Para Hills, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Para Hills is a residential suburb of Adelaide, South Australia
, accessible from Adelaide by bus, (partly using Adelaide's O-Bahn Busway
). A train station is approximately 2 kilometres to the west. There is a light aircraft airport close to its boundary, and numerous sporting facilities, abundant parks and schools and two medium sized shopping centres. Most of the suburb is in the City of Salisbury
while some is in the City of Tea Tree Gully
.
word "Pari" meaning a stream of flowing water, which could refer to either the Little Para River
or Dry Creek. Para is used to name many places in the area including Parafield Airport
, three seasonal creeks, and some suburbs. The flat land between Dry Creek and the Little Para River is sometimes called the Para Plains and the facing hills the Para Hills.
An early settler family were the Goodalls, who established a farm at the base of the hills in 1850. When Andrew Melville Goodall expanded the farm in 1853 he named the property Para Hills Farm, building a farmhouse near what is now the corner of St Clair Avenue and Goodall Road.
Para Hills Post Office opened on 28 June 1961.
of the Para Fault Block
at the edge of the Adelaide plains, rising 61 metres (200 ft) above the plains. The formation of this escarpment has led to short, steep-sided gullies which are characteristic of Para Hills. The gullies are usually dry, running only shortly after rain, and have mostly been left as public parks
. Outcrops of exposed pre-Cambrian rocks have been quarried for use in roadmaking and construction since the late 19th century. The outcrops within Para Hills are not extensive and only one quarry operated in the suburb's residential area.
Porosa (Mallee box) , Acacia
paradoxa (Kangaroo thorn wattle) and Acacia pyncantha (Golden Wattle). Public parks in para hills are now landscaped with Australian native vegetation. Most of the streets show Salisbury council’s practice of lining roadsides with Eucalypts, Acacias and other Australian native trees.
was declared.
At the ABS
2001 census, Para Hills had a population of 9,050 people living in 3,505 dwellings, but this has been reduced with the movement of the suburb's boundary.
. By the time the area was settled by Europeans in the 1840s, introduced diseases such as smallpox had already spread from the eastern states and decimated the population.
Land grants in the Para Hills area began in 1847. Notable farming families first settling the area were the Goodalls ( on 12 August 1850), the Kesters (1893), and the MacIntyres (1865).) From settlement as distant farming land, to subdivision for residential development, the land increased greatly in value. The land was valued at £4.10 per acre in 1900, £16 in 1937, £420 and £1200 for some of the flatter land shortly after its subdivision.
Farming and quarrying continued, as the sole activities on the land, until Reid Murray Developments (R.M.D.) began acquiring land for subdivision in 1959. The development was, at the time, the largest private housing development in Australia and had a budget of £6 million. R.M.D. was not the only developer active in the suburb with most of the Goodall and McIntyre farmland being sold to, or subdivided by, other companies. In total R.M.D. purchased 430 acres (1.7 km²). R.M.D. copied a new concept from the South Australian Housing Trust
's new development at Elizabeth
, constructing the suburb as a self-contained neighborhood from the outset. Unusually fifteen percent of the land was set aside for parks, arrangements were made with Woolworths
(S.A.) Ltd to provide a supermarket
, and with the State government for the speedy provision of a post office
and school. Land allotments were set to a minimum of 697 square metres (7,502 sq ft) and, to transform the bare farm land, a street tree-planting and nursery program was begun with new residents being given six plants to start a garden. R.M.D. did not sell any vacant land, but only complete house, land and some furnishings packages (prices ranging from £4,000 to £5,500
). The houses all had three or more bedrooms, flat corrugated iron or angled tile
roofs, and were constructed from bricks, modular concrete block
s or Mount Gambier
freestone
.
R.M.D. set up offices in London
to attract new British
migrants prior to their trip to Australia
. Salesmen met new immigrants at Fremantle
dock. Flat
s were built in Barcoo Street to temporarily house intending purchasers, many of whom were travelling under assisted passage
. Some settlers were not prepared for the frontier conditions they met, with no amenities or trees, and surroundings of little more than open paddocks. Many of the migrants came from established cities, and expressed dismay at the prospect of having to form a community from scratch. A vendor finance scheme was begun allowing a some newlyweds to purchase homes with a deposit as low as £500. An extensive marketing effort to sell the homes included, a home donated to the crippled children's association, subsidised bus services, free use of the olympic size swimming pool for residents, twenty-five furnished display homes and £10,000 of Television advertising.
The suburb developed quickly, fifty-five homes completed in the first six months and seventy under construction, along with sealed roads, storm water and sewerage services and gas and electricity supply. All three original farming families have main roads in Para Hills named after them. The farmhouse
of Allen Kesters (built in 1934) is still in use, on the corner of Kesters and Bridge roads as a real-estate office, and the McIntyre farmhouse was, as of 1985, occupied by the McIntyre family.
of Yatala proclaimed and area divided into sections.
July 1847, First land grants acquired.
1850, Goodall family acquire a land grant
and begin farming.
1852, McIntyre family begin leasing farming land.
1893, Kesters family acquire land and establish a farm.
1911, First ( two inch ) water main
laid down Kesters Road.
1934, Allen Kester’s house built on the corner of Kesters and Bridge Road.
1950’s ( year unknown), Electricity supply begun after formation of the Electricity Trust of South Australia.
1959, All Kesters family land purchased by R.M.D.
25 February 1960, Construction of first house begun with pouring of the concrete foundation.
2 August 1960, Premier
Sir Thomas Playford
officially opens the new housing estate.
February 1961, First school lessons begin in pre-fabricated
classrooms in the site of current day Para Hills Primary School.
March 1961, 100th family arrives in the Para Hills estate.
27 June 1961, First scouting meeting with the formation of a cub pack.
24 February 1962, 1/2 Olympic size swimming pool
and community hall opened.
September 1963, Presbyterian
Church on the corner of Barcoo Streets and Liberman roads begins services.
12 September 1963, Shopping centre opens on Wilkinson Road.
1964, Goodall farm including Para Hills farm purchased by R.M.D.
1964, Para Hills Farm's farmhouse demolished to make way for subdivision.
17 June 1968, First Para Hills library opened by Premier Steele Hall
.
27 April 1972, Para Hills police station opens
1976, Population reaches 11,213.
The suburb of Para Hills also has a school R-7, and was made in 1961 so it is over 47 years old. The school is on Francis Ave.
's demonstration village opened in 1982.
took over all buses and services in Para Hills, it had expanded to 44 buses and numerous routes.
As of 2007 public bus services from Para Hills have termini at Elizabeth
, the Salisbury bus/train interchange, Smithfield
, Adelaide's Central Business District, and the Tea Tree Plaza Interchange
and Paradise Interchange
O-Bahn
stations.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, accessible from Adelaide by bus, (partly using Adelaide's O-Bahn Busway
O-Bahn Busway
The Adelaide O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway located in Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn – from the Latin omnibus and the German bahn – was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.The route was introduced in...
). A train station is approximately 2 kilometres to the west. There is a light aircraft airport close to its boundary, and numerous sporting facilities, abundant parks and schools and two medium sized shopping centres. Most of the suburb is in the City of Salisbury
City of Salisbury
The City of Salisbury is a local government area located on the northern fringes of Adelaide, South Australia. It has an estimated population of 130,022 people and encompasses an area of 158km². The council's main offices are situated in the Salisbury central business district.-Suburbs:-External...
while some is in the City of Tea Tree Gully
City of Tea Tree Gully
The City of Tea Tree Gully is in the Australian state of South Australia, in the outer north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide. The city has a estimated population of 100,155 people and is one of the most populous local government divisions in Adelaide...
.
Naming
The prefix "Para" is derived from the KaurnaKaurna language
"Kaurna" is the language of the Kaurna people, an Australian aboriginal ethnic group, in South Australia. It was historically spoken on the Adelaide Plains from Crystal Brook and Clare in the north, to Cape Jervis in the south. It became extinct in the 19th century but was revived and reconstructed...
word "Pari" meaning a stream of flowing water, which could refer to either the Little Para River
Little Para River
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...
or Dry Creek. Para is used to name many places in the area including Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport is on the edge of the residential suburb of Parafield, South Australia, 18 kilometres north of the Adelaide Central business district and adjacent to the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of South Australia. It is Adelaide's second airport and the fifth busiest airport in...
, three seasonal creeks, and some suburbs. The flat land between Dry Creek and the Little Para River is sometimes called the Para Plains and the facing hills the Para Hills.
An early settler family were the Goodalls, who established a farm at the base of the hills in 1850. When Andrew Melville Goodall expanded the farm in 1853 he named the property Para Hills Farm, building a farmhouse near what is now the corner of St Clair Avenue and Goodall Road.
Para Hills Post Office opened on 28 June 1961.
Geology
Para Hills is built on an escarpmentEscarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
of the Para Fault Block
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
at the edge of the Adelaide plains, rising 61 metres (200 ft) above the plains. The formation of this escarpment has led to short, steep-sided gullies which are characteristic of Para Hills. The gullies are usually dry, running only shortly after rain, and have mostly been left as public parks
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
. Outcrops of exposed pre-Cambrian rocks have been quarried for use in roadmaking and construction since the late 19th century. The outcrops within Para Hills are not extensive and only one quarry operated in the suburb's residential area.
Flora
Prior to subdivision there is very little recorded about the vegetation of the hills. What records exist report that the plains where mostly covered in kangaroo grass, with the hills being lightly covered in EucalyptusEucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
Porosa (Mallee box) , Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
paradoxa (Kangaroo thorn wattle) and Acacia pyncantha (Golden Wattle). Public parks in para hills are now landscaped with Australian native vegetation. Most of the streets show Salisbury council’s practice of lining roadsides with Eucalypts, Acacias and other Australian native trees.
Geography
The boundary of Para Hills is defined by McIntyre Road and the Para Hills reserve to the north, Kelly Road to the east, Bridge Road to the west, and Maxwell Road and Milne Road to the south. The northern boundary moved south from Wynn Vale Drive in 2002 when Gulfview HeightsGulfview Heights, South Australia
Gulfview Heights is a small suburb of Adelaide, South Australia and is within the City of Salisbury and City of Tea Tree Gully local government area. It is adjacent to Wynn Vale, Salisbury East and Para Hills.-History:...
was declared.
At the ABS
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
2001 census, Para Hills had a population of 9,050 people living in 3,505 dwellings, but this has been reduced with the movement of the suburb's boundary.
History
The area was originally inhabited by the Kaurna tribe of Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. By the time the area was settled by Europeans in the 1840s, introduced diseases such as smallpox had already spread from the eastern states and decimated the population.
Land grants in the Para Hills area began in 1847. Notable farming families first settling the area were the Goodalls ( on 12 August 1850), the Kesters (1893), and the MacIntyres (1865).) From settlement as distant farming land, to subdivision for residential development, the land increased greatly in value. The land was valued at £4.10 per acre in 1900, £16 in 1937, £420 and £1200 for some of the flatter land shortly after its subdivision.
Farming and quarrying continued, as the sole activities on the land, until Reid Murray Developments (R.M.D.) began acquiring land for subdivision in 1959. The development was, at the time, the largest private housing development in Australia and had a budget of £6 million. R.M.D. was not the only developer active in the suburb with most of the Goodall and McIntyre farmland being sold to, or subdivided by, other companies. In total R.M.D. purchased 430 acres (1.7 km²). R.M.D. copied a new concept from the South Australian Housing Trust
South Australian Housing Trust
The South Australian Housing Trust was a statutory authority established by the of the Government of South Australia responsible for providing low-cost rental housing to working people and their families.-History:...
's new development at Elizabeth
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
, constructing the suburb as a self-contained neighborhood from the outset. Unusually fifteen percent of the land was set aside for parks, arrangements were made with Woolworths
Woolworths (South Africa)
Woolworths Holdings Limited is a South African chain of retail stores and one of the largest in the country, modeled on Marks & Spencer of the United Kingdom . This relationship with Britain's Marks and Spencer was formed after the Second World War, which led to the retailer buying all of the...
(S.A.) Ltd to provide a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, and with the State government for the speedy provision of a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and school. Land allotments were set to a minimum of 697 square metres (7,502 sq ft) and, to transform the bare farm land, a street tree-planting and nursery program was begun with new residents being given six plants to start a garden. R.M.D. did not sell any vacant land, but only complete house, land and some furnishings packages (prices ranging from £4,000 to £5,500
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
). The houses all had three or more bedrooms, flat corrugated iron or angled tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
roofs, and were constructed from bricks, modular concrete block
Cinder block
In the United States, a concrete masonry unit – also called concrete block, cement block, and foundation block – is a large rectangular brick used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks...
s or Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
freestone
Freestone
A freestone is a stone used in masonry for molding, tracery and other replication work required to be worked with the chisel. The freestone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is...
.
R.M.D. set up offices in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to attract new British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
migrants prior to their trip to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Salesmen met new immigrants at Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
dock. Flat
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s were built in Barcoo Street to temporarily house intending purchasers, many of whom were travelling under assisted passage
Ten Pound Poms
Ten Pound Poms is a colloquial term used in Australia to describe British subjects who migrated to Australia after the Second World War under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Government of Australia.The scheme, a follow-on to the unofficial Big Brother Movement,...
. Some settlers were not prepared for the frontier conditions they met, with no amenities or trees, and surroundings of little more than open paddocks. Many of the migrants came from established cities, and expressed dismay at the prospect of having to form a community from scratch. A vendor finance scheme was begun allowing a some newlyweds to purchase homes with a deposit as low as £500. An extensive marketing effort to sell the homes included, a home donated to the crippled children's association, subsidised bus services, free use of the olympic size swimming pool for residents, twenty-five furnished display homes and £10,000 of Television advertising.
The suburb developed quickly, fifty-five homes completed in the first six months and seventy under construction, along with sealed roads, storm water and sewerage services and gas and electricity supply. All three original farming families have main roads in Para Hills named after them. The farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
of Allen Kesters (built in 1934) is still in use, on the corner of Kesters and Bridge roads as a real-estate office, and the McIntyre farmhouse was, as of 1985, occupied by the McIntyre family.
Timeline
29 October 1846, HundredHundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Yatala proclaimed and area divided into sections.
July 1847, First land grants acquired.
1850, Goodall family acquire a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
and begin farming.
1852, McIntyre family begin leasing farming land.
1893, Kesters family acquire land and establish a farm.
1911, First ( two inch ) water main
Water pipe
Water pipes are pipes or tubes, frequently made of polyvinyl chloride , ductile iron, steel, cast iron, polypropylene, polyethylene, or copper, that carry pressurized and treated fresh water to buildings , as well as inside the building.-History:For many centuries, lead was the favoured material...
laid down Kesters Road.
1934, Allen Kester’s house built on the corner of Kesters and Bridge Road.
1950’s ( year unknown), Electricity supply begun after formation of the Electricity Trust of South Australia.
1959, All Kesters family land purchased by R.M.D.
25 February 1960, Construction of first house begun with pouring of the concrete foundation.
2 August 1960, Premier
Premiers of South Australia
Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from 1893 to 1905 with Labor support, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of...
Sir Thomas Playford
Thomas Playford IV
Sir Thomas Playford, GCMG was a South Australian politician. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia from 5 November 1938 to 10 March 1965, the longest term of any elected government leader in the history of Australia. His tenure as premier was marked by a period of population and...
officially opens the new housing estate.
February 1961, First school lessons begin in pre-fabricated
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
classrooms in the site of current day Para Hills Primary School.
March 1961, 100th family arrives in the Para Hills estate.
27 June 1961, First scouting meeting with the formation of a cub pack.
24 February 1962, 1/2 Olympic size swimming pool
Olympic size swimming pool
An Olympic-size swimming pool is the type of swimming pool used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is 50 meters in length. This is typically referred to as "long course", delineating it from "short course" which applies to competitions in pools that are either 25 meters or 25 yards in...
and community hall opened.
September 1963, Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
Church on the corner of Barcoo Streets and Liberman roads begins services.
12 September 1963, Shopping centre opens on Wilkinson Road.
1964, Goodall farm including Para Hills farm purchased by R.M.D.
1964, Para Hills Farm's farmhouse demolished to make way for subdivision.
17 June 1968, First Para Hills library opened by Premier Steele Hall
Steele Hall
Raymond Steele Hall was the 36th Premier of South Australia 1968-70, a senator for South Australia 1974-77, and federal member for the Division of Boothby 1981-96.-Biography:...
.
27 April 1972, Para Hills police station opens
1976, Population reaches 11,213.
The suburb of Para Hills also has a school R-7, and was made in 1961 so it is over 47 years old. The school is on Francis Ave.
Trivia
Para Hills was used to showcase an 'expandable house' that allowed for rooms to be added in four stages. The house was part of the Housing Trust of South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's demonstration village opened in 1982.
Transport
Public transport began in 1961 with a once-daily, privately run return bus service to Adelaide. The service was run by "Lewis Brothers", initially with a £60 weekly subsidy from Reid Murray Developments. By 1974, when the Municipal Tramways TrustMunicipal Tramways Trust
The Municipal Tramways Trust was established in 1907 to operate Adelaide's street tram network. The MTT ceased to exist in 1975 upon the establishment of the State Transport Authority Bus and Tram Division.-History:...
took over all buses and services in Para Hills, it had expanded to 44 buses and numerous routes.
As of 2007 public bus services from Para Hills have termini at Elizabeth
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
, the Salisbury bus/train interchange, Smithfield
Smithfield, South Australia
Smithfield is a suburb in the northern outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia. It is in the City of Playford.Gawler Plains Post Office opened on 12 July 1850 and was renamed Smithfield in 1855.-References:...
, Adelaide's Central Business District, and the Tea Tree Plaza Interchange
Tea Tree Plaza Interchange
Tea Tree Plaza Interchange is an interchange belonging to the Adelaide Metro. It is the terminating station of the O-Bahn Busway, and is a central public transport hub for the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.The interchange is also a popular hangout for students from the nearby...
and Paradise Interchange
Paradise Interchange
Paradise Interchange is an interchange of the O-Bahn Busway, belonging to the Adelaide Metro. This interchange is situated mid-way along the O-Bahn Busway, between Tea Tree Plaza Interchange and Klemzig Station in Paradise, South Australia....
O-Bahn
O-Bahn Busway
The Adelaide O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway located in Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn – from the Latin omnibus and the German bahn – was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.The route was introduced in...
stations.