Bridgewater, South Australia

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Bridgewater
South Australia
BridgewaterMill.JPG
Park near Bridgewater Mill
Bridgewater is located in South Australia
Bridgewater
Bridgewater
Coordinates35°00′59″S 138°46′05″E / 35.016367°S 138.767995°E / -35.016367; 138.767995Coordinates: 35°00′59″S 138°46′05″E / 35.016367°S 138.767995°E / -35.016367; 138.767995[1]
Population
  • 3,498 (2011 census)[2]
  • 3,470 (2006 census)[3]
Postcode(s)5155
Elevation398 m (1,306 ft)(railway station)[4]
LGA(s)
RegionAdelaide Hills[1]
CountyAdelaide[1]
State electorate(s)Heysen
Federal division(s)Mayo
Localities around Bridgewater:
Aldgate
Mount George		 Mount George Verdun
Aldgate Bridgewater Verdun
Hahndorf
Aldgate Mylor
Hahndorf		 Hahndorf
FootnotesAdjoining suburbs[1]

Bridgewater is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide Hills to the south-east of the Adelaide city centre.

It is the former end of the Adelaide-Bridgewater railway line; this route was closed in 1987. The railway was converted to standard gauge in 1995 and continues to be the main line from Adelaide to Melbourne, but no trains stop at the now demolished Bridgewater railway station.

A portion of the Heysen walking trail runs through the town, as well as the Pioneer women's walking trail.[5]

History[]

The origin of the name "Bridgewater" for the town is unclear. Early European settlement in the area resulted in a village, Cox's creek, at a point where bullock teams crossed Cox Creek[6] (named after the explorer Robert Cock, who led an expedition through this area in December 1837).[7][8]

An early use of the name "Bridgewater" was in James Addison's (c. 1819 – 26 April 1870) "Bridgewater Hotel",[9][10] and the town was renamed Bridgewater when the adjacent flour mill was built by John Dunn and the nearby land subdivided in 1857.[11]

Another potential origin of the name is from the first postmaster, William Radford, who claimed responsibility due to a successful petition in 1873 to change the post office's name from Cox's creek to Bridgewater.[6]

Street names[]

The streets of one part of Bridgewater appear to have been named for Orient Steam Navigation Company ("Orient Line") steam ships: SS Omrah (1899–1918), RMS Ophir (1891–1922), SS Orontes (1902–1926), SS Orotava (1889–1921) (though Oratava Street), SS Orsova (1909–1936), SS Orvieto (1909–1931), SS Osterley (1909–1929), SS Otranto (1909–1918), and SS Otway (1909–1917).[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Search results for "Bridgewater, LOCB" with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Counties', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bridgewater (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 February 2016. Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Bridgewater (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Search results for "Bridgewater Railway Station" with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Interactive Map of the Heysen Trail | Download GPX/GPS files". The Friends of the Heysen Trail. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b C., Collins, Neville (2012). The Adelaide Hills : a history. N. Collins. ISBN 978-0-646-58971-8. OCLC 820740858.
  7. ^ Journal of an excursion from Adelaide to the River Murray and Lake Alexandrina, December 1837, BY Robert Cock, WM. Finlayson, A. Wyatt, G. Barton article, South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, Adelaide, Saturday 20 Jan 1838
  8. ^ "Recollections of Old Colonists" (RGSA vol 6), "Reminiscences by Pastor Finlayson" pp 48-49
  9. ^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 16 March 1855. p. 4. Retrieved 14 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Law and Criminal Courts". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 19 August 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 26 February 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 14 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Archived Document". Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-13.


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