Gawler is the first country town in the state of
South Australia, and is named after the second
Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia,
George Gawler. It is north of the
centre of the state capital,
Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the
Barossa Valley. Topographically, Gawler lies at the confluence of two tributaries of the
Gawler River, the
North and
South Para rivers, where they emerge from a range of low hills.