Torrens Linear Park across Adelaide metro area a cycling, walking treasure started as way to cut the risk of floods
The Torrens Linear Park, east-west across the Adelaide metropolitan area along its River Torrens, became a recreational treasure for cycling and walking after its initial aim by the South Australia government to cut the risk of flooding.
Map image from HiiKER website; Oter images from City of Campbelltown including by Janos Veresbaranji
South Australia’s 32-kilometres Torrens Linear Park and its cycling and walking path east-west across the Adelaide metropolitan area along its River Torrens, was completed in 1997.
It was the first linear park of its kind in Australia and the largest hills-to-coast park. Cyclists and walkers could use the trail from Gorge Road in Athelstone in the northeast Adelaide foothills through the northern parklands of the city of Adelaide, to the river mouth at Henley Beach in the west. In the parklands section, it passed notable landmarks including Adelaide Zoo, the Adelaide Botanic Garden, the Festival Centre and Elder Park.
Shared-use pedestrian and cycling paths were along both sides of the river for most of the park’s length and along one side of the O-Bahn busway. The length of linear park had recreational features including about 92 kilometres of walkways, toilets, drinking fountains, barbecues and picnic areas, playgrounds and park benches, making it popular corridor for walking, running, cycling, dog walking and play.
The park began as a flood mitigation scheme along the River Torrens. Land clearance had led to increased runoff and erosion, with major floods in 1917 and 1933. An artificial channel, Breakout Creek, completed in 1937, diverted floodwaters directly to the sea and opened the western suburbs to housing, particularly after World War II.
Rapidly expanding eastern suburbs housing and increased runoff led to fmore flooding events and proposals for flood mitigation in the 1950s and 1960s, including converting the river to a concrete-lined channel or an underground stormwater pipe below a major highway. The Torrens Linear Park concept, using the river valley to combine urban space and flood mitigation was initially set out in the River Torrens Study (1979) and the River Torrens Flood Mitigation Study (1980).
The River Torrens linear park and flood mitigation scheme was approved by the South Australian parliament in 1981. The later River Torrens Linear Park Study included a transport option for a section of the park east of the city centre that became th O-Bahn guided busway. The state government, responsible for buying land and flood mitigation works, and the then-12 (later nine) metropolitan councils bordering the river did the landscaping and constructing cycling/walking trails. Works began in 1982 and were completed in 1997. The linear park became protected against further development with the River Torrens Linear Park Act 2006.
Between 2007 and 2008, an aqueduct, an underground water pipe from Gorge Weir to the Hope Valley Reservoir, was constructed along an eastern section of the linear lark, while the land formerly occupied by the open channel of the old Highbury aqueduct was added to the park in 2012.
The linear park passed through nine council areas including Adelaide Hills, City of Tea Tree Gully, Campbelltown City l, City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters, Port Adelaide Enfield City, Walkerville, Adelaide city, City of West Torrens and City of Charles Sturt. Each of these councils is responsible for managing the linear park assets within its area.
