Adelaide city centre () is the city centre of Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide local government area. The residential population was 18,202 in the , with a local worker population of 130,404.
Adelaide city centre was planned in 1837 on a greenfield site following a grid layout, with streets running at right angles to each other. It covers an area of and is surrounded by of park lands.Data from Google Earth.The area of the park lands quoted is based, in the absence of an official boundary between the City and North Adelaide, on an east–west line past the front entrance of Adelaide Oval. Within the city are five parks: Victoria Square in the exact centre and four other, smaller parks.
Names for elements of the city centre are as follows: The "city square mile" (in reality 1.67 square miles or 4.33 square kilometres) is the constructed area bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces. The "central business district" (CBD) is an alternative term, but more accurately describes the intensively developed northern half of the city, which contains a multitude of commercial, cultural and entertainment premises, restaurants and high-rise apartments. The southern, lower-density half mainly contains small businesses, restaurants and, residentially, a mix of mansions, houses and conserved 19th century cottages, and (fewer) high-rise apartments. Precincts such as the West End and the East End have distinctive characters. CBD shopping precincts include Rundle Mall and Adelaide Central Market. In what is often described as the "North Terrace cultural precinct", many educational, cultural, entertainment and medical institutions lie between the northern side of North Terrace and the River Torrens – notably university campuses, the Adelaide Festival Centre, and the Parliament of South Australia. Adelaide railway station is also located there.
History
Before the British colonisation of South Australia, the Adelaide Plains, on which Adelaide was built, were home to the Kaurna group of Aboriginal Australians. The colony of South Australia was established in 1836 at Glenelg, and the city itself established in 1837. The location and characteristic grid layout of the city and North Adelaide, as well as the surrounding parklands, were the result of the work of Colonel William Light (1786–1839), who was the first Surveyor General of South Australia. The area where the Adelaide city centre now exists was once known as "Tarndanya","Tarndanya" , KauranaPlaceNames.com. Retrieved 2009-09-09. the Kaurna word for as "male red kangaroo rock", which was the name used for an area along the south bank of what is now known as the River Torrens (Karrawiri Pari), which flows through Adelaide.
Adelaide was not as badly affected by the 1860s economic depression in Australia as other gold rush cities like Sydney and Melbourne, allowing it to prosper. Historian F.W. Crowley noted that the city was full of elite upper-class citizens which provided a stark contrast to the grinding poverty of the labour areas and slums outside the inner city ring. Due to its historic wealth during the 20th century, the city retains a notable portion of Victorian architecture.
Town planning
Adelaide is separated from its greater metropolitan area by a ring of public parklands on all sides. The so-called "square mile" within the park lands is defined by a small area of high rise office and apartment buildings in the centre north, around King William Street, which runs north-to-south through the centre. Surrounding this central business district are a large number of medium to low density apartments, townhouses and detached houses which make up the residential portion of the city centre.
Layout The layout of Adelaide, sometimes referred to as "Light's Vision", features a cardinal direction grid pattern of wide streets and terraces and five large public squares: Victoria Square in the centre of the city, and Hindmarsh, Light, Hurtle and Whitmore Squares in the centres of each of the four quadrants of the Adelaide city centre. These squares occupy 32 of the 700 numbered town acre allotments on Light's plan.
All east–west roads change their names as they cross King William Street, except for North and South terraces. This map, showing the Adelaide city centre, North Adelaide and the Adelaide Parklands, was published on the website They also alternate between being wide and narrow, , except for the central Grote and Wakefield which are extra-wide, , along with the surrounding four terraces.The page contains a copy of one of the two surviving original plans drawn in 1837. Quote: "It is a watercolour and ink plan, drawn by 16-year-old draughtsman Robert George Thomas to instructions from Light. ... The streets were named by a Street Naming Committee that met on 23 May 1837, indicating that this plan must have been completed after that date." In the south half of the city, in several places the Adelaide City Council has constructed wide footpaths and road markings to restrict traffic to a lesser number of lanes than the full width of the road could support.
The street pairs, design widths, and town acres in Light's Vision are illustrated in this diagram:
WestTerrace North Terrace EastTce 132 ft12345678 Mor910111213141516 King 1718192021222324 Pul2526272829303162616059585756555453525150494847464544434241403938373635343332 Hindley Street Rundle Street 66 ft63646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293124123122121120119118 LightSquare115114113112111110109108107106105104103102 Hind-marshSquare999897969594 Currie Street Grenfell Street 99 ft125126127128129130131134135136137138139140141142143144145146147150151152153154155186185184183182181180177176175174173172171170169168167166165164161160159158157156 Waymouth phett Street Pirie teney Street 66 ft187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218 HuttStreet219252251250249248247246245244243242241240239238237236235234233232231230229228227226225224223222221220 Franklin Street Flinders Street 99 ft253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267 VictoriaSquare270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286320319318317316315314313312311310309308307306303302301300299298297296295294293292291290289288287 Grote Street Wakefield Street 132 ft321322323324325326327328 Brown329330331332333334335338339340341342343344 Hanson345346347348349350351352353354355356392391390389388387386385384383382381380379378375374373372371370369368367366365364363362361360359358357 Gouger Street WilliamSt Angas Street East 99 ft393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430468467466465464463462461460459458457456455454453452451450449448447446445444443442441440439438437436435434433432431 Wright Street Carrington Street 66 ft469470471472473474475 Whit-moreSquare478479480481482483484485486487488489490491 HurtleSquare494495496497498499500501502503504505506544543542541540539538535534533532531530529528527526525524523522519518517516515514513512511510509508507 Sturt Street Halifax Street Tce 99 ft545546547548549550551554555556557558559560561562563564565566567570571572573574575576577578579580581582583622621620619618617616615 St614613612611610609608607606605604603602601600599 St598597596595594593592591590589588587586585584 Gilbert Street Gilles Street 66 ft623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661700699698697696695694693692691690689688687686685684683682681680679678677676675674673672671670669668667666665664663662 South Terrace 132 ft 132 ft 99 ft 132 ft 99 ft 132 ft 132 ft (width)
Street and square names
The streets and squares were named by a committee of a number of prominent settlers after themselves, after early directors of the South Australian Company, after Colonisation Commissioners of South Australia (appointed by the British government to oversee implementation of the acts that established the colony), and after various notables involved in the establishment of the colony.
The Street Naming Committee comprised: Governor Hindmarsh Judge Jeffcott James Hurtle Fisher (Resident Commissioner) Robert Gouger (Colonial Secretary) Colonel Light (Surveyor General) John Brown (Emigration officer)Osmond Gilles (Treasurer) Thomas Gilbert (Colonial Storekeeper)The Colonial Storekeeper, like the Colonial Secretary, was an official position. John Morphett John Barton Hack Edward Stephens (Cashier and Accountant of the South Australian Company) Thomas Bewes Strangways All members of the committee (except Stephens) had one or more of the streets and squares in the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide named after themselves. Brown Street, named for John Brown, was subsequently subsumed as a continuation of Morphett Street in 1967. In the same year, Hanson Street, named for Richard Hanson, was subsumed as a continuation of Pulteney Street.
The squares were named after: Victoria – the regent, Princess Victoria, later Queen Victoria Hindmarsh – Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh, first Governor of South Australia Hurtle – Sir James Hurtle Fisher, first Resident Commissioner Light – Colonel William Light, Surveyor General Whitmore – William Wolryche-Whitmore MP, a Colonial Commissioner in London
The east–west streets named on 22 December 1836 were: Rundle – John Rundle MP, Director of the South Australian Company Hindley – Charles Hindley MP, Director of South Australian Company Grenfell – Pascoe St Leger Grenfell, businessman and patron, presented a town acre for the Holy Trinity Church and other country lands Currie – Raikes Currie MP, Director of South Australian Company Pirie – Sir John Pirie, alderman and later Lord Mayor of London, Director of South Australian Company Waymouth – Henry Waymouth, Director South Australian Company Flinders – Matthew Flinders, explorer Franklin – Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, midshipman under Flinders Wakefield – Daniel Bell Wakefield, barrister who drafted the South Australia ActDaniel Bell Wakefield is not to be confused with his uncle, Daniel Wakefield. Note that the street is named after him, not after his better known brother Edward Gibbon Wakefield - Refer Wakefield Street in "Streets Named on 23 May 1837", HistorySouthAustralia.net. Grote – George Grote MP, treasurer of the South Australia Association Angas – George Fife Angas, a Colonial Commissioner and founding Chairman of Directors of the South Australian Company Gouger – Robert Gouger, first Colonial Secretary Most of these people did not reside in or visit South Australia.
The naming of the streets was completed on 23 May 1837 and gazetted on 3 June.
East–west streets: Carrington – John Abel Smith (Lord Carrington) Wright – John Wright, Colonial Commissioner and financierSpence & Beams (2006) p. 33 Halifax – Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sturt – Charles Sturt, explorer Gilles – Osmond Gilles, early treasurer of the colony Gilbert – Thomas Gilbert, storekeeper and postmaster North–south streets: Morphett – John Morphett, member of the South Australian parliament Pulteney – Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, British naval officer Hutt – William Hutt MP, a Colonial Commissioner
Dual naming of squares and parklands The Adelaide City Council began the process of dual naming all of the city squares, each of the parks making up the parklands which surround the city centre and North Adelaide, and other sites of significance to the Kaurna people in 1997. The naming process, which assigned an extra name in the Kaurna language to each place, was mostly completed in 2003, and the renaming of 39 sites finalised and endorsed by the council in 2012. Victoria Square – Tarntanyangga ('red kangaroo dreaming')