Stirling (South Australia)

Stirling is a town in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, approximately 16 km from the Adelaide city centre. The area in the east of Stirling Stirling East. It is administered by the Adelaide Hills Council. Its population is about 2500, though the town has largely merged with neighbouring townships such as Crafers and Aldgate. Other nearby towns are Heathfield and Bridgewater. Of those five, Stirling has by far the largest commercial strip, with the greatest number and widest variety of shops, the only police station, the only banks and the only ATMs.HistoryFounded in 1888, Stirling grew rapidly as a result of the expansion of apple growing and market gardening to satisfy the demand of the expanding city of Adelaide, whose centre is only 15 kilometres from Stirling. It also developed as a residential address for Englishmen who could afford it, to escape Adelaide's hot summers. As a result, many historic, grand mansions can be found in the area. Today, farming has declined as more of the region has been urbanised, with many Stirling residents commuting to Adelaide daily.Many deciduous trees, particularly the maple, have been imported from Europe and North America. These trees flourish in Stirling's wet and mild to cool climate and are a popular tourist attraction in the autumn months (April–May), bringing rich and vibrant autumn leaf colour to the town. This activity is known as "leaf peeping". Some Australian cities are too warm (even in the autumn and winter months) to accommodate and produce maple trees, but some temperate regions along the eastern coast and towns at higher altitudes flourish in colour during autumn, rivalling those in North America, Europe and Japan.