Parnaroo, South Australia

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Use Australian English|date=April 2013}}

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = town

| name = Parnaroo

| state = sa

| image = Hundred of Parnaroo, 1897 (23677360492).jpg

| caption = Hundred of Parnaroo, 1897

| coordinates = {{coord|32.980042|S|139.153972|E|format=dms|display=title|region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}}

| coord_ref = {{cite web|title=Search results for 'Parnaroo, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'|url= http://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/?map=roads&x=139.17222&y=-33.00019&z=12&uids=19,2,8,11,20,105&pinx=139.155300&piny=-32.978570&pinTitle=Location&pinText=Parnaroo,+Locb |website=Location SA Map Viewer|publisher=South Australian Government|accessdate=25 December 2018}}

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| postcode = 5422{{cite web | url=http://www.location.sa.gov.au/viewer/ | title=Search result(s) for Parnaroo, 5422 | publisher=Government of South Australia | work=Location SA Map Viewer | accessdate=30 April 2016}}

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| region = Yorke and Mid North

| county = Kimberley

| lga = District Council of Peterborough

| stategov = Stuart{{cite web|title=District of Stuart Background Profile (2014-2018 boundaries) |url=https://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/component/edocman/2014-sa-country-map/download |publisher=Electoral Commission SA|accessdate=27 December 2017}}

| fedgov = Grey{{cite web|title=Federal electoral division of Grey |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/sa/files/2011/2011-aec-a4-map-sa-grey.pdf |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=27 December 2017}}

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| near-e = Hardy

| near-se = Pine Creek

| near-s = Franklyn

| near-sw = Terowie

| near-w = Ucolta

| near-nw = Dawson

| near-n = Oodla Wirra

| near-ne = Nackara

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Parnaroo is a rural locality in South Australia, situated east of Peterborough. It shares the same boundaries as the cadastral Hundred of Parnaroo, which was established on 31 October 1878. It was reportedly named for an Aboriginal word meaning "rain of little stones", which had been taken from a sheep run opened in the area in 1854.{{cite web | url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/# | title=Search result(s) for Hundred of Parnaroo | publisher=Government of South Australia | work=Property Location Browser | accessdate=26 November 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012010923/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ | archive-date=12 October 2016 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/p/p3.htm | title=Place Names of South Australia – P | publisher=State Library of South Australia | accessdate=26 November 2016}} The modern locality was formalised in August 2000, and named for the long established local name.{{cite web | url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/# | title=Search result(s) for Parnaroo, 5422 | publisher=Government of South Australia | work=Property Location Browser | accessdate=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012010923/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ | archive-date=12 October 2016 | url-status=dead }}

Originally the land of the Ngadjuri people, it was the site of a small settlement in the early days of British colonisation of the State, but the settlement never developed and is now in ruin. Farmers at Parnaroo reported major challenges in the 1880s due to the landscape and low rainfall, being north of Goyder's Line.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47098535 |title=THROUGH THE BARRIER RANGES TO THE DARLING. |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=XLVI |issue=10,903 |location=South Australia |date=24 October 1881 |accessdate=26 November 2016 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Parnaroo School operated from 1890 to 1930, while Parnaroo South School operated from 1895 until 1911. Parnaroo Post Office opened on 27 July 1871 and closed on 30 November 1916.{{cite web | url=https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/viewpodet.w?cdpo=15714 | title=Parnaroo | publisher=Premier Postal | work=Post Office Reference | accessdate=26 November 2016}} The land is now private pastoral land.