Cleve

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"The locality hereabouts was first settled in 1853 by Dr James McKechnie, who with his two brothers, Donald and Peter, established a sheep run at Wangaraleednie - an aboriginal name said to mean 'hill of the west wind'. The brothers lived in the area until 1869 when James and Donald died and were buried on the property. Peter returned to Scotland, and in 1873 the run was sold to George Melrose, who in his first year shore 30,000 sheep. By 1897 the dingoes had reduced his flock to a mere 1300 and Melrose sold out to a man who subdivided the property into farming blocks. Melrose incidently is reported to be the first man to release rabbits on Eyre Peninsula; other authorities state Peter McKechnie was responsible.
The township was proclaimed on 6th March 1879, and was named Cleve by Governor Sir William Drummond Jervois, after the family seat in Devon, England, of his aide-de-camp and cousin, Thomas Snow. Cleve in old English means 'cliff' or 'hill'. The plan of the town, like many other country towns, followed the layout of Adelaide with the streets set out in the form of a grid and surrounded by parklands.


www.cleve.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm is the local website