Smithfield, South Australia
| Smithfield Adelaide, South Australia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Smithfield | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°41′09″S 138°41′13″E / 34.685833°S 138.686944°ECoordinates: 34°41′09″S 138°41′13″E / 34.685833°S 138.686944°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 1,754 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5114 | ||||||||||||
| Location | 30 km (19 mi) NW of Adelaide city centre | ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Playford | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Napier | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Wakefield | ||||||||||||
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Smithfield is a suburb in the northern outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia. It is in the City of Playford.
Gawler Plains Post Office opened on 12 July 1850 and was renamed Smithfield in 1855.[2]
Smithfield has Main North Road as its eastern boundary, with service stations, the historic Smithfield Hotel and several other businesses and private residences. Anderson Walk is the southern boundary of the original village, which was arranged in a grid with Augusta Square in the centre. West of the older residential area is an industrial zone along the railway line, with Smithfield railway station on the south side of Anderson Walk. Munno Para Shopping City is on the south side of Smith Creek. There are more residential areas south and west of the railway station, and an Army Reserve depot west of the shopping centre which is home to the 3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles)[3] and 49 ACU Army Cadets.[4]
Smithfield Speedway
A 1 mile (1.6 km) speedway track was built in the Smithfield area in 1926 by the Motorcycle Club of South Australia. The exact location may have been in what is now Elizabeth Downs.[5] The Smithfield Speedway was believed to be the first in the world to be promoted by a motorcycle club.[6] The first meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 13 October 1926, but postponed to Saturday 16 October due to poor weather.[7] The first race meeting was held before the grandstands were built, and the new track generated a lot of dust.[8] The track was on the east side of the Gawler Road, a little south of Smithfield township, in a paddock of 80 acres (32 ha). It appears to have only operated until about 1930.[9]
Notable people
- Thomas Baker (aviator), born here.
- Max Fatchen lived in Jane Street for over 50 years
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Munno Para (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "3/9 Lt Horse; South Australian Mounted Rifles". Digger History. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ↑ "49 ACU Smithfield". Department of Defence. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ↑ "Smithfield Speedway". Ifech Media Group. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "THE SMITHFIELD SPEEDWAY.". The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 7 October 1926. p. 26. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "Advertising.". The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 13 October 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "NEW SPEEDWAY.". The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 16 October 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "SMITHFIELD SPEEDWAY.". Bunyip (Gawler, SA : 1863 - 1954) (Gawler, SA: National Library of Australia). 9 May 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2016.