Adelaide city centre

This article is about the central locality of Adelaide. For the greater metropolitan area, see Adelaide. For the local government area, see City of Adelaide.

Coordinates: 34°55′44″S 138°36′04″E / 34.929°S 138.601°E / -34.929; 138.601

Adelaide
Adelaide, South Australia

Aerial view of the Adelaide city centre from the northwest
Population
  • 12,962 (2011 census)[1]
  • 10,229 (2006 census)[2]
 • Density 1,234/km2 (3,197/sq mi)
Established 1837
Postcode(s) 5000
Area 10.5 km2 (4.1 sq mi)
Location
State electorate(s) Adelaide
Federal Division(s) Adelaide
Suburbs around Adelaide:
Hindmarsh North Adelaide Gilberton
Hackney
Thebarton
Mile End		 Adelaide Kent Town
Rose Park
Dulwich
Keswick
Wayville		 Unley
Parkside		 Eastwood
Glenside

The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide (which also includes North Adelaide and the parklands). The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and the section of the Adelaide Parklands south of the River Torrens which separates the built up part of the city from the surrounding suburbs and North Adelaide.

The locality is home to the Parliament of South Australia and many key state government offices. Due to the construction of many new apartments in the city, the population grew from 10,229 (2006 census)[2] to 12,962 (2011 census).[1]

History

Main article: History of Adelaide
Currie Street looking east, circa 1925

Before the European settlement of South Australia, the Adelaide Plains, on which Adelaide was built, were home to the Kaurna group of Indigenous Australians. The colony of South Australia was established in 1836 at Glenelg, and the city itself established in 1837. The location and layout of the city is accredited to Colonel William Light (1786–1839), in a plan known as Light's Vision. The area where the Adelaide city centre now exists was once known as "Tarndanya",[3] which translates as "male red kangaroo rock" in Aboriginal, an area along the south bank of what is now known as the River Torrens, which flows through Adelaide.

Kaurna numbers were significantly reduced by at least two widespread epidemics of smallpox which preceded European settlement, having been transported downstream along the Murray River. When European settlers arrived in 1836, estimates of the Kaurna population ranged from 300 to 1000 people. British Captain Matthew Flinders, along with French Captain Nicolas Baudin, charted the southeast coast of Australia, where Adelaide is located. Flinders named Mount Lofty in 1802, but provided little information on Adelaide itself.

Charles Sturt later explored the Murray and wrote a favourable reflection on what he saw. Colonel William Light is credited largely with settling and laying out the Adelaide region, which included a grid plan of Adelaide's streets. Adelaide was not as badly effected by the 1860s economic depression of Australia as other gold rush cities like Sydney and Melbourne, allowing it to prosper. Historian F.W. Crowley noted that the city was full of elite upper class citizens which provided a stark contrast of the grinding poverty of the labour areas and slums outside the inner city ring. Due to its historic puritan wealth during the 20th century, the city retains a notable portion of Victorian architecture.

Geography

Built environment

Adelaide city centre, North Adelaide and the Park Lands

Adelaide is separated from its greater metropolitan area by a ring of public parklands on all sides. The square mile within the parklands is defined by a small area of high rise office and apartment buildings in the centre north, around King William Street, which runs north-to-south through the centre. Surrounding this central business district are a large number of medium to low density apartments, townhouses and detached houses which make up the residential portion of the city centre.

Layout

The layout of Adelaide, known as Light's Vision, features a cardinal direction grid pattern of wide streets and terraces and five large public squares: Victoria Square in the centre of the city, and Hindmarsh, Light, Hurtle and Whitmore Squares in the centres of each of the four quadrants of the Adelaide city centre. These squares occupy 32 of the 700 numbered "town acre" allotments on Light's plan.

All east-west roads change their names as they cross King William Street, except for North and South terraces.[4] They also alternate between being wide and narrow, 99 and 66 feet (30 and 20 m), except for the central Grote and Wakefield which are extra-wide, 132 feet (40 m),[5] along with the surrounding four terraces.[6] In the south half of the city, in several places the Adelaide City Council has constructed wide footpaths and road markings to restrict traffic to a lesser number of lanes than the full width of the road could support.

The street pairs, design widths, and town acres in Light's Vision are illustrated in this diagram:


 
W
e
s
t

T
e
r
r
a
c
e		 North Terrace E
a
s
t

T
c
e		 132 ft
12345678 M
o
r		 910111213141516 K
i
n
g
 		 1718192021222324 P
u
l		 25262728293031
6261605958575655 5453525150494847 4645444342414039 38373635343332
Hindley Street Rundle Street 66 ft
6364656667686970 7172737475767778 7980818283848586 87888990919293
124123122121120119118 Light

Square		 115114113112111110109 108107106105104103102 Hind-
marsh
Square		 999897969594
Currie Street Grenfell Street 99 ft
125126127128129130131 134135136137138139140 141142143144145146147 150151152153154155
186185184183182181180 177176175174173172171 170169168167166165164 161160159158157156
Waymouth p
h
e
t
t
 		 Street Pirie t
e
n
e
y
 		 Street 66 ft
187188189190191192193194 195196197198199200201202 203204205206207208209210 211212213214215216217218 H
u
t
t

S
t
r
e
e
t		 219
252251250249248247246245 244243242241240239238237 236235234233232231230229 228227226225224223222221 220
Franklin Street Flinders Street 99 ft
253254255256257258259260 261262263264265266267 Victoria

Square		 270271272273274275276 277278279280281282283284 285286
320319318317316315314313 312311310309308307306 303302301300299298297 296295294293292291290289 288287
Grote Street Wakefield Street 132 ft
321322323324325326327328 B
r
o
w
n		 329330331332333334335 338339340341342343344 H
a
n
s
o
n		 345346347348349350351352 353354355356
392391390389388387386385 384383382381380379378 375374373372371370369 368367366365364363362361 360359358357
Gouger Street W
i
l
l
i
a
m

S
t		 Angas Street
E
a
s
t		 99 ft
393394395396397398399400 401402403404405406407408 409410411412413414415416 417418419420421422423424 425426427428429430
468467466465464463462461 460459458457456455454453 452451450449448447446445 444443442441440439438437 436435434433432431
Wright Street Carrington Street 66 ft
469470471472473474475 Whit-
more
Square		 478479480481482483484 485486487488489490491 Hurtle

Square		 494495496497498499500 501502503504505506
544543542541540539538 535534533532531530529 528527526525524523522 519518517516515514513 512511510509508507
Sturt Street Halifax Street T
c
e
 		 99 ft
545546547548549550551 554555556557558559560 561562563564565566567 570571572573574575576 577578579580581582583
622621620619618617616615 S
t		 614613612611610609608607 606605604603602601600599 S
t		 598597596595594593592591 590589588587586585584
Gilbert Street Gilles Street 66 ft
623624625626627628629630 631632633634635636637638 639640641642643644645646 647648649650651652653654 655656657658659660661
700699698697696695694693 692691690689688687686685 684683682681680679678677 676675674673672671670669 668667666665664663662
South Terrace 132 ft

 
                 132 ft 99 ft 132 ft 99 ft 132 ft 132 ft                  (width)

Street names

Architectural detail of the Adelaide General Post Office on King William Street

The streets and squares were named by a committee of a number of prominent settlers after themselves, after early directors of the South Australian Company, after Commissioners appointed by the British government to oversee implementation of the acts that established the colony, and after various notables involved in the establishment of the colony.

The Street Naming Committee comprised:[7]

All members of the committee (except Stephens) had one or more of the streets and squares in the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide named after themselves. Brown Street, named for John Brown, was subsequently subsumed as a continuation of Morphett Street in 1967. In the same year, Hanson Street, named for Richard Hanson, was subsumed as a continuation of Pulteney Street.

The squares were named after:

The east-west streets named on 22 December 1836 were:[10]

Most of these people did not reside in or visit South Australia.

The naming of the streets was completed on 23 May 1837[7] and gazetted on 3 June.[12]

East-west streets:

North-south streets:

Politics

At federal level, Adelaide is within the Division of Adelaide, a marginal seat which historically has alternated between the Liberal and Labor parties. It has been held since 2004 by Kate Ellis of the Labor party.[14]

In the South Australian House of Assembly, Adelaide is within the Electoral district of Adelaide. Since the March 2010 state election, the seat has been held by Rachel Sanderson of the Liberal party.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Adelaide

The interior of the Mortlock Wing at the State Library of South Australia

Adelaide's cultural and entertainment precincts/venues are generally concentrated in the city centre. They include the Convention Centre, Entertainment Centre and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval. Additionally, the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival are held within Adelaide's city centre during February and March. This time is known as "Mad March", due to the large number of other cultural festivities at the same time, including the Adelaide 500 and WOMADelaide. North Terrace is considered Adelaide's "cultural boulevard" because of its tight concentration of galleries and museums.

Gallery

Part of Adelaide CBD at night. (Looking east from Bentham Street, with Waymouth Street to the left, 2014

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Adelaide (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 Jan 2015.
  2. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Adelaide (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  3. ↑ "Tarndanya", KauranaPlaceNames.com. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
  4. ↑ Royal Automobile Association. "Adelaide CBD & North Adelaide" (PDF). Retrieved 7 December 2014. This map, showing the Adelaide city centre, North Adelaide and the Adelaide Parklands, was published on the website "soul underground".
  5. ↑ Elgar, Frederic (1863). Handbook to the Colony of South Australia. London: "Australian and New Zealand Gazette" Office. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2014. ... principal north and south streets (from 99 to 132 feet wide) being nearly one mile in length, and the east and west streets (from 66 to 132 feet wide) from a mile and a quarter to a mile and three quarters.
  6. ↑ Colonel William Light’s Plan of Adelaide, 1837 (Map). Cartography by Robert Thomas for William Light. History SA. 1837. HT2001.166. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. 1 2 "The Street Naming Committee". HistorySouthAustralia.net. 30 September 2001. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  8. ↑ The Colonial Storekeeper, like the Colonial Secretary, was an official position.
  9. ↑ "Stephens, Edward (1811-1861)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. 1967. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "City Streets named 22 December 1836". SAHistorians.org.au.
  11. ↑ Daniel Bell Wakefield should not to be confused with his uncle, Daniel Wakefield. Note that the street is named after him, not after his better known brother Edward Gibbon Wakefield - Refer Wakefield Street in "Streets Named on the 23rd May, 1837", HistorySouthAustralia.net.
  12. ↑ "City of Adelaide municipal year book". Adelaide: Adelaide City Council. 1972: 57, 70.
  13. 1 2 Spence & Beams (2006) p.33
  14. ↑ Antony Green (27 December 2007). "Adelaide (Inner City) - Green Guide". ABC News Online - Elections. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 January 2009.

References

  1. Spence, Catherine Helen; Beams, Maryan (2006). Susan Magarey, Barbara Wall, Maryan Beams, Mary Lyons, eds. Ever yours, C.H. Spence: Catherine Helen Spence's An autobiography (1825-1910), Diary (1894) and Some correspondence (1894-1910). Wakefield Press. ISBN 978-1-86254-656-1. 



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