The town of Balaklava (population 2048, postcode 5461) is located in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, 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 o ...

, 92 kilometres north 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 ...

in the

Mid North The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains and south of the Far North and the outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern ...

region. It is on the south bank of the

Wakefield River The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features The river rises above , flowing southward, passing the towns of Watervale and Auburn, where it is fed by seve ...

, east of Port Wakefield.

History

Since prehistoric times the Balaklava district has been near the boundaries of the

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurna ...

and Peramangk peoples. The first Europeans to traverse the district were John Hill and Thomas Burr on 29 April 1840. They discovered Diamond Lake and encamped near

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

. The first European settlers in the area were James and Mary Dunn who in 1850 opened a hotel to service bullock teamsters carting

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

ore upon the Gulf Road between the Burra mine and the export port of Port Wakefield. The Gulf Road

ore traffic came to a sudden end in 1857 when a railway connected

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

to Port Adelaide which provided a more economic path for exporting the ore. The teamster's loads were replaced by a flow of pastoral produce to Port Wakefield, mainly wool and grain. The town was laid out by Charles Fisher in 1869 and named it after the

Hundred of Balaklava The Hundred of Balaklava is a cadastral unit of hundred located on the northern Adelaide Plains in South Australia immediately south of the Wakefield River. It is one of the eight hundreds of the County of Gawler. It was named in 1856 by Governo ...

which in turn was named for the

Battle of Balaklava The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), an Allied attempt to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea. The eng ...

. He built large grain stores on the tramway from Hoyleton to the port at Port Wakefield, intending to encourage farmers to settle near the town. The first Hotel erected in the new township of Balaklava was the Balaklava Hotel, later called the Royal. Thomas Saint borrowed the finances from Thomas James Manton and applied for the Hotel Keepers Licence on 17 November 1870 and was granted licence No.17 of 1871 on 4 April 1871. Balaklava was first on the narrow gauge

Port Wakefield railway line A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

which was an isolated horse-drawn tramway inland through Balaklava to Hoyleton. This was eventually taken over by

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Aust ...

and converted to steam, as well as being extended at both ends. Balaklava was later considered to be on the

Gladstone railway line William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, with a junction to Port Wakefield. The line to Balaklava from

Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge is a community in South Australia located at the junction of the Gilbert and Light rivers, as well as the site of a former railway junction. Named by the government of the day, in honour of the Acting Governor of South Australia L ...

(connecting to Adelaide) opened in 1878. It was converted to broad gauge in 1927 and still existed as far as Balaklava up to 2002. The last freight on the line was bulk grain in 2004. As the Balaklava railway station was originally on the Port Wakefield to Hoyleton line, before the railway from Hamley Bridge was built, and that line entered the town from the southeast, trains travelling using the route between Gladstone and Adelaide needed to change direction at Balaklava, as both the north and south lines entered the station from the east, with Port Wakefield being to the west. The name of the town was originally spelled ''Balaclava''. Balaklava is home to long time nuclear veteran campaigner

Avon Hudson Avon Hudson (born 1937) is a South Australian RAAF ex-serviceman, nuclear weapons testing whistle-blower and co-author of the 2005 book '' Beyond Belief'' which he wrote with academic and historian, Roger Cross. He has appeared in several docum ...

Geography

Neighbouring townships to Balaklava include: * Auburn * Blyth *

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

* Halbury * Mallala *

* Port Wakefield *

Snowtown Snowtown is a town located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km (90 miles) north of Adelaide and lies on the main road and rail routes between Adelaide and Perth – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. Th ...

Governance

Balaklava is the administrative centre for local government seat of

Wakefield Regional Council Wakefield Regional Council is a local government area in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The council seat is at Balaklava. Geography The Wakefield Regional Council includes the towns and localities of Avon, Balaklava, Bar ...

and is located in the state electoral district of

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

and the federal electoral division of

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compos ...

Education

The township of Balaklava has four education institutions: * Balaklava Community Children's Centre * Balaklava Primary School * Balaklava High School * Balaklava Horizon Christian School

Media

The local newspaper is the '' Plains Producer'', which has been published in the region since 25 September 1903. Throughout its life, it evolved through a series of name changes: * originally known as ''Central Advocate'' * renamed on 10 September 1909 to ''Wooroora Producer'' (subtitled: ''"incorporating the Central Advocate and The Hamley Bridge Express"'') * renamed on 4 July 1940 to ''The Producer'' (subtitled: "''with which is incorporated "The Central Advocate" and "Hamley Bridge Express"''") * publication ceased for five years, from 19 June 1941, and resumed as a "''Post-War Series''" on 4 July 1946 * renamed to ''Plains Producer'' in 1983 Another publication, '' Two Wells and Districts Echo'', is also printed in the town. The main office for Papers & Publications, which produces both publications, is on Howe Street.

Art and sports

Balaklava Racing Club founded in 1903, boasts the longest straight in SA, holding 13 race meets throughout the year with the highlight being the Balaklava Cup The Balaklava Cup

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

carnival is on the first Wednesday each September. Balaklava Racecourse Heritage Grandstand

It also has an

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

in September each year. This major event showcases the regions many achievements, in agriculture, horse riding, baking, art and the local schools achievements as well as many fun things for the family to enjoy. Balaklava is well known throughout the South Australian music, drama and school communities for its interest and support in the performing arts. The Balaklava Eisteddfod Society holds its own music and speech/drama

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, ac ...

every year in late July/early August. It has been running since 1997 and is a major event for the township. The Balaklava Community Arts group has been running since 1982 and has always been very supportive of the visual and performing arts. The Balaklava Courthouse Gallery began within the ranks of Balaklava Community Arts and now holds widely known exhibitions and competitions in visual arts. The Balaklava Community Arts group continues to nurture the local artistic talents and entertain the community with performing arts by both local and visiting artists, promoting the arts to the wider community. Balaklava has several sporting facilities and clubs with regular competitions, such as the local basketball and tennis in summer, local football and netball in winter, and the squash courts which open all year. The football oval and basketball, netball and tennis courts are centralised at one location. Balaklava has its own pool, open from November through to April each year. The Balaklava Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course fully watered year round and has clubhouse facilities. The Balaklava Gliding Club is located at Whitwarta, north-west of the township. Flying operations are normally on every weekend or by prior arrangement.

Gallery

File:Shops, Balaklava.JPG, Shops in the main square File:BalaklavaTownHall&Institute.JPG, Town hall and institute File:BalaklavaUnitingChurch.JPG, Uniting church File:BalaklavaPostOffice.JPG, Post office

References

{{authority control Towns in South Australia