Blackwood, South Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Blackwood
city = Adelaide
state = sa


caption = Blackwood's War Memorial
lga = City of Mitcham
postcode = 5051
pop = 3,800 (2006 Census)
est =
area =
propval =
stategov = Davenport
fedgov = Boothby
near-nw = Belair
near-n = Belair
near-ne = Glenalta
near-w = Eden Hills
near-e = Hawthorndene
near-sw = Bellevue Heights
near-s = Craigburn Farm
near-se = Coromandel Valley
dist1 =
location1= Adelaide

Blackwood is a south eastern suburb located in the foothills of Adelaide, South Australia.

History

The first use of the name "Blackwood" appears to have been before 1880, in relation to the "Blackwood Inn", a small hotel located where the Belair Hotel now stands, and was probably derived from the Australian Blackwood tree which grows in the area. [cite web|publisher=State Library, South Australia|accessdate=2008-07-09|title=The Manning Index of South Australian History - Blackwood|url=http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/b/b17.htm]

Land was first subdivided for housing in 1879, a Methodist church was built in 1881 and the Blackwood Railway Station opened in 1883. [cite web|publisher=Blackwood Business Network|accessdate=2008-07-12|title=History of Blackwood|url= http://www.blackwoodbiz.com.au/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=17]

Places of interest

Wittunga Botanic Garden, originally a private property with English gardens established in 1901, is located in Blackwood, and features displays of Australian and South African plants.

Blackwood High School and Blackwood Primary School are located nearby in Eden Hills.

Uniting (former Methodist), Anglican, Church of Christ, Baptist, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches are located in Blackwood, as well as pentecostal churches including the Hills Christian Family Centre and Frontier Christian centre.

Transport

Blackwood Railway Station is a transport hub with buses to Adelaide and the outer Southern suburbs, trains to Adelaide and Belair. There is also a daily commuter bus to and from the Eastern Fleurieu Peninsula passing through Blackwood.

Residents

The suburbs of Blackwood, Glenalta and Craigburn Farm had a combined population of 6,379 in 2,596 households in 2001. [cite web|url= http://www.id.com.au/mitcham/commprofile/default.asp?id=104&gid=190&pg=1|publisher=City of Mitcham|title=Community Profile|accessdate=2008-07-12]

Norman Tindale, an anthropologist, archaeologist and entomologist, lived in his Blackwood residence "Kurlge" from 1955 to 1969.

The hip hop group the Hilltop Hoods, Young and Restless guitarist Ash Pegram and country singer Beccy Cole (whose song "Blackwood Hill" references the suburb) [cite web|publisher=Postcards SA|url=http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/features/beccy_cole_dvd.html|title=Beccy Cole|accessdate=2008-07-12] are from the area.

Politics

Blackwood is represented in the South Australian House of Assembly by Liberal MP Iain Evans and in the Australian House of Representatives by Liberal MP Andrew Southcott.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au City of Mitcham]
* [http://www.bhs.sa.edu.au Blackwood High School]
* [http://www.bhbc.org.au/ Blackwood Hills Baptist]