Blinman is situated on the traditional lands of the Adnyamathanha tribe of Indigenous Australians, who were its custodians for thousands of years.

A shepherd employed by the station, Robert Blinman, discovered a copper outcrop on a hot December day in 1859.

Blinman gambled some of his money on the presence of more underground copper and received a mineral licence in 1860.

The new owners were the Yudnamutana Copper Mining Company of South Australia, which also owned a rich deposit north of Blinman.

With the original tent settlement being very close to the mine, it was impossible to escape the fine dust generated.

In 1864, a government surveyor laid out 162 allotments about 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the mine, following which it was named Blinman.

[3] The government town of Blinman North was surveyed in July 1867 on nearby land and also was not the subject of an official proclamation.

[14] In 2003, the Government of South Australia proclaimed the locality of Blinman, incorporating both towns within new boundaries.

[citation needed] Blinman is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Stuart and the Pastoral Unincorporated Area of South Australia.

[18] The Aboriginal Regional Authority for the Blinman area is the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association.