Preservation group set since 1987 on protecting the unique Adelaide city park lands from threat of being whittled away
Besides its watchdog role, the Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association runs regular activities such as a biennial art prize,a photo of the day, guided walks and schools engagement.
The Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association was founded in 1987 as a non-profit community watchdog to guard Adelaide’s greatest treasure: William Light’s unique vision of a city surrounded by the world’s first public parklands, including the city squares.
The association sees protecting the parklands as a never-ending battle, despite the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005 and what it regards as its proudest achievement: the national heritage listing for the parklands in 2008.
The association could point to a history, virtually from the start, of Light’s open-space vision being whittled away by decisions of the government and city council. The original 930 hectares of parklands are now down to about 700 hectares.
The park lands were included in Colonel William Light's original plans for Adelaide in 1837 as “a place for public recreation”. But, a year later, acting governor Charles Mann was chastising settlers for cutting down trees in the parklands. The parklands continued to be under threat from intrusion from 1838 to 1849 when they were the site of Emigration Square: the first camp for European settlers.
Cattle yards, with a nearby slaughterhouse, were on the present site of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, opposite the Newmarket Hotel on North Terrace, until 1913 as a revenue source for Adelaide City Council.
The park lands also have been used for, among other things, a quarry, a reservoir, a sewage farm and as a tip for horse droppings from city streets. But they has avoided plansfor a White City amusement park (1914), an airport (1939), carparks (1951) and a helipad (2016).
All the buildings on northern side of North Terrace – university, museum, gallery, library, government house through to the biomedical precinct with new Royal Adelaide Hospital – awerere on the original parklands area.
The railway yards left the biggest scar on the parklands and they have had a hotel, government offices and convention centre built over them. Gains such as the closing of the snake farm/koala park in 1960 and Victoria Park racecourse in 2008 have been offset by the National Wine Centre in 2001.
Besides its watchdog role, the Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association ran regular activities such as a biennial art prize, a photo od the day, guided walks and schools engagement.
The Adelaide Park Lands Authority also advised the Adelaide city council and state government on new uses and developments in the parklands.