Balhannah is a town in the Adelaide Hills about 30 km southeast of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, the capital of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It was established in 1839 as a farming community by

James Turnbull Thomson James Turnbull Thomson (1810 – c. 20 August 1876) was a publican and brewer, recognised as the founder of Balhannah, South Australia. History Thomson was a son of Rev. James Thomson, pastor of Steeple Church, Dundee, and his wife Hannah Thomso ...

, who built the first hotel. The town soon grew to incorporate two once adjoining towns: Gilleston (named for

Osmond Gilles __NOTOC__ Osmond Gilles (24 August 1788 – 25 September 1866) was a settler, pastoralist, mine owner and the Colony of South Australia’s first colonial treasurer. Born in London of Huguenot descent, in 1816 he went into partnership with Phil ...

) and Blythetown, named for James Blythe, another Scottish settler. It is on the main interstate railway between Adelaide and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. In the past it was the

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

for a branch line that ran up the Onkaparinga Valley and beyond to Birdwood and Mount Pleasant. Much of Balhannah is along

Onkaparinga Valley Road Onkaparinga Valley Road is a South Australian secondary road, connecting the towns of Birdwood, Woodside, Balhannah and Verdun within the Adelaide Hills. It is designated part of route B34. Major intersections Onkaparinga Valley Road is enti ...

, although there are some other residential streets, and

Greenhill Road Greenhill Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia, that provides a connection to the eastern and hills suburbs. Its western section, running along the south side of Adelaide Parklands, forms part of Adelaide's City Ring Route. Route ...

terminates near the town centre. One of the larger businesses in the town is a long-established hardware store, now part of the

Mitre 10 Mitre 10 is an Australian retail and trade hardware store chain. Operations are based on a cooperative system, where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights. The chain name references the mitre joint. The ...

chain. The fruit cold store built in 1914 was one of the first in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and is still in use. Features Kidman Flower Co, a Native Flower Farm that allows tourists and is home to Nepenthe Winery and Shaw + Smith Winery. Peramangk and Kaurna peoples are the Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide Hills.

References

External links

Adelaide Hills Online - Balhannah
Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub