Birdwood railway station
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Birdwood South Australia |
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The old mill building at the National Motor Museum on Birdwood's main street
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 Birdwood
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| Coordinates | 34°49′S 138°58′E / 34.817°S 138.967°ECoordinates: 34°49′S 138°58′E / 34.817°S 138.967°E | ||||||||||||||
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| Established | 1848 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5234 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 44 km (27 mi) from Adelaide | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Adelaide Hills Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Kavel | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Mayo | ||||||||||||||
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Birdwood is a town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.
Tribute statue to the FJ Holden
Display at the National Motor Museum
Full length Road Train at the Museum
Birdwood was originally named Blumberg, by Prussian settlers originating from the area around Zullichau. The original name's origins are uncertain, but it is likely that it derives from Groß Blumberg, a village on the Oder River in the settler's area of origin.
The German town name was anglicised to "Birdwood" 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. Around the same time, the government closed the German-language school.
The first Europeans to explore the district were Dr. George Imlay and John Hill in January 1838. In 1839-40 the South Australian Company claimed several Special Surveys in the district which were later subdivided to allow for closer settlement. Migrants who had temporarily settled at Lobethal 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 George Fife 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.
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