112-590: Waterfall Gully is an eastern suburb of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide . It is located in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges around 5 km (3.1 mi) east-south-east of the Adelaide city centre . For the most part, the suburb encompasses one long gully with First Creek at its centre and Waterfall Gully Road running adjacent to the creek. At the southern end of
224-610: A gorge after Cudlee Creek . It flows through the gorge to Athelstone , passing over the Eden Fault Zone of the Adelaide Hills face and associated escarpment. After the scarp it flows over sedimentary rocks of varying resistance to erosion , which has led to interspersed narrows and broad basins. From the base of the Adelaide Hills to the Adelaide central business district it runs in a shallow valley with
336-538: A "Mr Kent" who, along with Captain Collet Barker and Barker's servant, Miles, climbed Mount Lofty in 1831. In making their ascent the party skirted a ravine—described by Mr Kent as possessing "smooth and grassy sides"—which is believed by Anne Hardy to have been Waterfall Gully. Subsequent to Barker's ascent, the first settlers who were recorded as having climbed Mount Lofty were Bingham Hutchinson and his servant, William Burt. The pair made three attempts to scale
448-544: A 1-in-200-year flood. When the O-Bahn Busway was opened, the bridges were designed to cope with this scale of flood, although the two bridges in St Peters would likely be awash. The 470 ML (17 million cu ft) Torrens Lake was created in 1881 with the construction of a weir, landscaping of Elder Park and modification of the river's bank and surrounds into an English formal park. The lake forms
560-415: A Swiss chalet, the building has been heritage listed since 1987, and is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a firefighter who died from burns suffered in 1926. Other fire tracks and walking trails wind around the hills that surround Waterfall Gully, branching off from Chambers Gully, Woolshed Gully or the area around First Creek. Destinations include Crafers , Eagle On The Hill , Mount Lofty, Mount Osmond and
672-407: A centrepiece of many Adelaide events and postcard scenes. Elder Park with its iron rotunda was opened on 28 November 1882. The Rotunda is a largely Glasgow built 9-metre-high (30 ft) iron bandstand which was funded by Sir Thomas Elder , the park being named after him. In 1867, prison labour from nearby Adelaide Gaol was used to build a wooden dam near the site of the current weir. The dam
784-510: A choir in Popeye 4 . Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser officially launched three new fibreglass models named Popeyes I , II and III in 1982 as the wooden boats' replacements. In the early days of Adelaide, the Torrens was used for bathing, stock watering, rubbish disposal, water supply and as a de facto sewer and drainage sump. This led to a range of health issues until finally, in 1839, when
896-512: A colonial was that of John William Adams, an emigrant of HMS Buffalo in early January 1837, who named it "Adams' Waterfall". He was traveling with his wife, Susanna and a party consisting of Nicholson's and Breaker's who had the use of a dray to go into the hills. Adams states "we were opposite the spot where the Eagle on the Hill now is, and the question was put, who would volunteer to go down
1008-555: A combination of public demand and a desire from some of the landowners for improved access to and from their properties—especially from the Mügge family—led to pressure to build a road through the gully. Although there was opposition from some of the locals, the Waterfall Gully road was built in the late 1880s. The completion of the road led to an increase in visitor numbers. Rather than a bumpy horse ride, visitors could now catch
1120-515: A dysentery outbreak killed five children in one day, Governor Gawler forbade bathing, clothes washing and the disposal of animal carcases in the Torrens within 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) of town. The quality of the river's water was not helped by water supply methods. Carters used to drive water carts into the Torrens to refill. To prevent this the State Government in 1852 built a facility with steam powered pumps and water storage, from which
1232-410: A safety audit being conducted by TransportSA, and although the results were not released to the public at the time, it called for an investigation of the entire length of the road. As of mid-2008, there has been no clear plan released for the future of the road, with the road missing out on funding in the 2008 state budget. As at the 2021 census , the population of Waterfall Gully was 161. Around 51% of
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#17327722282511344-555: A terraced floor, then down the slope of its own alluvial fan . The structure of this fan shows that the river formerly entered Gulf St Vincent via the Port River . Over time the Torrens deposited sediment , choking its own outflow; becoming locked behind coastal sand dunes and forming the swampy areas of the Cowandilla Plains and The Reedbeds . The Torrens is fed by numerous seasonal creeks, which are dry for most of
1456-411: A vast but shallow freshwater wetlands . These wetlands, known as The Reedbeds after the dominant vegetation, occupied a large area of the western Adelaide Plains and were also fed by other waterways. The river only flowed to the sea through the Port River , Barker Inlet , and Patawalonga River following heavy rain. The river's catchment area of approximately 500 km (193 sq mi)
1568-400: A wall of rock about fifty or sixty feet [fifteen to eighteen metres] high, which stretched across the ravine, and from the top of it leapt the brook which had so long been [their] companion". The brook was First Creek, and the waterfall they sighted is today known as First Falls. Nevertheless, Hutchinson was not the first to see First Falls. The first known recorded sighting of the waterfall by
1680-437: A weir on the river at Gumeracha , its elevation allows gravity supply of water to Adelaide's eastern suburbs. Due to the river's path through the centre of Adelaide, transport necessitated the construction of many bridges. Prior to the bridges all crossings had been via fords which proved a dangerous practice in winter and spring. The first bridge was one of timber built in 1839 approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) west of
1792-509: A whole, these occupations constituted 21.5%, 13.0%, and 13.2% of employed people, respectively. Further, 44.7% of Waterfall Gully residents aged 15 years and over reported a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest level of educational attainment, near double that recorded for all of South Australia (22.7%). 81.4% of the population of Waterfall Gully were born in Australia, higher than the 71.5% of all South Australians, and much higher than
1904-463: A year with 785.6 millimetres (30.93 in) of rain compared to the Adelaide average of 530 millimetres (21 in). The river flooded market gardens and farms throughout its hills course causing extensive damage. Norwood was inundated to The Parade , Adelaide to Pirie and Rundle Streets, and many areas west of the city were left in a shallow lake. The river ran 9 feet (2.7 m) deep over
2016-408: Is a list of the suburbs of Adelaide , the capital city of South Australia , with their postcodes and local government areas (LGAs). This article does not include suburbs and localities within the Adelaide Hills region. Adelaide's most expensive properties, in terms of sales prices, are mainly located in the inner northern, eastern and southern suburbs, largely because of their proximity to
2128-736: Is an open canal shortly before it joins the Torrens. It was once called Hallet's Rivulet. Stonyfell Creek , arising on the eastern boundary of Stonyfell , flows through Kensington Gardens , including an open stretch in the Reserve before again being piped underground under West Terrace, passing under Kensington Park and Beulah Park . It joins Second Creek near the junction of Magill and Portrush Roads . First and Second Creeks come within about 46 metres (50 yd) of each other in Marryatville, with formerly only flat land between them. Third Creek arises near Norton Summit and flows through
2240-550: Is connected to the major Adelaide thoroughfare Greenhill Road by Waterfall Terrace and Glynburn Road, and cars are the preferred mode of transport in the suburb. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 71.9% of residents in the census area employed private vehicles for their commute to work. Only a small proportion (1.3%) walked to work and but 1.2% cycled, while only 3.6% of Waterfall Gully residents travel to work by bus. The closest bus route for Waterfall Gully
2352-481: Is now the official name of Fourth Creek. This name has been adapted to Morialta, which is now the name of an electoral district , school and the park through which the creek flows. Fifth Creek arises within the Morialta Conservation Park, runs alongside Montacute Road for some way and discharges into the Torrens at Athelstone . The largest catchment of the Torrens is Sixth Creek in
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#17327722282512464-433: Is part of Cleland National Park. Adjoining Waterfall Gully, 2 km (1.2 mi) away, is Chambers Gully , which used to function as a land-fill , but has in the past decade been reclaimed as a park through volunteer work. It contains a number of old ruins, walking trails, and springs and is home to a significant number of native species. Since European Settlement the native plant life has been considerably affected, with
2576-407: Is the 142 bus, provided by the multi-service Adelaide Metro . Waterfall Gully Road is meandering and in some parts quite narrow. This has led to concerns regarding safety, as the road is frequented by both pedestrians and cyclists. After the death of a cyclist in 2007, calls for the repair and resurfacing of the road intensified, with two petitions being tabled in parliament. The accident also led to
2688-551: Is the largest of any waterway within the Adelaide region. The upper reaches are used to create a potable water supply for metropolitan Adelaide with the river supplying three of Adelaide's eight reservoirs. The upper catchment has an average annual rainfall of between 575 millimetres (22.6 in) at its eastern end to 1,025 millimetres (40.4 in) near Uraidla . The Torrens has a very variable flow leaving early settlers to use trial and error in determining bridge heights, with many bridges consequently being washed away. Due to
2800-602: The 2007 federal election , a strong swing towards the Labor Party and their candidate, Mia Handshin , resulted in the electorate transforming from a "safe [federal] Liberal seat into a marginal one". In local government , Waterfall Gully is part of the ward of Beaumont within the City of Burnside, and the current Mayor for the district is David Parkin. Beaumont is currently represented by councilors Mark Osterstock and Anne Monceaux. List of Adelaide suburbs This
2912-625: The Adelaide Botanic Garden to create the First Creek Wetland , a scheme set up to ensure water security and to encourage diversity of flora and fauna in the area, thus helping to maintain healthy urban environments. Botanic Creek runs through the eastern Adelaide parklands from south to north, into the Adelaide Botanic Garden before joining First Creek. Second Creek arises in the Summertown area of
3024-619: The Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant , across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach . The upper stretches of the river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply . The river is also known by the native Kaurna name for the river—Karrawirra Parri or Karrawirraparri ( karra meaning redgum , wirra meaning forest and parri meaning river), having been officially dual-named in 2001. Another Kaurna name for
3136-527: The Adelaide Hills , north of First Creek, and flows through Greenhill , through Slape Gully, entering the more populated suburbs as it flows through the Michael Perry Reserve in Stonyfell and onwards through the eastern suburbs of Erindale , Marryatville , Kensington (open at Borthwick Park ) and Norwood , much of it canalised underground as far as St Peters . The St Peters section
3248-602: The Adelaide Zoo . The first boat was launched on the Torrens Lake by Gordon Watts in 1935. It was a 25-foot (7.6 m) boat, built on the banks of the Torrens to hold up to 20 passengers and named Popeye 1 . Watts purchased a former Glenelg cruise boat in 1948 and placed it in service as Popeye 2 . Over the next two years three new jarrah hulled boats were built at Port Adelaide ; carrying 40 passengers each they were numbered Popeye 3 through Popeye 5 . Trips on
3360-703: The Cleland Wildlife Park , located in the Cleland National Park. The tracks have been rebuilt and resurfaced in the past ten years, and older and more perilous routes sealed because of the difficult terrain. Many offer views of the city of Adelaide as well as the Gully itself. One of these connects to the 1,200 km (750 mi) Heysen Trail . Waterfall Gully is part of the state electoral district of Bragg , which has been held since 2002 by Liberal MP Vickie Chapman . In federal politics,
3472-464: The Kaurna language , which formed the basis of the 21st-century language revival of the language. The "native location" and school moved from the southern side of the river (now Bonython Park ) to the northern side several times. During early years of colonisation, the surrounding trees were cut down and the river's gravel used in road making and construction of buildings. As the natural environment
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3584-425: The O-Bahn Busway . It passes between the city centre and North Adelaide , forming the Torrens Lake between the Adelaide Zoo and a weir opposite Adelaide Gaol . The river then continues the remaining eight kilometres to the sea at Henley Beach South, emptying into Gulf St Vincent via a constructed outlet. Hope Valley , Millbrook and Kangaroo Creek Reservoirs, which provide water storage for Adelaide, capture
3696-726: The Paleozoic era then further dislocated during the Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary . There is a 400-metre (1,300 ft) subsidence along the Para Fault which also affects the rivers flow. This subsidence was formed in the last two million years, after the Pliocene era. From its origin to Birdwood the river follows rolling, relatively level country before entering a hilly section that continues to Gumeracha . The river then follows sedimentary rock strata before entering
3808-478: The city centre and private schools, and the array of historic homes within them. River Torrens The River Torrens / ˈ t ɒr ən z / ( Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri ) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains . It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide , capital of South Australia . It flows 85 kilometres (53 mi) from its source in
3920-413: The horse tram to the start of the gully, and walk, cycle or ride to the falls. To provide for tourists, the area gained a number of road-side kiosks and produce stalls, and the Mügge family erected the two-storey Waterfall Hotel along the path. Furthermore, in 1912 the government opened a kiosk at the base of First Falls, designed in the "style of a Swiss chalet". The hotel is a private residence today, but
4032-598: The "Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works" recommended that an outlet for the river be created to accommodate flows of up to 370 m /s (13,000 cu ft/s), covering a 1-in-60-year flood. The work was partly financed by a Commonwealth Government grant with the State Government arranging for the balance. The State Government, western and eastern local councils and the Municipal Tramways Trust shared interest costs. The scheme
4144-426: The 1889 flood, the weir was overwhelmed, its gates jammed, and in trying to free them the weir's designer John Langdon was crippled. The weir was rebuilt from 1928 to 1929 with its footbridge relocated and the centre section replaced. The gates can now be fully raised and the river allowed to flow unimpeded. The " Popeye " boats are privately owned recreational ferries that operate on the lake between Elder Park and
4256-489: The 1890s saw a minor gold rush—although "only small quantities were extracted". Of greater success was stone quarrying in Chambers' Gully, which began in 1863 and increased in scale in 1912. Waterfall Gully was also the site of Burnside's "first secondary industry". In the late 1830s, Thomas Cain built a watermill on First Creek for John Cannan, which was then employed to power a sawmill on Cannan's property. Cannan operated
4368-399: The 2,840 ML (620 million imp gal; 750 million US gal) Hope Valley Reservoir in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills was completed as a storage reservoir, supplied via an aqueduct and tunnel. Public baths were built in 1861 just north of the current Parliament House . They were supplied with reticulated water from the Torrens and progressively upgraded with
4480-497: The 66.9% of Australians as a whole. The top places of birth outside Australia were England (5.6%), China (5.0%), and Ireland (4.3%). These numbers represent small sample sizes; as only nine Waterfall Gully residents were born in England. The same number of Waterfall Gully residents reported their ancestry as Australian as those who reported being of English ancestry (30.4%), whilst Scottish (11.2%), Chinese (11.2%), and Irish (9.3%) were
4592-440: The Adelaide Hills, which joins the Torrens at Castambul on Gorge Road . At the time of European settlement the river was a summertime chain of waterholes bounded by large gum trees . Flowing through the area where the city of Adelaide is sited the river was sometimes invisible beneath its gravel stream bed . It frequently flooded in winter and did not reach the sea, instead ending at coastal dunes where its waters created
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4704-628: The Botanic Gardens on the banks of the river; some toward the Ranges; some on the Waterfall Gully." Their main presence, demarcated by the use of fire against purchasers of land, was on the River Torrens and the creeks that flowed into it, including Waterfall Gully's First Creek. The land around Waterfall Gully provided the original inhabitants with a number of resources. The bark from the local stringybark trees ( Eucalyptus obliqua )
4816-554: The Kangaroo Creek dam's level was raised, its spillway modified, the Breakout Creek channel capacity increased and some bridges reinforced. A development plan was approved in 1981 to purchase land along the length of the river, create a flood mitigating linear park and also to modify the Kangaroo Creek dam further. The sea outlet was enlarged to a capacity of 410 m /s (14,000 cu ft/s) which now covered
4928-794: The Minister for the Environment and Conservation. The river is a used by many for recreation, with the footpaths on the riverbanks often filled with cyclists and joggers. Rowers use the lake for training all year round, and many clubs such as the Adelaide University Boat Club , the Adelaide Rowing Club , and the boat houses of the secondary schools which participate in the annual Head of the River are located upon its banks. Several rowing regattas are held on
5040-511: The Popeyes from Elder Park to the zoo became a treasured family outing and the boats hosted weddings and other events. In March 1962 Keith Altman, owner of riverside eatery "Jolley's Boathouse", took over the Popeyes and introduced recreational paddle boats to the river. The Popeyes had a brush with royalty in March 1977 with Popeye 5 ferrying Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip followed by
5152-507: The Waterfall Gully Reserve, as it was then known, became part of the larger Cleland Conservation Park (from November 2021 a national park ). Over the years Waterfall Gully has been extensively logged, and early agricultural interests saw the cultivation of a variety of introduced species as crops, along with the development of local market gardens and nurseries . Attempts to mine the area were largely unsuccessful, but
5264-412: The Waterfall Gully region. These include rabbits, blackbirds and starlings . However, not all of the native wildlife has been lost—bats (in particular, Gould's wattled bat ), can be found in the area, as can superb fairy-wrens and Adelaide rosellas , and a large number of unique Australian animals such as kangaroos, koalas and possums can be spotted on some of the walking trails. Waterfall Gully
5376-408: The best nurseries and market gardens near Adelaide", and gained a reputation for the cheeses produced from their local dairy farm. Along with farming, the hills and creek were prized areas for the sawyers and splitters, and a number of mines were established in the region from the mid-to-late 19th century. In 1844 the first silver-lead , manganese and iron mines were established in the area, while
5488-487: The carters then filled their casks. The "Waterworks Act" of 1856 was passed to enable damming of the upstream Torrens for water supply purposes. The resulting "Water Commission" arranged the following year for foundations to be laid for a water supply weir 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Adelaide near Campbelltown . Unsuitable geology and shoddy work by contractors Frost & Watson led to it being washed away in July 1858 and
5600-680: The city. The river's flora and fauna have been both deliberately and accidentally impacted since settlement . In the 19th century, native forests were cleared, gravel removed for construction and many foreign species introduced. With construction of the linear parks, many species native to the river have been replanted, and introduced species have been controlled as weeds. The river and its tributaries are highly variable in flow, and together drain an area of 508 square kilometres (196 sq mi). They range from sometimes raging torrents, damaging bridges and flooding city areas, to trickles and completely dry in summer. Winter and spring flooding has prompted
5712-409: The construction of a restaurant in 1912. Developments over recent decades have included improving access to the site, upgrading the bridges, and the addition of new signage. The Waterfall Gully Restaurant was constructed between 1911 and 1912 by South Australian architects Albert Selmar Conrad and his brother Frank, and was formally opened by Sir Day Bosanquet on 9 November 1912. Built in the style of
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#17327722282515824-619: The construction of flood reduction works. A constructed sea outlet, landscaped linear parks and three holding reservoirs contain peak flow. The River Torrens runs largely westward from the Adelaide Hills, through the centre of Adelaide to the Gulf St Vincent. It originates close to the eastern fault scarp of the Mount Lofty Ranges , near Mount Pleasant , approximately 480 metres (1,575 ft) above sea level . It runs predominantly along faulted north-south ground structures, which were formed over 250 million years ago during
5936-483: The contractors and forced to resign. The water was captured at the weir, piped for storage to the Thorndon Park Reservoir then to a water tower at Kent Town. Water from Kent Town storage was distributed via a manually controlled water system, unmetered for its first six years. Within six years 20,000 citizens in Adelaide and Port Adelaide were connected to reticulated water from the Torrens. By 1872,
6048-461: The current City bridge, but destroyed by floods in September 1844. In 1849 £6,000 was allocated to bridge the Torrens. Within four years three wooden bridges had been built and subsequently destroyed in floods. The bridges listed below are from up-river to down-river. The river was formerly a food source with yabbies , mussels and small fish, however the reduction in water quality, changing of
6160-431: The decision of the government of the day not to subdivide the area containing the waterfalls. Section 920, as it was designated, did not enter into private hands, and thus members of the public were able to access the area from the nearby suburb of Eagle on the Hill on Mount Barker road. The position of the Eagle on the Hill hotel proved advantageous for this, as it permitted visitors to stop by for lunch before walking down
6272-592: The department of works favoured a cutting through sand dunes near Henley Beach allowing the river an outlet, mitigating floods and preventing silting of the Port River. He also advocated the construction of a reservoir where the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir is now, to both mitigate floods and provide summer irrigation water for market gardens. Unfortunately the bill lapsed with no action as the government and local councils were unwilling to fund
6384-494: The early-to-mid-19th century, and quickly became a popular location for tourists and picnickers. The government chose to retain control over portions of Waterfall Gully until 1884, when they agreed to place the land under the auspices of the City of Burnside. 28 years later the government took back the management of the southern part of Waterfall Gully, designating it as South Australia's first National Pleasure Resort. Today this area remains under State Government control, and in 1972
6496-567: The first Surveyor General of South Australia , was said to have "decided on the site for Adelaide when viewing the plains from the hills near Waterfall Gully". Nevertheless, the gully had seen human visitors long before the arrival of the Europeans, as the native population had lived in the area for up to 40,000 years prior to Flinders' appearance off the South Australian coast. In Australian Aboriginal mythology , Waterfall Gully and
6608-421: The flooding elsewhere. Two early floods were, 18 September 1841 which resulted in two people drowning while trying to cross the river at Klemzig , and 22 September 1844, the largest recorded since settlement began, when "Shands' Brewery" was washed away after the river undermined its foundations . The 1899 flood was particularly widespread with extensive flooding of both the river and its tributaries , after
6720-504: The forest that was seen by European discoverers. Still present are many of the original vegetation species like: Sheoak ( Casuarina stricta ), native cherry ( Exocarpos cupressiformis ), native pine ( Callitris preissii ) and Australia's floral emblem the golden wattle ( Acacia pycnantha ) From its source the river flows westwards through Birdwood and Gumeracha . It then continues down through Torrens Gorge entering suburban Adelaide at Athelstone with some of its path paralleled by
6832-484: The gully is First Falls, the waterfall for which the suburb was named. Part of the City of Burnside , Waterfall Gully is bounded to the north by the suburb of Burnside , from the north-east to south-east by Cleland National Park (part of the suburb of Cleland ), to the south by Crafers West , and to the west by Leawood Gardens and Mount Osmond . Historically, Waterfall Gully was first explored by European settlers in
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#17327722282516944-428: The hill in the afternoon. Other parts of the Waterfall Gully area were subdivided, though, and much of the area was owned by Samuel Davenport . Davenport used the land for timber, grazing, and the cultivation of various crops, including olives and grapes for wine production . Other local residents ran market gardens and nurseries . For example, local residents Wilhelm Mügge and his wife Auguste Schmidt operated "one of
7056-408: The hillside to try for water". The area soon became a tourist attraction for the early South Australian colonists, and was a popular destination for picnickers. In 1851 Francis Clark wrote that "Waterfall Gully is the most picturesque place for a picnic that I have ever visited", and by the 1860s the area had become known throughout Adelaide. The use of Waterfall Gully as picnic spot was facilitated by
7168-485: The initial exploration party, but later renamed to honour Robert Torrens senior, chairman of the board of Colonisation Commissioners for South Australia from 1834 to 1841 (when he was sacked). From March 1837 settlers camped in tents and makeshift huts along the west end of the River Torrens and freely used the river's resources. A Native Location was created on the north banks of the Torrens and indigenous labour
7280-540: The kiosk continues to operate. Although some parts of Waterfall Gully were transferred from the District Council of East Torrens (now the Adelaide Hills Council ) to the City of Burnside in 1856 when the suburb's current boundaries were established, the government of the day chose to retain control of a significant portion of Waterfall Gully. Thus it was not until 1884 that the remaining land
7392-428: The lake are icons of the area and frequently featured in postcard photographs of the city. Due to now-limited natural river flow and stormwater born organic material, the lower river, (particularly the lake), is often polluted with algal blooms and significant levels of E. coli bacteria in spring and summer. Numerous taskforces have been formed to improve the river's water quality , including one created in 2006 by
7504-504: The last change a 1940 remodelling including an Olympic-size swimming pool and diving tower. The baths were demolished in 1970 to make way for the Adelaide Festival Centre . The 16,500 ML (3.6 billion imp gal; 4.4 billion US gal) Millbrook Reservoir was constructed high in the Adelaide Hills from 1913 to 1918 submerging the town of Millbrook. An earth bank dam fed by mile long tunnel from
7616-408: The mill as the "Traversbrook Mill" for approximately two years before selling the venture to a Mr. Finniss. Finniss opted to run the mill as a flour mill instead, and the mill was rebuilt and renamed "Finnissbrook Mill". The mill continued to operate under a variety of owners until the late 1850s, but it was dismantled during the 1880s, and today only traces of the earthworks remain. During this period
7728-498: The more than 100 species seen. The number of exotic waterfowl species such as mallards has reduced in recent years. In places the steep banks of the river are an ideal habitat for long-necked tortoises . The river, and its tributaries, had a population of water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster) and Australian swamp rats ( Rattus lutreolus ). Water rats remain in reduced numbers, but the introduced black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) have largely supplanted
7840-449: The mount before succeeding, and for their first attempt they attempted to traverse Waterfall Gully. The attempt was unsuccessful, but in July 1837, Hutchinson wrote about the gully through which they had travelled. Waterfall Gully he wrote, had proven difficult, as the plants were so thickly grown as to provide a significant barrier to their progress. Near the point of surrender, Hutchinson described how they were "agreeably surprised by seeing
7952-401: The native manna gum and blue gum woodlands being largely cleared for agricultural uses. The large amount of non-native vegetation in the gully is predominantly the result of the early agriculture, although some species were introduced by accident. Introduced species include olive trees, hawthorn , fennel and blackberry. With the reduction of native flora, exotic fauna have flourished around
8064-409: The natives. The house mouse ( Mus musculus ) is now the most common mammal of the Torrens environ. Widely found native reeds , sedges and rushes along the upper river are bulrush , knobby club rush, spike rush, common reed, sea rush and pale rush . River red gum ( Eucalyptus camaldulensis ) and blue gum ( Eucalyptus leucoxylon ) trees are found along the riverbanks, although sparser than
8176-472: The next highest responses; noting that respondents could select up to two ethnicities. The main attraction of Waterfall Gully is the waterfall, First Falls. It is at the south-eastern end of the road, in land owned by Cleland National Park. The weir at the bottom of the Waterfall was constructed in the late 19th century and was part of Adelaide's early water supply. Development in the area has continued since
8288-479: The night of 7 November 2005, Waterfall Gully was one of several areas in Adelaide to experience severe flooding. Waterfall Gully was one of the hardest hit suburbs: Bob Stevenson, Duty Officer of the State Emergency Service (SES), commented that "There's an area called Waterfall Gully Road, in the foothills, where one of the creeks comes down, and there's quite a few houses affected there ... there
8400-537: The original vegetation has disappeared from the creeks, particularly those closest to the city. Introduced species including olives , bamboo , boxthorn , watsonia and blackberries have displaced native flora. There is some risk of flooding from all of these eastern suburbs creeks, as shown by the Floodplain Study, which includes plans and maps drawn up by the City of Burnside and neighbouring councils. First Creek begins in Cleland Wildlife Park on
8512-400: The population of the nearby village of Burnside was expanding and required a new water supply. First Creek—which runs down Waterfall Gully and enters the River Torrens near today's Botanic Gardens —was seen as the perfect solution to the water shortage. A weir was built during 1881 and 1882, and was made to hold approximately two megalitres (530,000 US gallons) of water. A pipeline
8624-522: The population were male and 49% were female, whilst the median age was 40 years. Waterfall Gully residents were comparatively affluent as at the 2021 census , with a median weekly household income of A$ 3,600 per week, much higher than the A$ 1,455 per week compared across all of South Australia. 41.0% of employed people in Waterfall Gully were professionals, 25.3% were managers, and 6.0% were technicians and trades workers. For comparison, across South Australia as
8736-557: The reed beds, and Yertala everywhere when in flood, which has survived as Yatala in the naming of various places in Adelaide. Pirltawardli , now within Park 1/Pitawardli, a location next to the river near the weir, on the western side of North Adelaide , is an area of great historical significance, as the location of a Kaurna camp and later the first Christian mission and school in South Australia. The missionaries documented
8848-450: The region housed one of the state's earliest water-powered mills , and a weir erected in the early 1880s provided for part of the City of Burnside's water supply. Today the suburb consists primarily of private residences and parks. The Mount Lofty Ranges , which encompass Waterfall Gully, was first sighted by Matthew Flinders in 1802. The gully itself was discovered soon after the establishment of Adelaide , and Colonel William Light ,
8960-401: The remainder of the month. Waterfall Gully is situated at an average elevation of 234 m (768 ft) above sea level, in an area of 6.08 km (2.35 sq mi). Its most notable geographical features are its gully and waterfall. Langman Reserve , a large local park, is 300 m (980 ft) from the start of Waterfall Gully Road while much of the north-eastern side of the gully
9072-401: The rest numbered consecutively northward. They were once named Greenhill, Hallett, Todd, Anstey and Ormsby rivulets respectively, and had Kaurna names before European settlement. First, Second and Third Creeks have been particularly heavily modified. Some sections have been converted to concrete channels; others run through landscaped private gardens and some run in underground pipes. Much of
9184-481: The river has been dually known by the indigenous Kaurna people's name of Karra wirra-parri (meaning river of the Red Gum forest), referring to the dense eucalyptus forest that lined its banks prior to clearing by early settlers. This name, alternatively Karra-weera , only referred to the lake section of the river, between Adelaide and North Adelaide. It was known as Karrundo-ingga at Hindmarsh , Witoingga near
9296-515: The river was Tarndaparri (Kangaroo river). The river was thought to be a reflection of the Milky Way ("wodliparri"), and was the heartland of the Kaurna people , who lived along its length and around the tributary creeks. At its 1836 exploration by William Light , an inland bend was chosen as the site of the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide . The river was first named the Yatala by
9408-443: The river's alluvial fan. As development of Adelaide progressed the amount of rainfall required for flooding decreased and consequent damage increased. Increased stormwater runoff, modification of the river's banks and other changes all served to exacerbate the problem. Work done by various groups to minimise flooding was often counter productive with the creation of levees , moving and widening channels and other works simply shifting
9520-469: The river's flow. These reservoirs form part of the Adelaide Hills catchment, which supplies 60% of Adelaide's water needs in an average year. Adelaide City Council uses water from the lower river to irrigate the city's surrounding parklands . Rubbish accumulation in the lower river is controlled with numerous collection racks, and sediments and other pollutants are filtered through constructed wetlands . The earliest linear river park in Australia bounds
9632-510: The river's habitat, and introduction of European fish species has led to a reduction in fauna quantity and diversity. Exotic pest species such as the European carp , redfin perch and trout have greatly reduced native fish populations like the big headed gudgeon ( Philypnodon grandiceps ) but native waterfowl are common along the river with Pacific black ducks , Australian wood ducks , black swans , ibis , egrets and herons amongst
9744-449: The river's natural beauty, and developing it for recreational uses. The "River Torrens Acquisition Act 1970–72" was passed, authorising the purchase of land, in some cases 60 metres (200 ft) back from the top of the river's banks. By 1980, further development along the riverbanks and removal of levées had reduced the outlet's capacity to a 1-in-35-year flood. A study showed that a 1-in-200-year flood would inundate 13,000 properties; so
9856-482: The river's use for potable water this has greatly reduced the overall flow especially in the lower river. A flood mitigation bill was passed in 1917 to not only combat the damage caused by floods but also the public health risk due to the lack of mains sewerage in the western suburbs. Popular opinion favoured diverting the flood waters into their "natural" outlets of the Port and Patawalonga Rivers. The chief engineer of
9968-458: The site abandoned. Engineer Hamilton was replaced by John England . Government then created a Waterworks Department, which started construction of a weir 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the city and reservoir at Thorndon Park in 1859. The weir was completed on 4 June 1860 and the reservoir began supplying piped water in December. Engineer England was found by a Select Committee to have overpaid
10080-524: The site for the suburb of West Lakes . Based on recommendations in a 1925 report on flood mitigation, work began in the 1960s on the building of the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir, opened in 1969 with a capacity of 24.4 megalitres (860,000 cu ft). It remains the only reservoir damming the river rather than being fed from weirs. The "River Torrens Committee" was formed in 1964 to advise the minister of works on preserving and enhancing
10192-486: The suburb is part of the division of Sturt , and has been represented by Christopher Pyne since 1993. The results shown are from the closest polling station to Waterfall Gully—which is located outside of the suburb—at St David's Church Hall on nearby Glynburn Road ( Burnside ). Both electorates have traditionally gone to the Liberal Party , and Bragg in particular is regarded as a very safe Liberal seat. However, in
10304-437: The suburban end of the river. The park is 35 km long with numerous playgrounds walkways and bicycle tracks. On the south bank of the lake, adjacent to the Adelaide Festival Centre , Elder Park is used for the annual Tasting Australia festival, mass singing of christmas carols at the annual "Carols by Candlelight", and other public events throughout the year. The Popeye tourist boats, small paddle boats and Black Swans of
10416-510: The suburbs of Magill , Tranmere , Trinity Gardens and Payneham , much of the way underground, before discharging into the Torrens at Felixstow . Fourth Creek , or Morialta Creek , arises on the other side of Norton Summit, with various tributaries flowing into it from Marble Hill and Lobethal . It is most well known for its falls in Morialta Conservation Park . "Moriatta", a Kaurna word meaning "ever flowing",
10528-597: The surrounding Mount Lofty Ranges are part of the story of the ancestor-creator Nganno . Travelling across the land of the native Kaurna people , Nganno was wounded in a battle and laid down to die, forming the Mount Lofty Ranges. The ears of Nganno formed the peaks of Mount Lofty and Mount Bonython , and the region was referred to as Yur-e-billa , or "the place of the ears". The name of the Greater Mount Lofty Parklands, Yurrebilla,
10640-423: The swamp the summer filth of Adelaide we cannot guess; but the Torrens at other times is not a river at all, but merely a chain of fresh water pools. At the present moment, its running water may be spanned with the hand and sounded with the forefinger Since settlement it has repeatedly flooded, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Adelaide's western suburbs were especially prone to flooding due to their location on
10752-439: The variability of Adelaide's climate , flow rates can change from a trickle to flood conditions quickly. On 5 June 1889, prior to major flooding, the flow rate before it entered the suburbs was 0.7 cubic metres per second (25 cu ft/s ), rising to 129.1 m /s (4,560 cu ft/s), eight days later. What the River Torrens may be capable of performing for a week or two of the rainy season beyond sweeping down to
10864-809: The weir near Thorndon Park Reservoir, 3 feet (0.9 m) over the Torrens Lake Weir and 1 foot (0.3 m) over the Morphett Street Bridge. The Underdale (or Holbrooks) Bridge was destroyed, the Torrens Lake weir's bridge damaged, and the Felixstow Bridge over the Fourth Creek washed away. The first European sighting of the river was in November 1836 by an exploration party comprising Lieutenant W.G. Field , John Morphett and George Strickland Kingston . The river
10976-473: The western side of Mount Lofty and Crafers , flows north-west through the south-eastern suburbs, past a drop at the Waterfall Gully falls, through Hazelwood and Tusmore Parks , and Marryatville High School , before discharging into the Torrens near Adelaide Zoo . Much of its course through the suburbs has been canalised , some underground. About 7.5% of its flow is diverted as it flows through
11088-415: The works. The Millbrook Reservoir opened in 1918 as a summer water source, and flood mitigator if required. A bill was passed in 1923 to enact the earlier plan of cutting through the dunes and adding an upstream regulating weir. Again the bill lapsed due to a lack of commitment from parties on payment. A major flood in 1931 and another in 1933 led to the latest in a series of government enquiries. In 1934
11200-403: The year in their lower reaches, but prone to occasional flooding during the winter and spring. There are five main creeks that join it from the southern side as it crosses the Adelaide Plains east of Adelaide, and at least five more in its path through the Adelaide Hills. The plains tributaries, known as First to Fifth Creeks, lie to the east of the city, with First being the most southerly and
11312-573: Was 40 or so houses affected on that one road alone." Properties were flooded, two bridges nearly collapsed, and 100 m (330 ft) of road was washed away. Burnside council workers, the Country Fire Service (CFS) and the SES repaired the initial damage on the night while reconstruction of infrastructure commenced in late November. Much of the road had been inaccessible, and the suburb was closed except to residents and emergency workers for
11424-516: Was added to the park in 1972. Over the years since European settlement Waterfall Gully has suffered from both bushfires and flooding. The gully was severely hit by a number of bushfires in 1939 that threatened the area, and further bushfires in the early 1940s caused considerable damage because of the war effort diverting supplies and personnel from the Emergency Fire Service . Significant floods occurred in 1889 and 1931, and, on
11536-472: Was constructed to the reservoir at Burnside South, and from there the water was used throughout the surrounding area. As a side effect, the weir also reduced the volume of water available to the local market gardeners, and over many years that aspect of the region disappeared. While the route to the falls from Eagle on the Hill was on public land, the alternative route along the gully was through private properties. Nevertheless, many visitors chose this route, and
11648-591: Was derived from this term, while the nearby town of Uraidla employs a more corrupted form. Although Hardy states that the Kaurna people did not live in the ranges themselves, they did live on the lower slopes. An early settler of the neighbouring suburb of Beaumont , James Milne Young, described the local Kaurnas: "At every creek and gully you would see their wurlies [simple Aboriginal homes made out of twigs and grass] and their fires at night ... often as many as 500 to 600 would be camped in various places ... some behind
11760-468: Was enacted in 1935 with the construction of the Breakout Creek (also sometimes Breakout Channel ) to take the Torrens westwards to the sea, completed in 1937. The scheme involved diversion of the river at Lockleys (near Adelaide Airport ), with the original channel blocked and a new channel created to the sea. The reedbeds and swamps were subsequently drained and some of their area is now
11872-602: Was moved to the Tourist Bureau, before finally becoming part of the National Park Commission's portfolio. In 1945, much of the area that is today's Cleland National Park was purchased by the State Government , largely thanks to the efforts of Professor Sir John Cleland . Most of this land was combined in 1963 to create the park that extends eastwards up the gully to the summit of Mount Lofty and northwards to Greenhill Road. Waterfall Gully Reserve
11984-698: Was named "The Yatala" by the party but later renamed by Surveyor General Colonel William Light after Robert Torrens , chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission . On 29 December 1836 Light announced the location of the new city of Adelaide, 6 miles (9.7 km) inland on the river's banks. The first Europeans to explore the Torrens Gorge to the headwaters and sources of the river were Dr George Imlay and John Hill in January 1838. In recent years
12096-409: Was often used by the settlers for tasks such as hewing wood or delivering water. During the early years of settlement, the river acted as both the city's primary water source and main sewer , leading to outbreaks of typhoid . Since European settlement the river has been a frequently touted tourist attraction . The river's long linear parks and a constructed lake in the lower stretch are iconic of
12208-414: Was poorly constructed and almost immediately the Torrens washed it away. Construction of a permanent concrete weir was begun in November 1880 and completed, at a cost of £7,000, in 1881. The sluice gates were closed to begin filling the 12-hectare (30-acre) Torrens Lake on 1 July 1881. At the lake's official opening on 21 July 1881 an estimated 40,000, almost the entire population of Adelaide, attended. During
12320-479: Was removed, the banks were eroded and the riverbed gradually levelled as waterholes filled. By 1878 the river was noted to be a malodorous, black sewer rather than the sylvan stream of the 1830s. ...anything in the guise of a river more ugly than the Torrens would be impossible to either see or describe... Much of the river's catchment area consists of cleared farmland with run-off captured in private dams to sustain farming over Adelaide's dry summer. Combined with
12432-578: Was transferred to the control of the Burnside Council, eventuating largely through the efforts of Samuel Davenport and G. F. Cleland. The land remained under the Burnside Council's control until 1915, when the Waterfall Gully Reserve was reclaimed by the government as the first National Pleasure Resort in the state. Initially the reserve was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Advisory Board, but later it
12544-449: Was used in the construction of winter huts, and stones and native timbers were used to form tools. Food was also present, and cossid moth larvae along with other species of plants and animals were collected. Nevertheless, there were only a few resources that could only be found on the slopes, and "both hunting and food gathering would in general have been easier on the rich plains". One of the earliest accounts of Waterfall Gully comes from
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