The RDA BGLAP (Barossa-Gawler-Light-Adelaide Plains) Region is located to the north of metropolitan Adelaide, between 40 and 80 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD. The RDA BGLAP Region is bounded by the Wakefield Regional Council area, the Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council area and the Regional Council of Goyder area in the north, the Mid Murray Council area in the east, the Adelaide Hills Council area and the City of Playford in the south, and Gulf St Vincent in the west.
The RDA BGLAP Region encompasses four municipalities: Adelaide Plains Council, Barossa Council, the Town of Gawler and Light Regional Council.
Land Use
The RDA BGLAP Region is predominantly rural, with substantial rural-residential and residential areas in numerous townships. The major regional centre is Gawler, with smaller townships at Angaston, Dublin, Freeling, Greenock, Hewett, Kapunda, Lyndoch, Mallala, Mount Pleasant, Nuriootpa, Roseworthy, Tanunda, Two Wells, Wasleys and Williamstown. Rural land is used largely for grain growing (wheat, barley, lucerne and oats), sheep and cattle grazing, and wine production, with some fruit growing. Tourism is also an important industry, with Barossa being one of Australia's renowned wine regions. The Region encompasses a total land area of over 3,100 square kilometres.
Indigenous Meaning
The original inhabitants of the RDA BGLAP Region were the Kaurna, Ngadjuri and Peramangk Aboriginal people.
Settlement
European settlement of the area dates from the 1830s, with Gawler being the first country town in South Australia. Land was used mainly for grain growing and sheep and cattle grazing. Several small townships were established during the 1840s and 1850s. Growth took place from the late 1800s into the early 1900s, when many more small townships were established, spurred by the opening of the railway line from Adelaide and copper mining in Kapunda from 1842 until the early 1900s. Land then became used more for wheat and crop growing, with the area becoming a major wine producer. Expansion continued during the post-war years. The population of the Region increased from the 1990s, rising from about 45,000 in 1991 to about 69,000 in 2016.
Major Features
Major features of the Region include Hale Conservation Park, Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park, Parra Wirra Conservation Park, Port Gawler Conservation Park, Sandy Creek Conservation Park, Gawler Church Hill State Heritage Area, Gulf St Vincent, various beaches, Barossa Reservoir, South Para Reservoir, Warren Reservoir, The Pines Conservation Reserve, Pengilly Scrub (Mudla Wirra Reserve), the Gawler CBD (including Gawler Central), Gawler Park Homemaker Centre, The University of Adelaide (Roseworthy Campus), TAFE SA (Barossa Nuriootpa Campus), Kapunda Historic Mine Site, The Barossa Museum, Mallala Museum, Barossa Regional Gallery, Verdale Olive Estate, The Rex (Barossa Aquatic & Fitness Centre), Gawler Aquatic Centre, Gawler Sport and Community Centre, Gawler Oval Complex, Angaston District Hospital, Kapunda Hospital, Mount Pleasant District Hospital, Tanunda War Memorial Hospital, Two Wells Golf Club, Gawler Racecourse, Mallala Motor Sport Park, Barossa Bushgardens, numerous wineries, the Gawler River, the North Para River, the South Para River and the Heysen Trail.
Transport
The RDA BGLAP Region is served by the Barossa Valley Highway, the Sturt Highway, the Thiele Highway, Main North Road, Port Wakefield Road and the Gawler railway line.
