Blanchetown is a small township in South Australia, on the (west) bank of the Murray River, 130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast of Adelaide. The Blanchetown Bridge is the westernmost (and farthest downstream) of the four crossings of the Sturt Highway over the Murray River. During the nineteenth century it was an important transportation centre on the lower Murray. In the early 21st century, Blanchetown has been described as “a strange mixture of historic buildings and temporary shacks built by holidaymakers on the banks of the river”. Blanchetown is widely regarded as the entrance to the Riverland district.