Blair Athol, South Australia Explained

Type:suburb
Blair Athol
City:Adelaide
State:sa
Lga:City of Port Adelaide Enfield
Postcode:5084
Stategov:Enfield
Fedgov:Adelaide
Near-Nw:Gepps Cross
Near-N:Gepps Cross
Near-Ne:Gepps Cross
Near-E:Enfield
Near-Se:Sefton Park
Near-S:Prospect
Near-Sw:Prospect
Near-W:Kilburn

Blair Athol is located about 6km (04miles) north of the Adelaide CBD, South Australia. Blair Athol borders the suburbs of Gepps Cross, Enfield, Prospect and Kilburn. The suburb is rectangular, stretching from Grand Junction Road in the north to Angwin Avenue in the south between Prospect Road on the west and Main North Road on the east. Blair Athol's main and longest street is Florence Avenue.

History

Blair Athol was originally a private subdivision of section 357 in the Hundred of Yatala in the vicinity of today's Lionel Avenue, a studfarm bearing the name Blair Athol. The suburb name was formalised in 1944 at which time the boundaries stretched from Grand Junction Road to Irish Harp Road (now Regency Road). In 2000, the portion south of Angwin Avenue and its easterly projection to Main North Road was annexed by Prospect.[1]

The historic area known as Gepp's Cross (named for the busy intersection of Main North Road and Grand Junction Road) overlaps the north east corner of the modern suburb and includes the historic Gepps Cross Hotel (also known as Gepp's Cross Inn). The modern suburb of Gepps Cross occupies only the land north of the intersection.

Blair Athol Post Office opened on 15 June 1955 and was renamed Blair Athol West in 1966. At that time the existing Enfield office (open since 1852) was renamed Blair Athol and it was replaced by the Enfield Plaza office in 1997.[2]

Reserves

Blair Athol has several reserves: Blair Athol Recreational Reserve, Barton Street Reserve, Dingley Dell Reserve, Anson Street Reserve and Dover Street Reserve. The Blair Athol Recreational Reserve is a large reserve covering a total area of approximately . It features a football oval, a cricket ground with batting cages, two netball/basketball courts, and tennis courts which are exclusively used by members of the Kilburn tennis club. The reserve also has two playgrounds, a gazebo, the Kilburn Football & Cricket Club, and a large parking lot. Barton Street Reserve features a large grass field and a playground with several benches. This reserve covers a total area of approximately .

Government

Blair Athol is run by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The council was set up in 1996 and one of its main offices is located in Enfield. The South Australian Education Department helped set up the school system in Blair Athol and Kilburn.Blair Athol has two schools. Blair Athol North School and St. Paul Lutheran Primary School cater for levels 1–6.

Transport

Blair Athol is serviced by the G10 bus line between Adelaide and Grand Junction Road, travelling via Prospect Road and also bus routes 221, 222, 224, 225, 226, 228 and 229, G10, G10A, G10B which travel between Adelaide and various destinations in the Northern suburbs via Main North Road. Residents of Blair Athol can also catch the train line to and from the city. The station is located in Kilburn, several hundred metres from Prospect Road.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Placename Details: Blair Athol . SA0007215 . 11 March 2009 . Property Location Browser . . 19 February 2019 . Derivation of Name: Possibly after the pace in Scotland; Dual Name: Other Details: Originally a private subdivision. World Book states that this name is Celtic for a plain cleared of trees, and takes its name from the home of the Magarey family. A W Reed states that Blair Athol in Queensland was named after a parish in Scotland in the vicinity of the Pass of Killiecrankie. Decision made on 18 September 1944 by City of Prospect to adopt this name as a suburb name. Portion taken and added to the suburb of Prospect in December 2000. . 7 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151207082745/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ . dead .
  2. Web site: Premier Postal History . Post Office List . Premier Postal Auctions . 26 May 2011.