Stepney, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Stepney is a small triangular near-city suburb
of Adelaide
within the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters. Stepney contains a mix of retail, manufacturing, professional services and distribution outlets within a cosmopolitan population strongly influenced by post World War II
immigration.
For much of its history Stepney has been largely working class
with a preponderance of small houses and units on small blocks of land. However, Stepney is now the home of much light industry. Streets such as Nelson Street have lost their residents whilst other streets have seen the number of residents diminish as houses have been sold to accommodate a wide range of enterprises.
was named after an inner-city district in the London Borough
of Tower Hamlets by George Muller (its founder) who hailed from there and in 1850 created the 'Village of Stepney' out of section 259, Hundred of Adelaide
.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/s/s6.htm#stepney George built the Maid and Magpie hotel.http://www.sahotels.com.au/maidandmagpie/index.asp
Whilst Adelaide was to be a city of fine buildings and a refined populace, set free from the constraints of convict influence, George Muller’s Stepney was to bear a strong resemblance to its less refined namesake, replete with slums,http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16664/16664-h/16664-h.htm near the City of London. The early settlement of German settlers in Stepney was, however, somewhat unique. Though not as well known as the Prussians who settled Klemzig
, Hahndorf
or Tanunda
, they were there in sufficient numbers to develop schools for their children. http://www.eas.sa.edu.au/history/1886.html Notable members of this community were Hans Heysen
and Carl Laubman
of Laubman and Pank. During 2008 the last three cottages in Nelson Street, described as "built by Haken Linde, a successful member of the German community," were marked for demolition by the Norwood Payneham St Peters council.http://sa.democrats.org.au/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1503 Significant calls were made for the cottages to be preserved and the cottages were retained.
.http://www.nationaltrustsa.org.au/heritage_icons_2005.htm This movement was most significant in the development of South Australia's democratic system.
Returning miners from the gold rushes of Ballarat
and Bendigo
were instrumental in building many of Adelaide's fine homes and businesses. Stepney shared in this phenomenon with some substantial residences amid the poorer houses, though bankruptcy was never far from those who acquired wealth quickly.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110576b.htm?hilite=stepney
In the early 1860s semi-rural Stepney was the haunt of some rather colourful characters who operated around Adelaide’s parklands. The area around the Maid and Magpie Hotel was the scene of various robberies by the romantically named Captain Moonlight, not to be confused with the better known bushranger
in New South Wales named Captain Moonlight
. Stepney's highwayman
, it later transpired, was armed with nothing more lethal than a camouflaged pipe-case and, after incarceration, became a respected member of society.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/adelaide/suburbs/suburbs.htm
The equally romantically named Captain Thunderbolt, not to be confused with Captain Thunderbolt
in New South Wales, was said to roam the area and even emulated the mythical Robin Hood
...
By the 1870s Stepney contained many small houses with small backyards and no drainage. They were considered to be hotbeds of disease and fever.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/adelaide/suburbs/suburbs.htm These houses, however, gave Stepney much of its racy nature with its inhabitants developing strength in their inevitable struggles with life. In the late 1870s these struggles evidenced themselves in the pilfering of firewood and the subsequent use of dynamite in planted logs by the firewood owners, to exact retribution.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/s/s6.htm#stepney
During this time Stepney became the home of some significant industries lured by proximity to the city and the development of improved transport. In 1888 the Phoenix Distillery at 42 Nelson Street was bought by Douglas Tolley and his brother Ernest, together with a London distiller Thomas Scott. They traded in the name of Tolley, Scott and Tolley.http://www.teatreegully.sa.gov.au/page?pg=1962 Tolley, Scott & Tolley was, at one time, Australia's leading brandy producer.http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/search?/dStepney+council/dstepney+council/-3,0,0,B/l856~b1055898&FF=dstepney+wine+and+wine+making+south+australia&1,1,,1,0/indexsort=-
Toward the end of the 19th Century, Stepney was briefly the home and a place of schooling for a very young Hans Heysen
. Hans was awarded an Order of the British Empire
and subsequently knight
ed for his service to art. http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/agsa/home/Learning/.../Heysen_ed_kit.pdf
. However, peace and prosperity was interrupted by the First World War
. A search of the National Archives of Australia
reveals that 38 soldiers enlisted showing their place of birth as Stepney, an extraordinary number given the small size of the suburb.http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Items_listing.asp?S=8&F=1&O=0&T=I&C=38
Post-1945 Stepney again underwent change as large numbers of refugees from war-torn Europe moved in. Shops began selling previously unheard of foods such as salami or artichokes and the flowers in often tiny front gardens were replaced by vegetables. Again, the number of children increased and second creek and the small number of spare allotments became their playgrounds, complete with re-enactments of battles fought far away. Houses changed colour, copying those found Greece and Italy and the streets resounded with voluble Italian
, Greek
and ironically - German
.
This influx of residents was to be a brief hiatus amid the loss of movement toward industrialisation as future generations, now more affluent, moved away from often painful memories and their houses were taken over by industries eager to locate near to the city or removed to provide wider roads.
and Felixstow
and beyond to suburbs such as Highbury
and thence to the Adelaide Hills
. Magill Road, the southern boundary, connects the city-centre, via North Terrace, to Kensington Park
and beyond to Magill
and then the Adelaide Hills. On its eastern side it is bounded by Frederick Street.
Stepney is intersected by Nelson Street which divides Stepney into two roughly distinct areas. Nelson Street also provides part of a near-city link between the eastern and northern suburbs via the Stephen Terrace bridge between St Peters and Gilberton
.
Generally, the area to the east of Nelson Street contains larger allotments, though there are some notable exceptions. The area to the west of Nelson Street generally contains smaller allotments and is more heavily industrialised.
Industrial development dominates the area to the west of Nelson Street, whilst residential development continues to dominate the area to the east of Nelson Street.
Stepney is strongly sought for its closeness to the city and for its small historical properties which are easily cared for and yet retain their heritage. A report on rents in The Advertiser titled "Rental tenants hit hard in the pocket; By CHRIS DAY The City (South Australia) 02-28-2007"
states...
accelerating the move away from its working class roots.
at which the observations below were taken. It has a temperate climate, with relatively hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
in the Parliament of South Australia
, and within the Division of Adelaide
in the Australian House of Representatives.
Bus routes include…
Early records mention schools provided for the German settlers in Stepney, though little is known of them.http://www.eas.sa.edu.au/history/1886.html
In 1855 a school in Stepney, run by M A Moody with 34 students was gazetted in the South Australian Government Gazette.http://www.archivecdbooks.com.au/samplers/AU5100-1855s.pdf
In the late 1890s, the King's Grammar Schoolhttp://143.216.21.253/mpcimg/45650/B45424.htm and Somersal House School existed in Stepney.http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/search?/fStepney+Collection/fstepney+collection/-3,-1,0,B/l856~b1055902&FF=fstepney+collection&5,,11,1,0 Both no longer exist as schools.
St Joseph's Catholic School was located for a time after the Second World War, next to the church that gave it life, and overlooking Second Creek. Sadly, the children’s laughter that echoed over the creek and among the church buildings is now gone.
Agnes Goode kindergartenhttp://www.agnesgdekgn.sa.edu.au/ is located in Cornish Street.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
within the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters. Stepney contains a mix of retail, manufacturing, professional services and distribution outlets within a cosmopolitan population strongly influenced by post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
immigration.
For much of its history Stepney has been largely working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
with a preponderance of small houses and units on small blocks of land. However, Stepney is now the home of much light industry. Streets such as Nelson Street have lost their residents whilst other streets have seen the number of residents diminish as houses have been sold to accommodate a wide range of enterprises.
Early European settlement
StepneyStepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
was named after an inner-city district in the London Borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
of Tower Hamlets by George Muller (its founder) who hailed from there and in 1850 created the 'Village of Stepney' out of section 259, Hundred of Adelaide
Hundred of Adelaide
The Hundred of Adelaide is the cadastral unit of hundred for the city of Adelaide. It is one of the eleven hundreds of the County of Adelaide, and was one of the first hundreds to be proclaimed. Like the surrounding city, the hundred was named after Queen Adelaide. It was named by Governor...
.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/s/s6.htm#stepney George built the Maid and Magpie hotel.http://www.sahotels.com.au/maidandmagpie/index.asp
Whilst Adelaide was to be a city of fine buildings and a refined populace, set free from the constraints of convict influence, George Muller’s Stepney was to bear a strong resemblance to its less refined namesake, replete with slums,http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16664/16664-h/16664-h.htm near the City of London. The early settlement of German settlers in Stepney was, however, somewhat unique. Though not as well known as the Prussians who settled Klemzig
Klemzig, South Australia
Klemzig is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is the location of the first settlement of German emigrants to Australia in the 19th century and is named after a village near the city of Zuellichau in southeastern Brandenburg in the German state of Prussia, where they...
, Hahndorf
Hahndorf, South Australia
Hahndorf is a small town about 30 minutes drive out of Adelaide, South Australia along the South Eastern Freeway . The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named "Kay" in Prussia, many of whom were aboard the Zebra...
or Tanunda
Tanunda, South Australia
Tanunda is a town situated in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia, 70 kilometres north east of the state capital, Adelaide. The town derives its name from an Aboriginal word meaning water hole. Town population is approximately 3500.-Settlement:...
, they were there in sufficient numbers to develop schools for their children. http://www.eas.sa.edu.au/history/1886.html Notable members of this community were Hans Heysen
Hans Heysen
Sir Hans Heysen, OBE was a well-known German Australian artist. He was particularly recognized for his watercolours of the Australian bush. He won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting a record nine times.-Biography:...
and Carl Laubman
Carl Laubman
Carl Laubman , optician, inventor, and co-founder of Laubman & Pank, was born Carl Wilhelm Laubmann on 11 May 1878 at Stepney, an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. He was the eldest of seven children of John Laubmann, carpenter and joiner, and Sophie Caroline , both of German origin...
of Laubman and Pank. During 2008 the last three cottages in Nelson Street, described as "built by Haken Linde, a successful member of the German community," were marked for demolition by the Norwood Payneham St Peters council.http://sa.democrats.org.au/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1503 Significant calls were made for the cottages to be preserved and the cottages were retained.
The 19th Century
Stepney was, despite its humble beginnings, not without influence and in1851 the South Australian Ballot Association was set up and at the Maid and Magpie Hotel on 11 February 1851 advocated the secret ballotSecret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
.http://www.nationaltrustsa.org.au/heritage_icons_2005.htm This movement was most significant in the development of South Australia's democratic system.
Returning miners from the gold rushes of Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
and Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
were instrumental in building many of Adelaide's fine homes and businesses. Stepney shared in this phenomenon with some substantial residences amid the poorer houses, though bankruptcy was never far from those who acquired wealth quickly.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110576b.htm?hilite=stepney
In the early 1860s semi-rural Stepney was the haunt of some rather colourful characters who operated around Adelaide’s parklands. The area around the Maid and Magpie Hotel was the scene of various robberies by the romantically named Captain Moonlight, not to be confused with the better known bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
in New South Wales named Captain Moonlight
Captain Moonlight
Andrew George Scott , Aka Captain Moonlite, was an Australian bushranger.-Early peregrinations :Scott was born in Rathfriland, Ireland, son of an Anglican clergyman, but of Scottish descent...
. Stepney's highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
, it later transpired, was armed with nothing more lethal than a camouflaged pipe-case and, after incarceration, became a respected member of society.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/adelaide/suburbs/suburbs.htm
The equally romantically named Captain Thunderbolt, not to be confused with Captain Thunderbolt
Captain Thunderbolt
Frederick Wordsworth Ward was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, and also for his reputation as the "gentleman bushranger" and his lengthy survival, being the longest roaming bushranger in Australian history.-Early years:Frederick Ward was the son of convict...
in New South Wales, was said to roam the area and even emulated the mythical Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
...
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/p/p2.htm#parklands Whether the two were one and the same cannot be said, but the accounts support the growing mythology of lawlessness to be found in the area.
Richard Dawes, carpenter of Prospect Village, returning home... was... attacked by Captain Thunderbolt... Mr Dawes [handed] him his purse, but on inspecting it [found] some few silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coinsCOinSContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
of little value; [Captain Thunderbolt] said, "Oh! I see you're a poor man like myself and I don't want to injure you..."
By the 1870s Stepney contained many small houses with small backyards and no drainage. They were considered to be hotbeds of disease and fever.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/adelaide/suburbs/suburbs.htm These houses, however, gave Stepney much of its racy nature with its inhabitants developing strength in their inevitable struggles with life. In the late 1870s these struggles evidenced themselves in the pilfering of firewood and the subsequent use of dynamite in planted logs by the firewood owners, to exact retribution.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/s/s6.htm#stepney
During this time Stepney became the home of some significant industries lured by proximity to the city and the development of improved transport. In 1888 the Phoenix Distillery at 42 Nelson Street was bought by Douglas Tolley and his brother Ernest, together with a London distiller Thomas Scott. They traded in the name of Tolley, Scott and Tolley.http://www.teatreegully.sa.gov.au/page?pg=1962 Tolley, Scott & Tolley was, at one time, Australia's leading brandy producer.http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/search?/dStepney+council/dstepney+council/-3,0,0,B/l856~b1055898&FF=dstepney+wine+and+wine+making+south+australia&1,1,,1,0/indexsort=-
Toward the end of the 19th Century, Stepney was briefly the home and a place of schooling for a very young Hans Heysen
Hans Heysen
Sir Hans Heysen, OBE was a well-known German Australian artist. He was particularly recognized for his watercolours of the Australian bush. He won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting a record nine times.-Biography:...
. Hans was awarded an Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and subsequently knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed for his service to art. http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/agsa/home/Learning/.../Heysen_ed_kit.pdf
The 20th Century
Stepney continued to develop. Larger houses were built and around the turn of the century more houses were built in the area further from the city and adjoining MaylandsMaylands, South Australia
Maylands is a suburb of Adelaide located within the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters, and bounded by the main roads Portrush Road and Magill Road.- History :...
. However, peace and prosperity was interrupted by the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A search of the National Archives of Australia
National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth Government records. It is an Executive Agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig.The national...
reveals that 38 soldiers enlisted showing their place of birth as Stepney, an extraordinary number given the small size of the suburb.http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Items_listing.asp?S=8&F=1&O=0&T=I&C=38
Post-1945 Stepney again underwent change as large numbers of refugees from war-torn Europe moved in. Shops began selling previously unheard of foods such as salami or artichokes and the flowers in often tiny front gardens were replaced by vegetables. Again, the number of children increased and second creek and the small number of spare allotments became their playgrounds, complete with re-enactments of battles fought far away. Houses changed colour, copying those found Greece and Italy and the streets resounded with voluble Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and ironically - German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
This influx of residents was to be a brief hiatus amid the loss of movement toward industrialisation as future generations, now more affluent, moved away from often painful memories and their houses were taken over by industries eager to locate near to the city or removed to provide wider roads.
Geography
Stepney is bounded on its north-west side by Payneham Road which connects Adelaide city, via North Terrace, to PaynehamPayneham, South Australia
Payneham is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters. It is part of a string of suburbs in Adelaide's north-east with a high proportion of Adelaide's Italian-Australian and French-Australian residents, many of whom can be traced back to the large-scale migration following the...
and Felixstow
Felixstow, South Australia
-References:...
and beyond to suburbs such as Highbury
Highbury, South Australia
Highbury is a suburb of Adelaide, located within the City of Tea Tree Gully. It is adjacent the suburbs of Hope Valley and Dernancourt. Local services include pubs, supermarkets and a post office.-References:...
and thence to the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
. Magill Road, the southern boundary, connects the city-centre, via North Terrace, to Kensington Park
Kensington Park, South Australia
Kensington Park is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside in South Australia....
and beyond to Magill
Magill, South Australia
Magill is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside and the City of Campbelltown.-History:Magill is a suburb located approximately 7 km from the Adelaide CBD in the eastern suburbs. Magill was first established as the Makgill Estate, owned by two Scots, Robert Cock and William Ferguson,...
and then the Adelaide Hills. On its eastern side it is bounded by Frederick Street.
Stepney is intersected by Nelson Street which divides Stepney into two roughly distinct areas. Nelson Street also provides part of a near-city link between the eastern and northern suburbs via the Stephen Terrace bridge between St Peters and Gilberton
Gilberton, South Australia
Gilberton is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia on the northern bank of the River Torrens a short distance from Adelaide’s city centre. It is bounded by the river, Park terrace, Stephen Terrace and Northcote Terrace. The suburb is largely residential with some large and ornate Victorian homes...
.
Generally, the area to the east of Nelson Street contains larger allotments, though there are some notable exceptions. The area to the west of Nelson Street generally contains smaller allotments and is more heavily industrialised.
Land usage
Apart from some relatively small, though significant reserves, Stepney is residential and industrial.Industrial development dominates the area to the west of Nelson Street, whilst residential development continues to dominate the area to the east of Nelson Street.
Stepney is strongly sought for its closeness to the city and for its small historical properties which are easily cared for and yet retain their heritage. A report on rents in The Advertiser titled "Rental tenants hit hard in the pocket; By CHRIS DAY The City (South Australia) 02-28-2007"
states...
"Kent Town was joint eighth with a cost of $362 a week, while St Peters, College Park, Hackney, and Stepney shared 14th spot with $341 a week.
"
accelerating the move away from its working class roots.
Climate
Stepney adjoins the suburb of Kent TownKent Town, South Australia
Kent Town is an inner urban suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.-History:The suburb was named after Dr Benjamin Archer Kent, who established a farm and flour mill on which the suburb now stands.....
at which the observations below were taken. It has a temperate climate, with relatively hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 28.8 | 29.4 | 26.1 | 22.4 | 18.9 | 16.1 | 15.3 | 16.5 | 18.8 | 21.5 | 24.8 | 26.8 | 22.1 | |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 16.8 | 17.2 | 15.0 | 12.2 | 10.1 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 12.1 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 19.2 | 13.7 | 26.2 | 38.7 | 62.6 | 83.1 | 77.8 | 68.1 | 63.6 | 48.5 | 29.6 | 26.8 | 558.1 | |
| Mean number of rain days | 4.3 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 7.9 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 16.2 | 16.4 | 13.2 | 10.8 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 120.5 | |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | ||||||||||||||
Politics
Stepney is represented in the Norwood electorateElectoral district of Norwood
Norwood is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after its surrounding geographical area, Norwood, South Australia. Norwood is a 14.2 km² urban electorate in Adelaide's inner eastern suburbs...
in the Parliament of South Australia
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government....
, and within the Division of Adelaide
Division of Adelaide
The Division of Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the city of Adelaide, South Australia's capital. The seat has always been based in the inner suburbs of Adelaide...
in the Australian House of Representatives.
Landmarks
- Arguably the most famous landmark in Stepney is the junction formed by the merging of Magill and Payneham Roads with North Terrace, Fullarton Road and Baliol Street. The junction is named after the Maid and Magpie Hotelhttp://www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/sa/Stepney/MaidandMagpieHotel/10772 located at the junction.http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/search?/dStepney+council/dstepney+council/-3,0,0,B/l856~b1005361&FF=dstepney+roads+south+australia&1,1,,1,0/indexsort=-
- The Avenues Shopping Centre on the corner of Payneham Road and Nelson Street provides the suburb’s significant retail hub.
Transport
Stepney, being near to the city and bounded by major roads, is well serviced by bus services.http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/ttsearch.php?action=search&searchtext=Stepney&js=1Bus routes include…
- 102 City to Rostrevor via Magill Road and return
- 104 City to Paradise Interchange via Magill Road and return
- 105 City to Newton via Magill Road and return.
- 106 City to Magill via Magill Road and return
- 174 City to Paradise Interchange via Payneham Road, Lower North East Road and return
- 175 Glynde to City via Payneham Road
- 177 City to Paradise Interchange via Payneham Road, Newton Road and return
- 178 City to Paradise Interchange via Payneham Road, Montacute Road and return
- 179 City to Athelstone via Payneham Road, Montacute Road and return.
- 291 City to Marden via Sixth Avenue and return.
Community services
Stepney has a tradition of self help with formal and informal care groups. Within this tradition the following groups now serve the local community…- The Community Lunch Program is held at the Perriam Community Centre Cornish Street Stepney, fortnightly on a Monday at 12noon.http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=413
- Door to door transport is provided to and from local shopping centres on Wednesday, pickups start from 9am to the Avenues Shopping Centre.http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=482
- The Perriam Centre and St Peters Youth Centre is located at Cornish Street, Stepney.http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=789
- The St Peters Childcare Centre is located at 42 - 44 Henry Street, Stepney.http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1362
- The St Peters Fair, combining national Harmony Day celebrations, is held at the Linde Reserve / Dunstone Grove, Stepney.http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1368
- The Women's Community Centre (64 Nelson Street) was established in 1977 with the aim of meeting the needs of women in the community, in particular those isolated at home with young children, with a language barrier, or with limited ability to participate in community affairs.http://www.wccsa.asn.au/about.htm
Schools
Stepney has been the home of several schools though changing populations and the presence of excellent nearby schools has meant their demise with their former premises now offering a testimony to the conflict between high ideals and reality. Only the Agnes Goode Kindergartenhttp://www.agnesgdekgn.sa.edu.au/ remains, fittingly acting as a memorial to past schools and a rather feisty justice of the peace and former political and social activist.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090045b.htmEarly records mention schools provided for the German settlers in Stepney, though little is known of them.http://www.eas.sa.edu.au/history/1886.html
In 1855 a school in Stepney, run by M A Moody with 34 students was gazetted in the South Australian Government Gazette.http://www.archivecdbooks.com.au/samplers/AU5100-1855s.pdf
In the late 1890s, the King's Grammar Schoolhttp://143.216.21.253/mpcimg/45650/B45424.htm and Somersal House School existed in Stepney.http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/search?/fStepney+Collection/fstepney+collection/-3,-1,0,B/l856~b1055902&FF=fstepney+collection&5,,11,1,0 Both no longer exist as schools.
St Joseph's Catholic School was located for a time after the Second World War, next to the church that gave it life, and overlooking Second Creek. Sadly, the children’s laughter that echoed over the creek and among the church buildings is now gone.
Agnes Goode kindergartenhttp://www.agnesgdekgn.sa.edu.au/ is located in Cornish Street.
Sport
The Norwood Cycling Club, the oldest cycling club in the Southern Hemisphere, is located in George street.Notable residents
- Thomas Boutflower BennettThomas Boutflower BennettThomas Boutflower Bennett was an early colonist of South Australia, remembered as a schoolmaster at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution and at Saint Peter's College....
(1808-1894) was a master at Adelaide Educational Institution and St. Peter's College - Edgar Rowland Dawes (1902 - 1973) trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist, vice chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission and parliamentary member for Sturt in the South Australian Legislative Assembly was born in Stepney.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130658b.htm?hilite=Edgar%3BRowland%3BDawes - Basil HadleyBasil HadleyBasil Hadley was born in London, England, UK and came to Australian in 1965. A successful print maker and painter, Basil's works are represented in National and State public galleries around Australia and in various private collections....
(1975 - 2006) artist, was born in the UK and lived most of his life in Stepney. - Lawrence Stanley Jackson (1884-1974), taxation commissionerCommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
, was born on 2 April 1884 in Stepney.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140620b.htm - Carl LaubmanCarl LaubmanCarl Laubman , optician, inventor, and co-founder of Laubman & Pank, was born Carl Wilhelm Laubmann on 11 May 1878 at Stepney, an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. He was the eldest of seven children of John Laubmann, carpenter and joiner, and Sophie Caroline , both of German origin...
(1878-1958), optician, inventor, and co-founder of Laubman & Pank, was born 11 May 1878 at Stepney, spending his childhood and youth there, - Agnes Robertson Robertson (1882-1968), schoolteacher and politician, was born on 31 July 1882 in Stepney.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160126b.htm
- Adolf John Schulz (1883-1956), educationalist, was born on 6 August 1883 at Stepney.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110554b.htm
- James Simri Sellar (1830-1906), tea merchant and politician lived and traded in Stepney at Vauxhall House which he built.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110576b.htm?hilite=stepney
- Wally Shiers (Sergeant) of Stepney, South Australia was a mechanic on Ross and Keith Smith'sEngland to Australia flightIn 1919 the Australian government offered a prize of £A10,000 for the first Australians in a British aircraft to fly from Great Britain to Australia. Of the six entries that started the race, the winners were two brothers and their two crew in a Vickers Vimy....
prize winning flight from LondonLondonLondon 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...
on the 12th November 1919 in the twin-engined Vickers VimyVickers VimyThe Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the First World War and post-First World War era. It achieved success as both a military and civil aircraft, setting several notable records in long-distance flights in the interwar period, the most celebrated of which was the first non-stop...
bomber G-EAOU.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/exhibitions/treasures/prg18_08_03.htm - Norman Theodore Stoate (1895-1979), forester, was born on 13 January 1895 at Stepney, Adelaide.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160382b.htm