The Johnstons had come out to South Australia on the East Indiaman Buckinghamshire in 1839, and by the following year were opening up the country in the Onkaparinga Valley near the present site of the township.

A large oak tree that still stands in the main street of the town was reportedly grown from an acorn carried to Australia by one of the brothers[3][4] James and Andrew Johnston founded the J.

Both breweries were forced to shut down in 1938 due to a virus in the yeast, and therefore both turned to making soft drinks and cordials instead.

[5] Johnston's Cordial is still a popular soft drink brand, and one of South Australia's oldest family-owned businesses.

Held over two days during the Easter weekend, thousands of visitors come to see the premiere event, the Great Eastern Steeplechase.