Birdwood (34°49′S 138°57′E, population 1000) is a Australian town in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Formerly known as Blumberg, the German town name was anglicized during World War I, along with many others in the region. Birdwood is home to the National Motor Museum and is the endpoint of the annual Bay to Birwood run, 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 Adelaide Hills is part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. ... Motto: United for the Common Wealth Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Governor Premier Const. ... Anglicized refers to foreign words, often surnames, that are changed from a foreign language into English. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... During the Great War, many Germanic place names in Australia were changed. ... Vintage near Sorrento, Italy, Jacob Philipp Hackert, c. ... Glenelg (34°58′ S 138°30′ E) is a suburb of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. ...

Transport

Birdwood is at one of the crossroads in the hills. The Adelaide to Mannum road forms the main road, Shannon St. West passes through Gumeracha and down Main North East Road to Adelaide. East leads towards the Murray River at either Mannum or Walker Flat, via Mount Pleasant. North from the western end of town leads to Williamstown and the southern Barossa Valley. South from the eastern end of town leads along the Birdwood flat to Mount Torrens giving connection to Woodside, Lobethal, Hahndorf and the South Eastern Freeway. For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... One of the two ferries at Mannum. ... A branch of the Murray in its middle reaches, near Howlong, New South Wales The Murray River, or River Murray, is Australias second-longest river in its own right (the longest being its tributary the Darling). ... Tanunda is surrounded by vineyards showing Autumn colour. ... Lobethal (34°54′S 138°52′E, postcode 5241) is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia, about 30 kilometres east of Adelaide. ... Hahndorf (35°01′ S 138°49′ E) is a small town about 30 minutes drive out of Adelaide, South Australia along the Princes Highway. ... South Eastern Freeway is a freeway linking Adelaide to Princes Highway near Swanport, South Australia. ...

Birdwood has a lot of through traffic, and a traffic calming device was installed at the Adelaide end of town to discourage speeding, however it mostly slows down trucks and busses. A significant number of road accidents occur on the Adelaide-Mannum road, and the sites of these are marked with red and black posts.

Birdwood once had a train station on the Mt. Pleasant train line at 44.13 miles from Adelaide (See the National Rail Museum List of stations). 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 Mt Torrens and towards Mt. Pleasant. Also still standing is an old stone railway bridge near Mt Torrens.

Current township

The current residents are within an easy hour commute to the city, and many of the residents will own at least 2 cars for the commute to work, like most Adelaide Hills residents. Birdwood has a government-operated primary and high school, small supermarket, a few delis 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. The Catholic Church, (also known as the Roman Catholic Church), is the Christian Church led by the Pope, currently Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Logo of the UCA The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on June 22, 1977 when the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union document. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...

Birdwood is in the Adelaide Hills Council, the state electoral district of Kavel, and the federal Division of Mayo. Adelaide Hills Council was established in 1997 by the amalgamation of four smaller district councils (East Torrens, Gumeracha, Onkaparinga and Stirling). ... Kavel is an electorate for the South Australian Legislative Assembly in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. ... The Division of Mayo is an Australian Electoral Division located in the hills, east of Adelaide, South Australia and currently includes the towns of Lobethal, Mt Barker, Strathalbyn and Woodside. ...

External links

Walkabout Birdwood