SA Newspapers: South East

The Border Chronicle was founded by Leslie Duncan, and initially run in conjunction with his Kaniva (Victoria) newspaper. From 1927 the Border Chronicle included coverage of Lawloit and other Victorian towns. From 2005 the newspaper was owned by the Naracoorte Herald. In 2010 both newspapers were sold to Fairfax Media.

The Border Guardian was briefly published to fill the gap when the Pinnaroo Times suspended publication. Published by the Smedley Press at Glenelg, local agents gathered news and arranged advertisements. The main organisers were Messrs Moyle, Martin, Holness and Scroop. After eighteen months the Pinnaroo Times resumed publication and the Border Guardian ceased.

The Pinnaroo and Border Times was founded by John Letheby in 1911. In 2005 it was purchased by the Taylor family of the Murray Pioneer.

The Border Watch is South Australia's oldest country newspaper still in publication. It was also the first newspaper in South Australia run by a woman, being established in 1861 by Janet Laurie, with her teenage sons Andrew and James. The poet Adam Lindsay Gordon was a friend of the first editor, John Watson, and Gordon's poems appeared in early issues. The Border Watch contained an impressive political commentary throughout Watson’s editorship in the nineteenth century. Three generations of the Laurie and Watson families had run the newspaper at the time that the firm was sold to the South East Telecasters company in 1977. In recent years the newspaper received some publicity through being purchased by millionaire truck driver Allan Scott. Scott died in 2009.

For a time the Chronicle published an edition for the south east districts of South Australia.

This is a continuation of the South East Kingston Leader. The newspaper was purchased by Richard Peake of the Narracoorte Herald, and in 2010 both newspapers were sold to Fairfax Media.

The Exchange was an advertising medium for shops and other businesses at Mount Gambier. Early issues of this free newspaper do not seem to have survived, but publishing probably began in 1902. For almost 30 years the Clark family, local printers published this newspaper. It ceased when the Second World War caused paper restrictions and a decline in advertising.

This was a country version of the Adelaide Trading Post. It had various titles at differing periods.

The Kingston Traders' Association established this short-lived newspaper. The aim was to 'record faithfully the growing needs of the district in business as well as pleasure' (5 July 1946, p. 1). By early 1947 the publishers were finding it difficult to continue, and the newspaper was taken over by a group of local businessmen. The newspaper was full of local news and the doings of residents. Plenty of space was dedicated to local sport. There were also social notes, the activities of the local Country Women's Association and the Primary Producers' group, as well as historical articles. Closure was forced by 'lack of support and continually rising costs'. (23 March 1951, p.3)

This Meningie newspaper is published in a magazine format. Its geographical coverage includes Tailem Bend, Salt Creek, Narrung, Coonalpyn and Tintinara.

This was the Mount Gambier version of the popular Adelaide Trading Post.

This newspaper was founded by brothers Roland and Donald Campbell.

The Mount Gambier Standard strongly reflected the interests of the South-East’s farming community. It was published in opposition to the older Border Watch. The newspaper is notable for its reporting of two particular local communities, the Roman Catholic community (centred at Penola) and the large German Lutheran population of the district. Despite the newspaper’s success, publisher Theo Carey closed the title in 1874. He moved to Adelaide to found the Methodist Journal.

This newspaper was founded by the proprietors of the Border Watch. In 1880 it was purchased by George Ash and John Mather, the editor and the printer. The two were bankrupt through the costs of a libel case brought against the newspaper by William Hutchison MP in 1889. During the 1980s the newspaper came to be run in association with the Border Chronicle and the Coastal Leader. All three newspapers were taken over by Fairfax Media in 2010, which currently owns the majority of Australia's country newspapers.

This was one of a handful of newspapers whose readership crossed both sides of the Victorian and South Australian border.

This was the country version of the popular Adelaide Trading Post. It had various titles at different times.

This newspaper covered a broad geographical area including Robe, Narracoorte, Mount Gambier and Kingston. Between May and November 1926 it had a Saturday sporting edition. The newspaper was later incorporated into the Border Watch.

This newspaper was founded by farmer turned storekeeper Ronald Campbell . He was previously the Robe correspondent for the Border Watch. The newspaper began as a sideline to Campbell’s store and was originally named the Millicent Times. With his farming background the editor/owner gave the Times a strong agricultural focus. He sold to his brother Donald Campbell in 1894, who introduced a stronger political focus prior to entering Parliament in 1905. In 2006 the South Eastern Times was taken over by the Border Watch as part of the Allan Scott company.

This newspaper covered the agricultural districts either side of the South Australian/Victorian border. It was printed in Naracoorte, and was eventually absorbed by the older Naracoorte Herald.

The Tatiara Mail was founded at Bordertown in 1880 by Melbourne Mott and Michael Murphy. Mott’s father owned the Hamilton Spectator in Victoria. Its coverage spanned both sides of the South Australian/Victorian border, but the greater amount of space was given to Victorian news. In 1888 the newspaper moved to Nhill. It was eventually sold to EJ Stephens of the Nhill Free Press.