Bonython Park is a 17-hectare park in the north-west Park Lands of the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. The park was opened in 1962 and named in honour of prominent South Australian politician and journalist, Sir John Langdon Bonython. It is situated on the north-western side of the

River Torrens The River Torrens (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 from its source in the Ad ...

, bordered by Port Road. It is on the opposite side of the river to a golf course, and adjacent to the old

Adelaide Gaol Adelaide Gaol is a former Australian prison located in the Park Lands of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia. The gaol was the first permanent one in South Australia and operated from 1841 until 1988. The Gaol is one of the two oldest bu ...

and the Police Barracks. Bonython Park forms part of what is known as

Park 27 The Adelaide Park Lands comprise the figure-eight configuration of land, spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton, which encloses and separates the City of Adelaide area (including both the Adelaide city centre and ...

, and since the

dual naming Dual naming is the adoption of an official place name that combines two earlier names, or uses both names, often to resolve a disagreement over which of the two individual names is more appropriate. In some cases, the reasons are political. Som ...

initiative by

Adelaide City Council The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...

in the early 2000s, Park 27 is also known as Tulya Wardli. There are sites straddling this park and Park 1/ Pirltawardli of some significance to the

Kaurna people The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...

, since various "native locations" were established on the sites dating from 1837, when the first settlers arrived and the establishment of a

Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and a ...

in the following year.

History

There is some evidence to suggest that there was a

billabong In Australian English, a billabong ( ) is a small body of water, usually permanent. It is usually an oxbow lake caused by a change in course of a river or creek, but other types of small lakes, ponds or waterholes are also called billabongs ...

on the site, used as a fishing spot for the

prior to European settlement. Following the arrival of European settlers from 1837, right through to 1914, it was used as a watering place for cattle. The site of Bonython Park was the first area occupied by Europeans, from January to March 1837. The migrants camped in tents and wooden huts in two camps, called Buffalo and Coromandel, after two of the ships of the

First Fleet of South Australia In 1836, at least nine ships carried the first European settlers from England to the south coast of Australia for the establishment of the City of Adelaide and the province of South Australia. Although not all of the ships sailed together, the ...

. After 1837, the so-called “Native Location” was established for local

. Bromley’s Camp, the first of these, was established in April 1837 by Captain Walter Bromley, the second interim

Protector of Aborigines The Australian colonies in the nineteenth century created offices involved in managing the affairs of Indigenous people in their jurisdictions. The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role beca ...

, on land that is now part of Bonython Park. In reality, it was little more than a rations distribution point. In August 1837, William Wyatt became the next Protector, and created a more permanent settlement south of the river. In October 1838 two German

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

, Christian Teichelmann and Clamor Schürmann (and later Samuel Klose) arrived, setting themselves up at what became known as the "Old Location", studying the

Kaurna language Kaurna ( or ) is a Pama-Nyungan language historically spoken by the Kaurna peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Kaurna peoples are made up of various tribal clan groups, each with their own ''parnkarra'' district of land and ...

and teaching in that language. This was the first mission in South Australia. In 1839 the Native Location was moved again, across to the north side of the river, on what is now part of the Par 3 golf course. This was called the

Pirltawardli The Adelaide Park Lands comprise the figure-eight configuration of land, spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton, which encloses and separates the City of Adelaide area (including both the Adelaide city centre and ...

(now the second name for Park 1 of the Park Lands), which means "possum place", also known as the "Aboriginal Location". In December 1840 a school opened, supported by Governor

George Gawler Colonel George Gawler (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 July 1795, was t ...

, but the site was dismantled in 1845, on the orders of Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

, who thought it best to take the children away from their parents, and a new "Native School" run by the government, which taught only in English, was established near what is now Kintore Avenue. (The Native School closed in 1851, with the remaining children were taken to Poonindie Mission at

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

on the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

. A few people continued to camp near the house of Klose, the only remaining missionary, at the site known as Pirltawardli. In 1846 the government build some brick sheds in part of this area, and also across the river behind the new

. One was for the "Murray tribe", who had moved to the area, and a smaller number of sheds for what was left of the " Adelaide tribe". Pirltawardli, just across the river and straddling Parks 1 and 27, is still of great significance to Kaurna people, as well as non-Indigenous South Australians. Nearly all of the recorded language and early written records of Kaurna culture stem from this place, documented by the missionaries, who also shared their views on

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in th ...

in the new colony. On 26 May 2000 a plaque was erected there commemorating its place in Adelaide’s history.

Description

Bonython Park, part of Park 27/Tudla Wardli, has many points of interest and recreation within and nearby. The park hosts or has hosted several major events including the

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...

(a German shooting festival), the former Skyshow fireworks display, and various music festivals including

Soundwave Soundwave or Sound Wave may refer to: * Sound, a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave * Acoustic wave, the wave which carries sound Festivals * Soundwave (Australian music festival), an annual music festival 2007–2016 * Soundwave Fe ...

Stereosonic Stereosonic was an annual electronic dance music festival held in Australia in November and early December. Stereosonic was held in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, attracting attendances of up to 200,000 patrons nationally fea ...

and the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...

. It is also the location of various visiting circuses, including

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

. The Bonython Park Adventure Playspace, a kiosk), a

model boat Ship models or model ships are scale models of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people. Ship modeling is a craft as old as shipbuilding itself, stretching back to ancient ...

pond, open kick/play fields, a junior playground and multi-barbecue stations are available for the public. The "Magic Forest & Native Bee N Bee Project" is a grove of mixed

eucalyptus tree ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

s planted in 1997 by the Children’s Peaceful Environment Foundation in conjunction with the Council. It includes a native bee hotel. The Roma Mitchell Garden, tended by prisoners until the closure of the gaol, has since the 1990s been maintained by the Catholic Order of Malta.

Tram stop

Bonython Park is also the location of a stop on the

Glenelg tram line The Glenelg tram line is a tram/light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic. The service is free in the city centre and al ...

.Glenelg Tram Timetable (2018)
,

Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...

References

{{AdelaideParklands Parks in Adelaide

History

Description

Tram stop

See also

References