e-Gazette No. 73 - 15 April 2021 If this email is not displaying properly (e.g. if it's truncated or links don't work or there are no pictures) then click here to view this email in your web browser |
DOGS in PARK LANDS: ON-LEASH OR OFF-LEASH? |
1. WHICH ZONE FOR A DOG WALK? |
Dog owners may need to leash their dogs in more Park Lands places, soon, under a proposal being considered by Adelaide City Council. Responding to public complaints about dog behaviour, the Council is considering introducing three dog zones across the CBD, North Adelaide and surrounding Park Lands. |
The green zone would be where dogs could run free off-leash at any time. The red zone is where it’s proposed dogs must be on a leash at all times; and The yellow zone is where a leash would be required at some times, i.e. in daylight hours after 10am. (See the map legend for details)
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Under the City Council’s current by-laws, dogs may be off-leash anywhere in the Adelaide Park Lands if they are under their owner’s “effective control”. Exceptions to this are around playgrounds and where organised sport is being played. This map is expected to be released for formal public consultation within the next few weeks. If you find a lost dog in the Park Lands, or lose your own dog, please contact a Park Lands Ranger: 8203 7203 |
2. SERIOUS, WITH HUMOUR WINS $20k PARK LANDS ART PRIZE |
Dan Withey knows how important it is to have access to nature when living in a city. Growing up in Birmingham, he would spend all day having adventures in the huge parkland gifted to the city by the Cadbury Family. When he moved from the UK to Adelaide in 2004 and started a family of his own, he knew exactly how valuable and precious the Park Lands would be for his own children.
“My family lives in the city and we use the Park Lands every day. It’s the only nature we get to see, so it’s important to me that it’s accessible for everybody. You don’t need to be rich,” Withey said.
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This inclusiveness and diverse ways the public use the Park Lands is captured in his eye-catching artwork. “People from every walk of life get to have something nice, and there aren’t many things like that in society.” Dan said. “But I’m frustrated that we have to fight for things we really shouldn’t have to fight for.” He pointed to the large tree that dominates the centre of the canvas, its trunk hung with sign declaring the tree is scheduled for removal with a phone number to call in tiny letters. “You have to go out of your way to stop something that shouldn’t even be up for discussion.” But for all the painting’s serious message, the work itself is undeniably positive, with its bright colour palette, charismatic birdlife and tiny background activity. |
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The more you look at ‘The Park Lands and the Hungry Developer’ the more you see. Behind the tongue-in-cheek positivity lurks a raft of background threats, the birds larger than the space allocated for them, sections of the map being snipped away, public land being bought and controlled like private fiefdoms by suited men behind desks. “We don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone.” Dan said. After being announced as the winner of the Art Prize on Friday 19 March, his work was snapped up within days by a buyer in Queensland. |
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The biennial Park Lands Art Prize exhibition is on display at the Fesival Centre until Friday 7 May. |
3. PREMIER BECOMES THE LATEST 'HUNGRY DEVELOPER' |
Just hours before Dan Withey's artwork was named as the first prize winner of the $20,000 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize, Premier Steven Marshall nominated himself as the next "hungry developer"to attack Park Lands. Speaking at a Property Council lunch, the Premier announced a plan to obliterate Helen Mayo Park (Park 27) alongside the River Torrens under a $700 million mountain of bricks and concrete. |
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Helen Mayo Park is named for one of Australia's greatest medical doctors and educators. The Premier seems prepared to have the Park named in her honour sacrificed for short-term political advantage at the next election.
APPA has called on the Premier to think again, about the unique green jewellery that garlands Adelaide - and find an alternative site (perhaps at Hindmarsh?) for a proposed new stadium to replace the Entertainment Centre.
The Adelaide Park Lands are not merely vacant land waiting to be developed. They do not belong to the Premier to be discarded at will. They are the lungs of the City. OPEN GREEN and PUBLIC.
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The Park Lands Authority has expressed its concern and is seeking an urgent meeting with the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation. "In order to fulfill its advisory role to the Minister as per Clause 9e of the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005 (SA), APLA requests a briefing from the Venue Management Corporation at the earliest possible opportunity regarding the site under consideration. Noting that the Park Lands already hosts Adelaide Oval, Tennis Centre, two hotels, approximately 200 ha of licensed playing fields, a hospital, the Thebarton Police Barracks and the Road Safety Centre as well as other public infrastructure, the Authority is concerned about the impact of further built form on the publicly-accessible open space provided by the Adelaide Park Lands." See www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/stadium. |
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4. DRY AND DUSTY OR LUSH AND GREEN? |
The perception of the Park Lands as ‘dry and dusty’ is almost as old as the Park Lands themselves. |
Before 1837, the Kaurna people of the Adelaide plains enjoyed a green and diverse eucalyptus woodland. The early European settlers cleared almost all the trees from the Park Lands in the following two decades. Now, an aerial view gives the impression of a green and brown patchwork scarf looping the city. If the patches seem a little ad hoc, that’s because they are. The Park Lands don’t have a cohesive irrigation strategy. The system has evolved opportunistically over time, implemented Park by Park as usage of each Park has changed. |
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The first areas to be irrigated, from the late 1800’s, were the city’s high-profile and culturally significant gardens, such as the Pennington Gardens. Until 1970, the Council used water from the River Torrens for this purpose in sites such as Elder Park and Rymill Park. Sporting organisations and schools leasing playing fields either had to establish bores or pay the E&WS Dept for their water use, which proved costly. This meant the ability to afford irrigation became a determining factor in which organisations were able to lease playing fields. |
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In 1971, Adelaide Council decided to beautify the frontages of the major roadways to create “pleasing approaches” into Adelaide. This involved irrigated plantings of trees and shrubs for 40 metres back from the side of all Terraces and from main roads into the city. In 2007, the State Government stopped providing the City Council with free mains water for irrigation, replacing it with an annual grant. Faced with having to pay to for excess water, the Council established the Glenelg Adelaide Pipeline (GAP) from the Glenelg North Wastewater Treatment Plant to supply the Park Lands with recycled water. Today, the GAP provides almost all the irrigation water for the Park Lands, although some is still drawn from the River Torrens and from SA Water mains. |
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Lack of irrigation usually means an area is less valuable in terms of public amenity. But untouched and undeveloped areas are remarkably valuable when it comes to biodiversity. Remnant vegetation from before European settlement flourishes in these unirrigated regions of the Park Lands, supporting an array of rare and threatened species. |
On the face of it, the patchwork effect of lush green and ragged brown may seem inconsistent, but there is an important ecological ethos underlying this approach. |
By leaving remnant vegetation communities to be naturally watered, the City of Adelaide is protecting vulnerable species and helping to preserve the biodiversity value of our unique Park Lands. Rather than ‘dry and dusty’ we should be thinking ‘biodiverse and precious’. |
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There are two versions of this newsletter - one for members, and one for non-members. You are reading the non-members version, We're so glad that you're keeping up with Park Lands news through this newsletter.
But you can make more of an impact if you take the next step and join us as a member.
Next Sunday morning (18 April) our members will be meeting to decide on a new direction for our Association. Only financial members have received an invitation to this meeting. All support is valuable but MEMBERSHIP is what really counts. We need YOU on our team to EXPLORE your Park Lands, and INSPIRE you to PROTECT and RESTORE |
This is a sneak peek of a new direction that will be unveiled to members on Sunday 18th April at our Annual General Meeting. |
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As a financial member of APPA, you receive: - the priceless satisfaction of supporting APPA's work;
- free participation in our monthly guided Park Lands walks;
- eligibility to become a Park Ambassador and lead an annual guided walk through one Park;
- the responsibility to help guide APPA's activities through the Annual General Meeting;
- the opportunity to join the APPA Managing Committee;
- a printable PDF membership certificate
To become a member, visit www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/membership |
6. TREES TO BE LOST IN RUNDLE PARK for WATER MAIN |
Rundle Park / Kadlitpina (Park 13) has only recently been liberated from fencing after hosting The Garden of Unearthly Delights during the Fringe Festival. |
Prior to Mad March, it had been fenced for several months to allow major infrastructure upgrades to power, recycled water and the sewage system. Now, SA Water has decided that Rundle Park must be partly fenced off, again, to upgrade a major water pipeline. The upgrade is regarded as essential (if not long overdue) after a very old, major pipeline burst on Botanic Road in 2016. The pipeline supplies a large portion of the metropolitan area (including the CBD). SA Water was limited in its options for a new pipeline because the O-Bahn tunnel goes underneath Rundle Park near the corner of Dequetteville Terrace. This chosen route for the pipeline requires the removal and replacement of 12 trees (none listed as significant) No dates have yet been set for the Park to be fenced or work to commence. |
The Park Lands Authority has no legal power to affect SA Water's plans. You can read more about the SA Water project in Park 13 at this link.: |
Park 9 Ambassador Rosemary Luke hosted a crowd of 24 Park explorers on Sunday 11 April for APPA's fascinating tour of Bundey's Paddock / Tidlangga (Park 9). |
Rosemary gave the group a wealth of information from the Kaurna history of the region, through colonial development, up to the present-day controversy over Prince Alfred Old Collegians' plans to build new "clubrooms". The group wound its way through the delights of the dragonfly-festooned bushland trail, the lush garden of community hub and around the sports field. |
Rosemary’s extensive research into the history and architecture along McKinnon Parade was particularly captivating. Many thanks to Rosemary for a brilliant morning. |
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Earlier, on 21 March, two dozen intrepid walkers looped the largest of Adelaide’s Parks, on a Guided Walk through Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) Starting at the ‘Green Corridor’ at the end of Halifax Street, the group explored all this expansive park has to offer – fascinating horse and motor racing history, exercise facilities, olive groves and remnant native grasslands including habitat for a rare species of butterfly. |
The Guided Walk, hosted by Park Ambassador Rose Wight and APPA President Shane Sody, took two hours, finishing at the southern end of the park, which is currently undergoing extensive earthmoving works to create a wetland. |
Our next Guided Walk is scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday 2 May, in Veale Park / Walyu Yarta (Park 21). Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/adelaide-park-lands-preservation-association-30241428470 |
8. BLIND SPOT IN GOV'T PLAN TO "GREEN ADELAIDE" |
There are strange contradictory messages coming from the State Government about the importance of "Greening Adelaide". On one hand, Premier Steven Marshall has threatened to destroy Helen Mayo Park (Park 27) with a $700 million stadium (See the story above). On the other hand, the State Government agency Green Adelaide has issued a Draft Landscape Plan, outlining what it calls a "pathway to a cooler, greener, wilder and climate resilient Adelaide." |
Green Adelaide's "Vision" - Kardalta Tarntanya |
Amazingly, the Plan omits any discussion of the Premier's recent threat nor any of the other current threats to the world-unique Adelaide Park Lands. In fact, the Adelaide Park Lands are not even mentioned, by name, in the "Green Adelaide" plan. The world's first park dedicated to the public, that is garlanding the world's only City in a Park seems to be a 700-hectare 'blind spot". Green Adelaide wants your feedback on their plan by Tuesday 20 April. https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/decisions/green-adelaide/about |
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The State Government has also become a "Principal Donor" to the organisation World Urban Parks. The Chair of World Urban Parks, Jayne Miller has praised South Australia's Environment Minister David Speirs for his "leadership ... exceptional both for his passion for Adelaide's parklands and his vision to make Adelaide green." World Urban Parks might have been unaware that Minister David Speirs has spent the past two and a half years (since 6 December 2018) failing to adopt a recommendation from the Stste Heritage Council to have the Adelaide Park Lands listed as a State Heritage Area, as urged in 2017, by 88% of survey respondents. |
9. RE-GREENING PROJECT INCHING CLOSER |
The Adelaide Park Lands Authority is preparing to give APPA the go-ahead, soon, for a pilot re-greening project of a bitumen car park off Port Road in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27) |
In 2019, APPA surveyed our members and supporters to ascertain which Park Land area should be the subject of our first re-greening efforts. The preferred spot was the former "Edwards Park" off Anzac Highway, south of the West Terrace Cemetery in G.S. Kingston Park / Wirrarninthi (Park 23). However in talks with Council staff, APPA acknowledged that Edwards Park would not have been an optimum site for this, our first "pilot" project. The site identified above (off Port Road) offers more opportunity to engage local residents in Thebarton and North Adelaide. |
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Members of the Authority were briefed on 25 March 2021 about how the project could proceed with "agreed principles" namely: - As a pilot project, re-greening would need to be removable, temporary at first, pending evaluation of the outcomes;
- The project would need to be a partnership, involving not just APPA but staff from the City of Adelaide, and volunteers from other groups including (hopefully) landscape architecture students from one or more Universities;
- Small, achievable, financially sustainable;
- Community led, with a focus on volunteer participation.
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Ready for re-greening - this patch of bitumen off Port Rd in Bonython Park |
This site, off Port Road is easier to reach on public transport with a tram stop nearby, and it will be more visible to passing motorists, tram commuters and pedestrians, which would give the project a higher profile and greater recognition. |
Volunteers building a "pop-up park" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
On 25 March, the Park Lands Authority was not required to make any formal decision on this project, but members were supportive of the concept. Board members were asked to consider joining a "core working group" which is expected to be established at a start-up meeting on site, within the next few months. Council staff, and APLA Board member Ben Willsmore will visit the site on 29 April to consider the dimensions of the area to be made available for the re-greening project. Read more about our "Restore" goals at www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/restore |
10. WHAT'S ON IN THE PARK LANDS |
There are always events scheduled in the Park Lands, many of them free, and there are always opportunities to explore the Park Lands on your own, or with friends or family. Browse our Explore pages for hints about interesting spots to visit. Here are just some of the opportunities in coming weeks: Click on or tap the image for details about any event. |
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| Sesame Street Circus in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27) - until Sunday 2 May |
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| Erin & Soda's Easter Fun Fair |
in Veale Park / Walyu Yarta (Park 21) every day until Anzac Day |
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| in Veale Park / Walyu Yarta (Park 21) Sun 2 May from 2pm |
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| Discover West Tce Cemetery |
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| in North Adelaide's Parks 3, 4 and 5 Sun 16 May from 2pm |
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| every Wednesday from 9.00 from Bicycle Express in Halifax St |
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| in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, April 28 & 29. |
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| Fri 14 May - two sessions only... |
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11. BRIEFLY, IN OTHER PARK LANDS NEWS |
Birds-eye view of wetlands, skate park sites Two large construction projects in the Adelaide Park Lands are running in parallel. The largest earth-moving project since the 1960's is the construction of new wetlands, in the southern portion of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16). And the long-awaited Skate Park is being built in Gladys Elphick Park / Narnungga (Park 25) near the corner of West Tce and Glover Ave. Get a birds-eye view of construction progress: |
Inclusive Playspace not disability compliant In our January newsletter we highlighted the brand-new $1.3 million Quentin Kenihan Inclusive Playspace in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (Park 14). Adelaide City Council will now have to spend up to half a million dollars to bring the playground up to the standard required by the Federal Disability Discrimination Act. . Identified problems include tripping hazards, wrong gate latches, a dangerous rubber track, inadequate signage and insufficient disabled parking. |
Photo: Roxy Walsh Kids In Adelaide |
Adelaide's Tourism icon? A tourism icon like the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Opera House - that's how the SA Government is being urged to view the proposed "Adelaide Rainbow Circuit" that would wrap around the Park Lands. Proponent Jason Redman (pictured below) has had a meeting with Treasurer Rob Lucas, seeking State funding for a feasibility study. Mr Lucas did not give any promises. |
The story was covered in the Sunday Mail on 11 April ($$ subscriber-only link) |
After three years, a cafe comes back to Bonython Park The former Bonython Park kiosk was closed in January 2018. Despite attempts by the City Council to find a new lessee, the 1960's Carey Gully sandstone building was left unloved and unwanted for more than three years. But not any more. "Cafe Bonython" opened in time for the Easter weekend. It's now open every day 10am to 4pm. It's quite handy for SAPOL's mounted officers from the Thebarton Police Barracks. |
"Light Cycles" in the Adelaide Botanic Garden The Adelaide Botanic Garden in Park 11 is always a drawcard within the Adelaide Park Lands, but rarely after dark. This year, however, it will host the imaginative "Light Cycles" display in mid-winter, from 15 July to 1 August. |
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Autumn walks in the Park Lands Autumn is probably the ideal weather to be out enjoying the mild weather within the Adelaide Park Lands. The City of Adelaide has published a guide to the best city walks to see autumn leaves. |
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100-seat grandstand coming to Park 26 The Adelaide Park Lands Authority has approved a new "Commuity Land Management Plan" for the area around Adelaide Oval - part of Tarntanya Wama (Park 26). Few parts of this Park remain Open, Green, Public. So much of Park 26 has fences, walls and locks keepng out the public from tennis, cricket and football business operations. You can see how Park 26 has been carved up in our 4-minute Park 26 video. The area pictured below is what the Stadium Management Authority calls the "Village Green". This is Adelaide Oval No. 2 off Montefiore Road,.where cars are often parked during events at Adelaide Oval. Most of the time, however, Adellaide Oval No, 2 is Open, Green and Public. However, it will soon have a new grandstand, to seat up to 100 - and cater for outdoor concerts on a maximum of six occasions per year. |
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| 12. PHOTO OF THE DAY - RECENT HIGHLIGHTS |
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From the top: - Adelaide Uni soccer club training under lights in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12)
- The lake at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (Park 14) off Bartels Rd. Pic: Josh and Marcela @exploring9to5
- A #rainmoth (trictena atripalpis) in the southern part of G.S Kingston Park /Wirrarninthi (Park 23) off Anzac Hwy. Pic: Mary Heath @localandbespoke.
- Erin and Soda's Easter Fun Fair off Greenhill Rd near Sir Lewis Cohen Ave in Veale Park /Walyu Yarta (Park 21). (operating through the April school holidays) Pic: @kidsinadelaide1
- Lord Mayor, Sandy Verschoor and her dog in Pelzer Park / Pityarilla (Park 19) off Glen Osmond Rd Pic: @lordmayoradl
- Running on the Park Lands Trail through Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17)
The Park Lands "photo of the day" series has been running since May 2014, and the collection of Park Lands photos gathered over almost seven years now numbers over 2,500. We maintain (and gradually grow) more than 40 separate albums: one for each numbered Park and Square, along with several albums for "Alienations". Contributions are very welcome! Simply post your pic on social media with the tag #adelaideparklands. To find out more about any of these featured Parks, click the link to the Park number. To see the #AdelaideParklands #picoftheday as it's released each morning, just follow us on Facebook, Instagram &/or Twitter. |
Despite being a National Heritage-listed place, the Adelaide Park Lands are not well protected by Federal environmental laws.
That's why we've joined the Places You Love Alliance, to campaign along with 56 other organisations for better environmental protection laws. |
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NEWSLETTER TEAM
Editor: Shane Sody
Contributors: Rachael Mead, Loine Sweeney, Ted Jennings
Proofreader: Trish Russell
Send content enquiries/submissions to secretary@adelaide-parklands.asn.au
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Here at APPA, we hate marketing (spam) emails. That's why we deliver news about the Park Lands, in this email format, only once per month. If you're after more regular information, please follow us on Facebook where we are posting every day. Unlike marketing emails, we're not trying to sell you anything, so we hope you'll forgive this intrusion to your InBox. Nevertheless, if you'd rather not hear from us in future, you can unsubscribe here. |
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