West Beach is a seaside suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

. It is located in both the

City of Charles Sturt The City of Charles Sturt is a local government area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, stretching to the coast. The council was formed on 1 January 1997 as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Hindmarsh Woodville and ...

and the

City of West Torrens The City of West Torrens is a local government area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Since the 1970s the area was mainly home to many open spaces and parks, however after the mid-1990s (1993-1995) the LGA became more resident ...

History

West Beach was first laid out in 1929 by Sir

Lancelot Stirling Sir John Lancelot Stirling, (5 November 1849 – 24 May 1932), generally known as Sir Lancelot Stirling, was an Australian politician and grazier. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1881 to 1887, representing Mount ...

, Sir Frank Moulden and Arnold M. Moulden, as trustees of 'The Settled Estates of F.J. and P.J. Gray'. :''This estate which in future will be known as "West Beach" at present consists of high undulating sandhills. The party inspected the work accomplished. This comprised the continuance to the sea, the distance of about a mile, of the Richmond Road, which previously stopped at the Tapley's Hill Road; the grading and topdressing of the sandhills, involving the removal of 200,000 tons of sand, and the building of an esplanade and three roads connecting it with Military Road, which was raised 8 feet and remade. The whole of the work was carried out under the order of the Supreme Court and the town was laid out under the approval of the town planner (Mr W. Scott Griffiths)...''. West Beach Post Office opened on 5 May 1959 and closed in March 1982. In July 1982 ''West Beach North'' office (open since 1964) was renamed ''West Beach''. Marineland was an iconic South Australian marine park, located in West Beach from 1969 until its closure in 1988. The popular marine park was where Mr. Percival, the Australian Pelican, who was noted for his starring role in the Australian Movie Storm Boy was born and lived.

Demographics

The 2006 Census by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...

counted 4,332 persons in West Beach on census night. Of these, 50.0% were male and 50.0% were female. The majority of residents (74.0%) are of Australian birth, with the other common census response being

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

(5.4%). The age distribution of West Beach residents is skewed towards a slightly higher age bracket than the greater Australian population. 73.6% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 26.4% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.

Community

The local newspaper is the Weekly Times Messenger. Other regional and national newspapers such as The Advertiser and

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

are also available. The suburb has a local school known as West Beach Primary School.

Attractions

Cycling Adelaide being the home of the

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI World ...

;

Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from ...

is amongst the most popular activities along the Adelaide Shores (of which West Beach is central) with cyclists travelling the coastal road or 72 kms of separated bike path every day, overlooking the natural wonders of St Vincent's Gulf. In January 2010 controversial cyclist

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering fr ...

called for cyclists on

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to join him on a Sunday morning ride along the Adelaide shores through West Beach. It is estimated a record of over 10,000 cyclists turned up at short notice and rode with Armstrong. West Beach Parks

West Beach Trust (marketed as West Beach Parks) is a statutory authority created under South Australia's West Beach Recreation Reserve Act 1987 to manage the reserve and its associated facilities. The West Beach Trust Board comprises representatives of the three local Councils and independent members. The West Beach Parks Precinct covers 135 hectares of beachfront land and comprises two accommodation properties, two public golf courses, diverse competition level sporting facilities, meeting and events venues, a boat haven and a broad range of lessees. West Beach Parks is a tourism, sport and recreation precinct. West Beach Parks is responsible for managing the West Beach Recreation Reserve, an area of significant natural assets, and its commercial and community facilities including accommodation, boating, a coastal park, golfing, leisure and sports West Beach Parks has a number of tenants, including; The Adelaide

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

Club,

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

Federation SA,

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

SA, Surf Life Saving SA and the Westward Ho Golf Club. Golf Patawalonga Golf Course at West Beach Parks 2

The Patawalonga Course consists of 18 holes par 72 with fine kikuyu fairways all year round and large undulating good speed bentgrass (as used at Augusta National) bunkered greens. Built on a sandy base with mature trees and water hazards the Patawalonga Championship links style course is one of the best public golf courses in Australia. Measuring 5913 metres in length and green sizes averaging 750m2 the Patawalonga caters for all golfer's abilities and needs. The shopping centre on Burbridge Road services the suburb.

Parks

There are numerous parks and greenspaces throughout West Beach, the largest known as Apex Park. Apex Park is a huge park along the river torrens with playgrounds, horses and walkways.

Transport

Roads

The suburb is serviced by the following main roads: *

Tapleys Hill Road Tapleys Hill Road is a north–south arterial road which runs parallel to the coast through western Adelaide, Australia. This name covers many consecutive streets and is not widely known to most drivers except for the northernmost section, as th ...

, running north–south from Queenstown to Glenelg. *

Sir Donald Bradman Drive Sir Donald Bradman Drive (and its western section as Burbridge Road) is a major arterial road that travels east–west through the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the main route from the Adelaide city centre to the Adelaide A ...

, running east–west between the City of Adelaide and West Beach * Burbridge Road

Public transport

The suburb is serviced by bus routes, operated by Adelaide Metro.

Airport

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport , also known as Adelaide International Airport, is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the fifth-busiest airport in Australia, servicing 8.5 million passengers in the financial year ending 30 June 201 ...

is in the adjacent suburb also named

. There are frequent domestic and international flights and the airport is also used for private aviation.

References

External links

City of Charles SturtCity of West TorrensLocal Government Association of SA – City of Charles SturtLocal Government Association of SA – City of West Torrens2006 ABS Census Data by Location
{{City of West Torrens suburbs Suburbs of Adelaide Beaches of South Australia