Birdwood (South Australia)

Birdwood

The Blumberg flour mill building (now the National Motor Museum) on Birdwood Main Street

State :	Australia Australia
State :	South Australia
Founded :	1848

Coordinates :	34 ° 49 ′ S , 138 ° 58 ′ E Coordinates: 34 ° 49 ′ S , 138 ° 58 ′ E-34.816666666667 138.96666666667
Area :	1.4 km²

Residents :	891 (2016)
Population density :	636 inhabitants per km²

Time zone :	ACST (UTC + 9: 30)
Postal code :	5234

LGA :

Adelaide Hills Council

Birdwood

Birdwood is a town near Adelaide in South Australia . It is in the local Adelaide Hills Council area .

history

Origin of the name

The city originally received the German name Blumberg , which was Anglicised in 1917, along with many other German place names in the region, due to the First World War . The new name was supposed to be given to Sir William Birdwood , the general of the Australian troops who led the ANZAC into the battle of the Gallipoli peninsula .

The origin of the original name is not known, but Prussian settlers who came from a village with the same name probably named the new settlement after their place of origin.

European settlement

Settlers who had temporarily settled in Lobethal began to look for their own land in 1848. Pastor Fritsch recommended the place at Torrens, where he had set up camp on his way to Bethany . Birdwood grew up on homes built on land leased from GF Angas and a nearby church. The town flourished in the 1850s, and enough grain was planted in the area to make the Blumberg flour mill , which is now the car museum, profitable. In 1865, during the gold rush there , the Blumberg Inn was built.

Railway history

Birdwood once had a train station on the Mount Pleasant Railroad 71 km from Adelaide. The railroad went through Balhannah , so it wasn't a fast connection. The line was abandoned during one of the railroad reforms as it was not very profitable, presumably because of the faster Adelaide - Mannum road link. The rails were long gone, but the earth moving for the route can still be seen on the edge of the Birdwood Plain towards Mount Torrens and Mount Pleasant . There is also an old stone bridge near Mount Torrens, which the railroad once crossed.

Geographical location

Birdwood is at the junction of the Adelaide to Mannum road, the northbound road to Williamstown and the Barossa Valley, and the southbound road to Lobethal, Hahndorf and the South Eastern Freeway .

Birdwood has 891 residents according to the 2016 ABS census.

Public facilities

Birdwood has a state elementary school (opened in 1878, approximately 200 students), a state high school (opened in 1909, approximately 700 students), a convenience store, and a number of grocery and antique stores. A number of churches are also part of the city's history, for example the Roman Catholic Church at the sports field, the nearby Evangelical Church with a cemetery just outside the city, the United Church in the city center, which was united long before the Uniting Church was founded, and the Adventist Church of the 7th day further on the Shannon Street.

Birdwood is also known for the National Motor Museum (in the former Blumberg flour mill), which is the endpoint of the annual Bay to Birdwood Run , where vintage cars and motorcycles are driven by their owners from Glenelg through town and through the hills to the museum where there is a festival. The museum was founded in 1964 by Jack Kaines and Len Vigar . In 1976 the Government of South Australia bought it from the founders. It contains a large and historically important collection of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.

Cromer Conservation Park , founded in 1976, is just north of Birdwood . He owns forest areas with long-leaved pink gum (eucalyptus) and red gum (eucalyptus), which is an important habitat for honey-eaters . Gold ocher was mined there in the 19th century . There are no developed paths or other facilities for visitors.

Local public transport

The area is not served by Adelaide public transport. An Affordable Coachlines bus runs from Tea Tree Plaza Station (Adelaide public transport terminus) to Gumeracha and Mount Pleasant.

Birdwood was once served by the Mount Pleasant Railroad , but it was abandoned in 1953.

Birdwood has a lot of through traffic and a traffic calming zone has been built at the end of the village towards Adelaide to prevent motorists from driving too fast. Many traffic accidents occur on the Adelaide to Mannum road. Where they have passed are marked with red and black poles to warn drivers.