Blanchetown
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2016) |
| Blanchetown South Australia | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dead gum trees in the Murray River near Blanchetown in 1989 | |||||||||||||||
  Blanchetown | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°21′S139°36′E/ 34.350°S 139.600°E[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 247 (UCL2021)[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1855 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5357 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 130 km (81 mi) northeast ofAdelaide city centre | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Mid Murray Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Chaffey[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Barker[4] | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Footnotes | Adjoining localities[1] | ||||||||||||||
Blanchetownis a small township inSouth Australia,[5]on the (west) bank of theMurray River,130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast ofAdelaide.The Blanchetown Bridge is the westernmost (and farthest downstream) of the fourcrossingsof theSturt Highwayover the Murray River. During the nineteenth century it was an important transportation centre on the lower Murray. In the early 21st century, Blanchetown has been described as "a strange mixture of historic buildings and temporary shacks built by holidaymakers on the banks of the river".[6]Blanchetown is widely regarded as the entrance to theRiverlanddistrict.[citation needed]
History
[edit]Blanchetown is in the traditional lands of theNgarrindjeripeople.[citation needed][disputed–discuss] Blanchetown was originally surveyed in October 1855 as Blanche Town[citation needed].It was named after Lady Blanche MacDonnell, the wife of theGovernor of South Australia,Sir Richard MacDonnell.The Governor selected the site personally, to replace an earlier settlement of Murrundi (or Moorundee) - five kilometres downstream - which was subject to flooding.[7]Murrundi had been chosen as the base of theProtector of AboriginesbyEdward John Eyresince 1841.[citation needed]
There had been aferrycrossing at Blanchetown since 1869 (private before 1879, then Government-run). In February 1876 Blanchetown was described as a "small but ambitious settlement, containing a dozen houses, and having a population of about 50 people". The buildings in the township were "substantially built of a stone quarried in the neighbourhood". The post and telegraph office, the hotel and store were described as "the main buildings".[8]
When land was first sold at Blanche Town it was on the "understanding that a railway should be made there, and some of the allotments consequently fetched as much as £1,200 per acre". By 1876, however, it was apparent that the railway would by-pass Blanchetown. It was reported that "the inhabitants regard the non-fulfillment of this promise as savouring of repudiation".[8]The railway line connecting Adelaide with the town ofMorgan,upstream of Blanchetown, was opened in 1878. This development adversely affected the progress of Blanchetown and resulted in a decline of steamer traffic to the town.
Heritage listings
[edit]Blanchetown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Adams Street:Blanchetown Hotel[9]
- 28-30 Egerton Street:Blanchetown Post Office[10]
- off Swan Reach-Blanchetown Road:Moorundie Settlement Ruins[11]
- William R. Randell Lock and Weir(Lock No. 1)[12]
Industry and amenities
[edit]
Blanchetown is north ofGoyder's Line,and so the land around it is unsuitable for farming unless it is irrigated using water drawn from the Murray. Upstream of Blanchetown, land above the cliffs on the west bank is mostly used for sheep grazing, while land on the east bank is irrigated forcitrusorchards.
The locality of Blanchetown includes theBrookfield Conservation Parkwest of the town and north of theSturt Highway.It is an example of the mallee near Goyder's Line and a habitat forsouthern hairy-nosed wombats.[13]The Advent Lutheran Church Blanchetown is actually inPaisley,a few hundred metres north of the eastern end of the bridge.
Lock and weir
[edit]Lock 1 on the Murray River is at Blanchetown. It was the first of the 13locksand weirs built on the Murray, and was completed in 1922.[14]The lock chamber is approximately 56 by 275 feet (17 by 84 metres).[15]The original purpose was to facilitate navigation for trade along the Murray, but by the time the weirs had been built, trade was declining. The primary purposes now are for recreational boating and to maintain water levels for irrigation. The pool upstream of the weir is 3.6 metres above sea level. It is 274 kilometres (170 mi) from theMurray Mouth.[16]
Bridge
[edit]A bridge was constructed at Blanchetown in 1963. It was the first major prestressed concrete highway bridge in South Australia. In the 1990s it was found to not be structurally sound enough to safely carryB-doubletrucks. Until a new bridge could be built, these were diverted from nearMonashviaMorganandEudundato rejoin the highway atGawler,thus travelling further but avoiding theKingstonand Blanchetown bridges. The replacement bridge was completed in November 1998. The original bridge remains available for pedestrians and cyclists.
Governance
[edit]Blanchetown is in theMid Murray Councillocal government area,theSouth Australian House of Assemblyelectoral district of Chaffey[3]and theAustralian House of RepresentativesDivision of Barker.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Search result for Blnchetown, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Local Government areas', 'SA Government Regions', 'Counties', 'Postcode', 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'Land Development Plan Zone Categories', 'Roads', 'River Murray Protection Area' and 'Gazetteer'".Retrieved2 April2018.
- ^Australian Bureau of Statistics(28 June 2022)."Blanchetown (urban centre and locality)".Australian Census 2021.
- ^ab"Electoral district of Chaffey".Electoral Commission SA.Retrieved27 March2018.
- ^"Electoral division of Barker"(PDF).Australian Electoral Commission.Retrieved27 March2018.
- ^Parliament, South Australia (1904).Proceedings of the Parliament of South Australia: With Copies of Documents Ordered to be Printed...
- ^"Blanchetown".The Sydney Morning Herald.8 February 2004.Retrieved19 August2008.
- ^"Place Names of South Australia - B".Manning Index of South Australian History.State Library of South Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 25 August 2006.
- ^ab"THE RIVERINE TRADE".The Argus (Melbourne).Victoria, Australia. 15 February 1876. p. 9.Retrieved29 March2020– via Trove.
- ^"Blanchetown Hotel".South Australian Heritage Register.Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.Retrieved28 May2016.
- ^"Blanchetown Post Office".South Australian Heritage Register.Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.Retrieved28 May2016.
- ^"Moorundie (officially Sturt) Settlement Ruins, Portee Station".South Australian Heritage Register.Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.Retrieved28 May2016.
- ^"William R Randell Lock (Lock 1) & Weir, Blanchetown".South Australian Heritage Register.Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.Retrieved28 May2016.
- ^"Blanchetown, SA".Walkabout.Fairfax Digital.Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2006.
- ^"Blanchetown".The Sydney Morning Herald.8 February 2004.Retrieved29 March2020.
- ^"Murray Darling Basin Commission - locks and weirs".Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2005.
- ^"Weirs and locks".Murray-Darling Basin Authority.28 October 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2017.Retrieved29 March2020.
