the furore eventually died down and other matters began to rule the front pages, it's clear the separationists sparked some movement in the city of Mount Gambier, with residents beginning to agitate for their own form of self-government.

In June, 1863, members of the newly elected District Council of Mount Gambier held their very first council meeting with Dr Edward Wehl as chairman.

The city eventually got its long-awaited footpath in the main Commercial Street, paid for by a subscription by the city's residents.

But even that small construction project sparked a row.

Built first on the Southern side of Commercial Street, business owners on the northern side of the street stood in the dusty street and loudly voiced their disapproval at what they considered was blatant separation, just in another form.

Tempers were only smoothed when the other side of the footpath was completed.