A portion of the Heysen walking trail runs through the town, as well as the Pioneer Women's walking trail.[4]
History
The origin of the name "Bridgewater" for the town is unclear. Early European settlement in the area resulted in a village, Cox's creek, at a point where bullock teams crossed Cox Creek[5] (named after the explorer Robert Cock, who led an expedition through this area in December 1837).[6][7]
An early use of the name "Bridgewater" was in James Addison's (c. 1819 – 26 April 1870) "Bridgewater Hotel",[8][9] and the town was renamed Bridgewater when the adjacent flour mill was built by John Dunn and the nearby land subdivided in 1857.[10]
Another potential origin of the name is from the first postmaster, William Radford, who claimed responsibility due to a successful petition in 1873 to change the post office's name from Cox's creek to Bridgewater.[5]
Street names
The streets of one part of Bridgewater were named for Orient Steam Navigation Company ("Orient Line") steam ships: SS Omrah (1899–1918), RMS Ophir (1891–1922), SS Orontes (1902–1926), SS Orotava (1889–1921) (though Oratava Street), SS Orsova (1909–1936), SS Orvieto (1909–1931), SS Osterley (1909–1929), SS Otranto (1909–1918), and SS Otway (1909–1917).[11]
^Journal of an excursion from Adelaide to the River Murray and Lake Alexandrina, December 1837, BY Robert Cock, WM. Finlayson, A. Wyatt, G. Barton article, South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, Adelaide, Saturday 20 January 1838
^"Recollections of Old Colonists" (RGSA vol 6), "Reminiscences by Pastor Finlayson" pp. 48–49