|
| The National
Trust Blanchetown Post Office
|
Blanchetown (including Murrundi)
Small township on the Murray River
Located 133 km north east of Adelaide,
Blanchetown is a tiny township on the Murray
River which was an important transportation
centre during the nineteenth century. It is now
a strange mixture of historic buildings and
temporary shacks built by holidaymakers on the
banks of the river. The Murray River at
Blanchetown is only 3.6 m above sea level and it
is 274 km from the sea.
Approximately 5 km south of Blanchetown on
the banks of the Murray lies the site of the
historic settlement of Murrundi. This settlement
was named after a local Aboriginal tribe and
parts of it were later surveyed and named the
village of Sturt. Edward John Eyre, famous
explorer and Protector of Aborigines,
established himself at Murrundi in 1841 in an
attempt to quell the growing conflict between
the overlanders and local Aborigines. Eyre
returned to England in 1844 and was replaced at
first by E. Nation and then by Edward Bates
Scott who acted as Sub-Protector of Aborigines
and Police Inspector.
Between 1841 and 1856 Murrundi served as an
important Aboriginal contact point, rations
depot, experimental irrigation settlement and
military and police outpost. The settlement also
included a port, later to become the final
resting place for the Government Survey Cutter,
the 'Water Witch'.
Continual flooding eventually put an end to
Murrundi and Blanchetown was established high on
the cliffs overlooking the river. Blanchetown
was surveyed in 1855 and named after Lady
Blanche, wife of the colonyıs sixth governor,
Sir R. G. MacDonnell. The site of Murrundi has
been placed on the Register of State Heritage
Items because of its historical and cultural
significance.
Blanchetown grew as a riverbank location
where goods could be loaded on the
paddlesteamers which plied the river. The town
grew with the arrival of the Customs House which
dealt with produce which was being sent to
Victoria and New South Wales. By 1858 a hotel
had opened and there was a punt to carry
supplies across the river. Shortly afterwards
the town gained both a telegraph office and a
Police Station.
Unfortunately from that point everything
seems to have gone wrong for the town. The
railway line went to the upstream town of
Morgan. It attracted a lot of the river traffic
as well. Progress in Blanchetown halted.
In 1922 Blanchetown became the site of the
first lock on the Murray River. This was hoped
to give the town a much-needed boost.
Unfortunately it had little impact. It was the
first of the Murray River's 15 locks and today
is noted as a place where the local birds
gather.
Today Blanchetown is a sleepy town with an
attractive park on the water's edge. There are a
number of impressive historic buildings all of
which date from the 1850s and 1860s when it
seemed as though the town had a real future.
Things to see:
![[Top of page]](smlArrow.gif)
|
| Speedboats on
the Murray at Blanchetown
|
Murrundi
Approximately 5 km south of Blanchetown on the
banks of the Murray lies the site of the
historic settlement of Murrundi. This settlement
was named after a local Aboriginal tribe and
parts of it were later surveyed and named the
village of Sturt. Edward John Eyre, famous
explorer and Protector of Aborigines,
established himself at Murrundi in 1841 in an
attempt to quell the growing conflict between
the overlanders and local Aborigines. Eyre
returned to England in 1844 and was replaced at
first by E. Nation and then by Edward Bates
Scott who acted as Sub-Protector of Aborigines
and Police Inspector.
Between 1841 and 1856 Murrundi served as an
important Aboriginal contact point, rations
depot, experimental irrigation settlement and
military and police outpost. The settlement also
included a port, later to become the final
resting place for the Government Survey Cutter,
the 'Water Witch'.
Continual flooding eventually put an end to
Murrundi and Blanchetown was established high on
the cliffs overlooking the river. Blanchetown
was surveyed in 1855 and named after Lady
Blanche, wife of the colonyıs sixth governor,
Sir R. G. MacDonnell. The site of Murrundi has
been placed on the Register of State Heritage
Items because of its historical and cultural
significance.
Blanchetown Post Office
The National Trust Blanchetown Post Office is
located on top of the hill above the town. It
was built around 1860.
Blanchetown Bridge
The Blanchetown bridge was opened in 1964 by Sir
Thomas Playford. The bridge's main claim to fame
is that it was the first major prestressed
concrete girder highway bridge built in South
Australia. It replaced the Blanchetown ferry
crossing which had been used since 1869. It cost
£510,000 to build.
|
| Shacks at
Blanchetown |
Shack City
There is a Blanchetown Shack Owner's Association
which, presumably, looks after the interests of
all the owners of the shacks in the region.
There is a sort of Shack City downriver of the
town. It is an extraordinary collection of
shacks which have been built out of bits of
corrugated iron, fibro and anything which came
to hand. The way the houses have been built
defies description. They have names like Dad's
Den. It is unique and worth seeing. Some of the
blocks of land in Shack City have absolute water
frontages.
Golden Crest Gardens
Located on Murbko Road 8 km from Blanchetown the
Golden Crest Gardens are a profusion of exotic
fruits and unusual plants including wax flowers.
They exploit the fertility of the region. To
visit the gardens contact (08) 8540 5049.
Brookfield Conservation Park
Located 11 km west of Blanchetown is the
entrance to the conservation park which was
created in the early 1970s as a habitat for the
southern hairy-nosed wombat. The countryside is
characterised by red mallee, mallee box,
yorrell, false sandalwood, oil bush and blue
bush. There are picnic facilities near the
Rangers Office.
