Little Para River

Little Para River
Little Para River, Carisbrooke reserve, Salisbury Park
Main source	near Lower Hermitage
River mouth	Globe Derby Park

The Little Para River is a seasonal creek running across the Adelaide plains of South Australia, whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of Adelaide’s northern suburbs. It runs from its source near Lower Hermitage in the Mount Lofty Ranges, flows north westerly to the Little Para Reservoir and then westerly to the Barker Inlet of the Gulf St Vincent at Globe Derby Park. The lower portion of the river is badly affected by human activity and stormwater runoff but the upper reaches have a good range of biodiversity.^[1]

In 1838 John Barton Hack shared with Colonel George Gawler and a Mr. Williams in a 4,000 acre "Special Survey" nearby at £1 per acre. Hack established a dairy there and transported butter south to the city.^[2]

The river attracted John Harvey to form his settlement at Salisbury in 1847 and was crucial to the development of the citrus industry from 1852. In the 1960s the City of Salisbury began acquiring land for public space, and a belt of parklands with biking and walking trails now borders the river.^[3] The river’s name derives from the Kaurna word Pari which roughly translates as a stream of flowing water.

As the river flows down from the Adelaide Hills over the Para fault escarpment, it has formed a large alluvial fan on which Salisbury is built. The river is narrow and winding, formerly flooded in heavy rain and rarely reaches its sea outlet. Over time the river has been widened and levees added to reduce this flooding.^[4] In the 19th century lack of consistent flow in the river and the absence of an organised water supply system led to the digging of wells. The Little Para refreshes the well's water, mostly held in clay, sand and gravel layers up to 200 feet (61 m) deep. The Little Para Reservoir is built in the path of the river for water storage and flood mitigation. As the river's catchment is insufficient to fill the reservoir, it is mainly used to store water pumped from the River Murray. Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of ground water.^[5]

References

1. Goonan, Peter; Madden Chris; McEvoy Paul; Taylor Daria (2003). "River Health in the Mount Lofty Ranges". Department of Environment and Heritage, South Australian Government. ISBN 0-642-54981-8. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
2. A Chequered Career - Reminiscences of a Pioneer II South Australian Register 23 April 1884 p.6 accessed 6 September 2011
3. "Little Para Trails". City of Salisbury, South Australia. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
4. Lewis, H. John (1980). Salisbury South Australia, a history of town and district. Hawthorndene, South Australia: Investigator Press. p. 241. ISBN 0-85864-049-X.
5. Lewis, H. John (1980). Salisbury South Australia, a history of town and district. Hawthorndene, South Australia: Investigator Press. pp. 248–249. ISBN 0-85864-049-X.

Further reading

• Boucaut, W. R. P.; Beal J.C. (1984). Engineering geology of Little Para Dam. Adelaide: Dept. of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey of South Australia. ISBN 0-7243-6477-3.

Coordinates: 34°46′S 138°36′E / 34.767°S 138.600°E