Blyth is a small town in the
Mid North of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, located west of the renowned
Clare Valley. The town is located on the lands of the
Kaurna people, the
indigenous people who lived there before European settlement. It has a population of 306, the farming community spanning the plains between the Clare Hills and the
Barunga/
Hummocks ranges. Altitude is , and rainfall is approximately per annum.
Located approximately north of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, the district's climate and soils are well suited to
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
,
barley
Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...
,
legume
Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...
s, hay,
sheep
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
,
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
and
pigs.
Blyth has a General Store, Post Office, Pub and Gallery/Studio, as well as sporting facilities for football, netball, bowls, cricket, tennis and golf. Several businesses based in Blyth service the region. The Blyth Cinema is housed in a renovated Masonic Hall.
History
The township of Blyth was founded in 1875, 15 years after the
Hundred of Blyth, in which it was located, was proclaimed.
Railway
In 1876, Blyth was the terminus of the narrow gauge railway to
Port Wakefield. This line ultimately was extended to
Gladstone and converted to the broad gauge of in 1927 as the
Gladstone railway line.
The railway closed on 29 March 1989 and removed shortly after.
Adjacent stations were
Brinkworth to the north and
Hoyleton and
Halbury to the south.
Notable people
*
Bruce Bowley - cricketer
*
Jack Cockburn - Australian Rules footballer
*
Clem Mitchell - motorcycle speedway rider
*
Mike Pratt - politician
*
Penny Pratt - politician
*
Ian Roberts - painter
*
Andrew Thomas - politician
*
Frederick William Young - politician and barrister
See also
*
Stanley Football Association
*
List of cities and towns in South Australia
*
Lands administrative divisions of South Australia
The lands administrative divisions of South Australia are the cadastral (i.e., comprehensively surveyed and mapped) units of counties and Hundred (country subdivision), hundreds in South Australia. They are located only in the south-eastern part ...
References
Towns in South Australia
Mid North (South Australia)
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