Belair, South Australia
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Belair Adelaide, South Australia |
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Part of the view north from Windy Point
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| Population |
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| Postcode(s) | 5052 |
| LGA(s) | City of Mitcham |
| State electorate(s) | |
| Federal Division(s) | Boothby |
Belair is a suburb in the south eastern foothills of Adelaide, South Australia at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Belair was established during the settlement of Adelaide as a source of timber. Parts of Belair have views of the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Plains and the coast. Belair National Park is one of the major attractions of the suburb, and Windy Point (formerly known as Observation Point) provides a 230 degree panorama making it one of the best lookouts over the city, the plains and the coast.
Belair National Park is a very popular location for feeding ducks, cycling, walking or horseriding through the bush, enjoying the native flora and fauna, having barbecues and playing social games of tennis, football, soccer and 'backyard' cricket. Belair Country Club hosts an 18-hole public golf course adjacent to the National Park.
Belair is also a very popular area for mountain bikers. There are bike trails not just in the National Park but throughout Belair, and steep tracks down the hills face to railway stations on the Belair line, which terminates adjacent to the National Park.
The origin of the name 'Belair' appears uncertain. Gustav Ludewigs, who subdivided the area, may have named the suburb after Bel Air, Martinique, being his wife Maria's birthplace. Another theory is that it was named in 1849 after Eugene Bellairs, a Government surveyor who lived in the area.
A Belair Post Office opened on 3 April 1859; it was relocated in 1881 to near its present position and the original office renamed Blackwood.
Belair is approximately a fifteen-minute drive from the Adelaide city centre. Belair railway station is the terminus of the suburban Belair railway line.
Belair schools consist of a co-located junior school and an upper primary school situated on Main Road, Belair. The schools have Eco-school status, and follow the International Baccalaureate syllabus. In 1999 the schools twinned with Momoyama Elementary School in Kyoto, Japan. Every two years, during May, a group of students and staff travel to Kyoto. In the alternate year, Momoyama students and staff visit Belair during August. These visits have become an integral part of the schools' Japanese language and cultural programme.
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