Big wetlands opened in southern Adelaide city parklands in 2022 bring biodiversity, recreation and easing floods risk

The wetlands at Pakapakanthi/Victoria Park (Park 16) in Adelaide city’s southern parklands, near Greenhill and Fullarton roads, were part of the Brown Hill Keswick Creek stormwater project to reduce the risk of flooding downstream in Goodwood, Wayville and Unley.

The $13 million wetlands at Pakapakanthi/Victoria Park (Park 16) in Adelaide city’s southern parklands were opened in 2022, bringing a boost for wildlife and recreation but also easing the flood risk to residential suburbs.

The works were part of the Brown Hill Keswick Creek stormwater project to reduce the risk of flooding downstream in Goodwood, Wayville and Unley. Starting in 2020, the wetlands work by Adelaide city council and the Brown Hill Creek & Keswick Creek Stormwater Authority. involved major earthworks.

The wetlands and their lakes linked with the South Park Lands Creek that crossed the southern city parklands, from Victoria Park (Park 16) across the neighbouring parks 17, 18, 19 and 20 to the west. The creek wasn’t a natural watercourse but an artificial drainage channel built in 1917 to channel water away from the Greenhill Road-Fullarton Road intersection, and through the parklands. Over the next century, the condition of the creek gradually but significantly deteriorated. Fixing the creek involved removing a grove of white poplar trees, characterised as invasive “woody weeds”. The white poplars had been planted in 1954 to partially reduce winter flooding.  

In late 2020, excess soil was temporarily spread over an area about 150 metres to the north, to be returned later to provide small hills around the wetlands. Native plants were restored to a widened creek bed. Similar rehabilitation work had been carried out earlier, further along the South Park Lands Creek, in adjacent parks, starting in 2017.

Besides improving the safety and safety and biodiversity along the South Park Lands creek, the wetlands project aimed  to create a scenic haven to attract visitors to the southern part of Victoria Park. This included installing boardwalks and a range of nature play and recreation outlets.