Birdwood, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Birdwood is a town near Adelaide
, South Australia
. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council
local government area.
town name was anglicized during World War I
, along with many others
in the region in 1917. The new name honoured Sir William Birdwood
, the Australian Imperial Force
general who led the ANZACs
at Gallipoli
. The original name's origins are uncertain, but Prussian settlers originating from a village of that same name is the most likely source.
began looking for land of their own in 1848. Pastor Fritzsch recommended this spot beside the Torrens, where he camped on the way to Bethany
. Birdwood grew with homes on land leased from G F Angas and a church some distance away. The town prospered by the 1850s, and the area was producing enough grain to justify the construction of the Blumberg Flour Mill (now the site of the motor museum). In 1865, during the local gold rush, the Blumberg Inn was built.
and towards Mount Pleasant
. Also still standing is an old stone railway bridge near Mount Torrens.
, the road leading north towards Williamstown
and the Barossa Valley
, and the road leading south towards Lobethal
, Hahndorf
and the South Eastern Freeway
.
At the ABS
2006 census, Birdwood had a population of 1,127.
s and antique shops. A number of churches have formed part of the history of the town, including the Roman Catholic Church
near the sports grounds, the nearby Lutheran church and cemetery which is just beyond the town limits; the United Church in the centre of town, which united long before the Uniting Church
formed, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church
further along Shannon Street.
Birdwood is also home to the National Motor Museum http://www.history.sa.gov.au/motor/motor.htm (in what used to be the Old Mill), and is the endpoint of the annual Bay to Birdwood run http://www.baytobirdwood.com.au/, in which vintage
motor vehicles are driven by their owners from Glenelg
past the city and through the hills to finish at the museum where a festival is held. The museum was started by Jack Kaines and Len Vigar in 1964, and was purchased by the South Australian Government in 1976, holding a large and historically important collection of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
Just north of Birdwood is the Cromer Conservation Park, proclaimed in 1976, with an open-forest formation of long-leafed box with Pink Gum and an open woodland formation of Red Gum
, which forms an important habitat for honeyeaters. Mining for yellow ochre
occurred in the park during the 1800s. There are no formal walking trails or visitor facilities.
It is also home to Birdwood High School which has over 700 students and Birdwood Primary school with about 200 students.
to Gumeracha and Mount Pleasant
by Affordable Coachlines.
Birdwood was once served by a railway to Mount Pleasant
, but this line closed in 1953.
Birdwood has a lot of through traffic, and a traffic calming device was installed at the Adelaide end of town to discourage speeding. A significant number of road accidents occur on the Adelaide-Mannum Road
, and the sites of these are marked with red and black posts.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council
Adelaide Hills Council
Adelaide Hills Council was established in 1997 by the amalgamation of four smaller district councils...
local government area.
Origin of the name
Formerly known as Blumberg, the GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
town name was anglicized during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, along with many others
Australian place names changed from German names
During World War I, many German-sounding place names in Australia were changed because of Anti-German sentiment. The new names were often Anglicized , given Aboriginal names , names of famous people , or battlefields . This was done through an Act of Parliament, as well as by petition...
in the region in 1917. The new name honoured Sir William Birdwood
William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood
Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, CIE, DSO was a First World War British general who is best known as the commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915.- Youth and early career :Birdwood was born...
, the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
general who led the ANZACs
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
. The original name's origins are uncertain, but Prussian settlers originating from a village of that same name is the most likely source.
European settlement
Migrants who had temporarily settled at LobethalLobethal, South Australia
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre of the Adelaide Hills wool processing industry, which...
began looking for land of their own in 1848. Pastor Fritzsch recommended this spot beside the Torrens, where he camped on the way to Bethany
Bethany, South Australia
Bethany is a small village located about 2 km south east of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley. It was originally named Bethanien, but was changed during World War I in an attempt to remove all German place names from Australia....
. Birdwood grew with homes on land leased from G F Angas and a church some distance away. The town prospered by the 1850s, and the area was producing enough grain to justify the construction of the Blumberg Flour Mill (now the site of the motor museum). In 1865, during the local gold rush, the Blumberg Inn was built.
Rail history
Birdwood once had a train station on the Mount Pleasant train line at 44.13 miles (71 km) from Adelaide The line came via Balhannah and was not a very direct route. The line was closed during one of the rail reformations as it was not a very profitable line, probably due to the more direct Adelaide-Mannum road. The track is now long gone but the earthworks can still be seen along the edges of the Birdwood flat to Mount TorrensMount Torrens, South Australia
Mount Torrens is a town in the eastern Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 46 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide and 8 km east of Lobethal along the Onkaparinga River. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area...
and towards Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, South Australia
Mount Pleasant is a town situated at the northern end of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 55 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide . It is located in the Barossa Council and Mid Murray Council local government areas, and is at an altitude of 440 metres above sea level...
. Also still standing is an old stone railway bridge near Mount Torrens.
Geography
Birdwood sits on a crossroads between the Adelaide-Mannum RoadAdelaide-Mannum Road
Adelaide–Mannum Road is a road that runs through the northern Adelaide Hills between the South Australian capital, Adelaide and Mannum on the Murray River. It is designated State Highway A10 in the metropolitan area and B10 in rural areas, and is 77 kilometres in length. It is named after the two...
, the road leading north towards Williamstown
Williamstown, South Australia
Williamstown is a small South Australian town on the fringe of the Barossa Valley wine-growing region and the Adelaide Hills. It is 51km north east of Adelaide, with an elevation of 310m and an average rainfall of 682.7mm. Williamstown was originally known as Victoria Creek...
and the Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
, and the road leading south towards Lobethal
Lobethal, South Australia
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centre of the Adelaide Hills wool processing industry, which...
, Hahndorf
Hahndorf, South Australia
Hahndorf is a small town about 30 minutes drive out of Adelaide, South Australia along the South Eastern Freeway . The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named "Kay" in Prussia, many of whom were aboard the Zebra...
and the South Eastern Freeway
South Eastern Freeway
The South Eastern Freeway is a 66 kilometre four-lane divided carriageway road in South Australia linking the Adelaide-Crafers Highway to the Princes Highway at the Swanport Bridge, a one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, near Murray Bridge...
.
At the ABS
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
2006 census, Birdwood had a population of 1,127.
Facilities
Birdwood has a government-operated primary (opened 1878) and high school (opened 1909), small supermarket, a few delicatessenDelicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
s and antique shops. A number of churches have formed part of the history of the town, including the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
near the sports grounds, the nearby Lutheran church and cemetery which is just beyond the town limits; the United Church in the centre of town, which united long before the Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
formed, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
further along Shannon Street.
Birdwood is also home to the National Motor Museum http://www.history.sa.gov.au/motor/motor.htm (in what used to be the Old Mill), and is the endpoint of the annual Bay to Birdwood run http://www.baytobirdwood.com.au/, in which vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
motor vehicles are driven by their owners from Glenelg
Glenelg, South Australia
Glenelg is a popular beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a popular tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of restaurants.Established in 1836, it is...
past the city and through the hills to finish at the museum where a festival is held. The museum was started by Jack Kaines and Len Vigar in 1964, and was purchased by the South Australian Government in 1976, holding a large and historically important collection of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
Just north of Birdwood is the Cromer Conservation Park, proclaimed in 1976, with an open-forest formation of long-leafed box with Pink Gum and an open woodland formation of Red Gum
River Red Gum
The River Red Gum is a tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It is one of around 800 in the genus. It is a plantation species in many parts of the world, but is native to Australia, where it is widespread, especially beside inland water courses...
, which forms an important habitat for honeyeaters. Mining for yellow ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
occurred in the park during the 1800s. There are no formal walking trails or visitor facilities.
It is also home to Birdwood High School which has over 700 students and Birdwood Primary school with about 200 students.
Transport
The area is not serviced by Adelaide public transport. A coach is operated from Tea Tree Plaza InterchangeTea Tree Plaza Interchange
Tea Tree Plaza Interchange is an interchange belonging to the Adelaide Metro. It is the terminating station of the O-Bahn Busway, and is a central public transport hub for the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.The interchange is also a popular hangout for students from the nearby...
to Gumeracha and Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, South Australia
Mount Pleasant is a town situated at the northern end of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 55 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide . It is located in the Barossa Council and Mid Murray Council local government areas, and is at an altitude of 440 metres above sea level...
by Affordable Coachlines.
Birdwood was once served by a railway to Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant railway line, Adelaide
The Mount Pleasant railway line is an abandoned South Australian line. It was opened between Balhannah and Mount Pleasant in 1918 and ran until 1953 as a freight and passenger service...
, but this line closed in 1953.
Birdwood has a lot of through traffic, and a traffic calming device was installed at the Adelaide end of town to discourage speeding. A significant number of road accidents occur on the Adelaide-Mannum Road
Adelaide-Mannum Road
Adelaide–Mannum Road is a road that runs through the northern Adelaide Hills between the South Australian capital, Adelaide and Mannum on the Murray River. It is designated State Highway A10 in the metropolitan area and B10 in rural areas, and is 77 kilometres in length. It is named after the two...
, and the sites of these are marked with red and black posts.