Colin Pitman inspires Australia's biggest network of wetlands in Salisbury, north of Adelaide, from 1980s
The Greenfields wetland in 1984 was the first of Salisbury's extensive network.
Image courtesy naturallysouthaustralia.com
Colin Pitman, city engineer for the northern Adelaide city of Salisbury (1989-2010), was the force behind it creating the most extensive network of wetlands of any metropolitan council in Australia, with 50 individual wetlands covering around 300 hectares.
Extending over 114 hectares, its Greenfields wetlands in 1984 was one of the first large constructed urban wetlands in Australia. By 2020, Salisbury’s wetlands were supplying water to 140 parks, reserves or ovals and the city’s separate business arm, Salisbury Water, was retailing water for limited uses to business and residents.
The wetlands, bringing savings to ratepayers, restored habitat and increased biodiversity including 160 species of birds and animals. The wetlands guarded against floods and cleaned stormwater. They protected delicate downstream Barker Inlet: an estuary into Gulf St Vincent and the state’s largest fish breeding nursery.
Wetlands water was cleaned by devices such as trash racks, pollutant traps, ponds, reed beds, weirs and diversions.
A 3.5km linear park is a nature corridor alongside the winter-flowing Dry Creek that travels 2 km from the Mount Lofty Ranges to flow into Barker Inlet. Picturesque trails wind through the park and link with Founders Reserve on the eastern side and the Stockade Botanical Park on the western boundary. Along the creek, the river red gums became home for birds, bats and brushtail possums. Golden wattles were scattered along the banks, complemented by the weeping branches of willow wattles. The pools and reed beds attract birds, while frogs inhabit the grassy banks, reed beds and mud along the creeks.
Aquatic birds made their home at Dry Creek, including the Australian grey teal, white-faced herons, cormorants and the Pacific black duck. Other birds common in the park include the willie wagtail, yellow thornbill, New Holland honeyeater and Australian and Murray magpies.
