Anstey Hill Recreation Park
Anstey Hill Recreation Park South Australia | |
---|---|
Nearest town or city | Adelaide |
Coordinates | 34°49′50.38″S 138°44′15.45″E / 34.8306611°S 138.7376250°E[1] |
Established | 31 August 1989[2] |
Area | 3.62 km2 (1.4 sq mi)[3] |
Managing authorities | Department for Environment and Water |
Website | Anstey Hill Recreation Park |
See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Anstey Hill Recreation Park is a 362-hectare (890-acre)
The park's land was gradually acquired by the
The Mannum–Adelaide pipeline crosses the park and the Anstey Hill water filtration plant lies on its southern boundary; together they supply 20% of Adelaide's reticulated water. Significant historical uses of the area are preserved as ruins and highlighted with interpretive signs. The ruins of Newman's Nursery are all that remains of what was once the largest plant nursery in the Southern Hemisphere. Ellis Cottage is one of the earliest homes in the area, and the Rumps Bakery building housed the first bakery in Tea Tree Gully. Quarries supplied stone for significant Victorian buildings in Adelaide and aggregate for road building. Klopper's quarries in the southwest hosted plays for the Festival of the Arts in 1980 and 1988.
Today's park
Anstey Hill Recreation Park is a reserved area of public land with short seasonal creeks, low hills and steep-sided gullies. Its boundaries are largely formed by Lower North East, North East, Perseverance and Range Roads; there is a small section south of Lower North East Road. It lies at the edge of the
Management of the park is influenced by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources's long term biodiversity goals for the hill face zone and is also being managed in the broader context of a planning initiative known as Yurrebilla – The Greater Mount Lofty Parklands. The Department manages the park in association with local council and a volunteer group—The Friends of Anstey Hill. This volunteer group makes significant contributions to revegetation, weed control, ruin stabilisation and creation of walking trails.[9] There are no visitor facilities or amenities except for walking trails, most of which follow fire access tracks; a single constructed pedestrian trail leads to Klopper's Quarry.[6] The park is mostly designated as a "conservation zone" where only passive recreation, including walking dogs on leads, is permitted. Horses and motor vehicles are not allowed and only the main tracks are maintained.
In recognition of the established and popular activity of mountain biking in the greater Adelaide area, and to better accommodate the mountain biking community in the north eastern suburbs, it was proposed in 2006 to permit cycling in designated zones on purpose-built tracks and on certain management tracks within the park. The intention is to satisfy both biodiversity and recreation objectives in the park and reducing the incidence of illegal mountain bike riding in other non-designated areas.[10]
Anstey Hill Park lies between
There are frequent serious bushfires in the park. Much of the reserve was burned in 1980, eastern parts burned in 1981, and most of the park burned again in the 1983
Geology
Elevation rise across the park results from land uplift along the Burnside-Eden
Across the park, different ages of exposed rocks are seen. Stoneyfell
Flora and fauna
In the 1983 concept plan, 413 plant species were identified, including 124 that were not native to the park. The park was noted as one of the few remaining significant areas of bushland in the foothills.[22] By 2006, the flora list contained 411 species, with 107 of these non-native. Five of the native species were then noted as rare or vulnerable, including Prasophyllum pallidum (pale leek-orchid).[23] The park has significant stands of pink gums (Eucalyptus fasciculosa) and long-leafed box (Eucalyptus goniocalyx). button daisy, pussy tail (Ptilotus macrocephalus), needlebush (Hakea sericea), silky guinea flower (Hibbertia sericea) and black rapier sedge (Lepidosperma carphoides) are common. black-boys (Xanthorrhoea), hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa ssp. spatulata) and tea-tree form the understory in parts of the park. The area around the ruins of Newman's Nursery is noted for its spring orchid display.[24] Quarry floors have large plants typical of much of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) and drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata), as well as red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), native pine (Callitris preissii) and blue gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) are common.[25]
Invasive weeds are prevalent in, and damaging to, the park. Species common in other formerly occupied parts of the foothills are also common in the park. Of significant concern, largely for their impact on native flora, are bridal creeper (
The concept plan identified 145 species of birds as either known or expected to be found in the park. By 2006, 98 species had been recorded in the park's area, though not all specifically within the park's boundaries.
Foreign animals are also found, in common with much of Adelaide. While
Naming
The name of the park derives from a road built by George Alexander Anstey, a South Australian pastoral and horticultural pioneer. Anstey established Highercombe Estate on two land sections east of the park that he purchased in 1840.[6] He built a private road to his estate, which ran along the base of a gully and up a steep hillside. The road was initially named "Anstey Hill Road"; this name was later used for the hill, the subsequent land reserve and the current recreation park.[24][28]
The Gun Emplacement was officially named as such in 1997 after a period of unofficial usage. This name was first used by Major William Hubert Edmunds, a Lieutenant
Foundation
In 1962, the South Australian Planning Authority's town planning committee released a report on the development of metropolitan Adelaide. The report, in part, recommended that a regional park be established north of Anstey Hill and southeast of Tea Tree Gully. The stated intention was preservation of the character of the face of the foothills, as visible from Adelaide's suburbs. From 1966 to 1977, land was purchased under the auspices of the State Planning Authority, for what was then "reserve 13".[30]
One notable purchase was of 73 hectares (180 acres) in 1969, of which 16 hectares (40 acres) was an active quarry operated by Quarry Industries.
The Planning Authority established the Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee in 1981, initially to prepare a concept plan for development of the reserve.
Land use
Although it lies within the traditional lands of the
Newman's Nursery
The remains of Newman's Nursery, established by Charles Newman and his family in the second half of the 19th century, are situated within the park at the base of Water Gully. After living on a rural property near
The Newmans developed a nursery on the site between 1857 and 1871, over time assisted by their 17 children.
During a severe storm in February 1913, 2 inches (51 mm) of rain fell in an hour, setting the streams, creeks and roads awash and damaging the nursery.
Mining and quarrying
Dolomite, sandstone and quartzite rock have been extensively mined in the park. Though traces of silver, copper and gold are present, there have been no economic finds. The park is scattered with many quarries; the largest within the park is an open-cut in the northwest corner. It was in operation until 1982 supplying stone for buildings, including Adelaide's war memorial and St Peter's Cathedral.[24] Tea Tree Gully Freestone from some quarries has been used for the facades and ornamental dressing of many of Adelaide's Victorian public buildings. Adelaide Town Hall, the General Post Office and Supreme Court Buildings in Adelaide were all built entirely of this stone. The quarries supplied dressing stock for ornamentation on buildings, including St Peter's Cathedral, St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Flinders Street Baptist Church and the University of Adelaide's Mitchell Building.[43]
An ironstone mine was opened to work on a rock outcrop in 1853. The mine was to supply flux for the Port Adelaide copper smelting works, but it apparently closed within a year. It was reopened in 1861 and operated until 1862. The Tea Tree Gully Silver Mining Company began work in the area in 1888, constructing a tramway, blacksmith shop and a new road. With no economic finds, the company closed in July 1889.[44] The quarry, in Water Gully adjacent to the nursery's ruins, has been mined for blue dolomite, some of which was used for the nursery's buildings. Quarries elsewhere in Water Gully were opened in the 1880s and intermittently supplied quartzite road metal for the District Council of Tea Tree Gully. A crushing plant was erected on the north side of the gully in 1912 to create this road material.[21]
When the park was proclaimed, land zoning regulations allowed existing mining prospecting rights to continue. These rights were restricted to previously mined areas; this coupled with further restrictions imposed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service Act (1972) make it unlikely that mining will occur in the future.[45]
Klopper's quarries
Klopper's quarries, in the park's south, were mined in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were established by Heinrich Kloepper—later
The freestone quarry was used to host
Ellis Cottage and Rumps Bakery
The historic Ellis Cottage and Rumps Bakery buildings lie near the corner of Perseverance and North East roads. Built in 1854, Ellis Cottage is a single room stone building built by John Stevens, founder of Steventon Estate that later become the suburb of Tea Tree Gully. It was named after the Ellis family, who owned and used the building for storage for many years until World War II. Rumps Bakery was built in 1854 with local stone. From 1867 to 1893 it was rented to Charles Rumps, who started Tea Tree Gully's first bakery in the building in 1872.[47] In 1894, the building was sold to Ernest Heitmann, who continued to use it as a bakery. Until the mid-20th century, the Ellis family and an adjacent general store frequently used it for storage.[48] Assisted by a government grant and supervised by the Department of Environment and Heritage, the Friends of Anstey Hill stabilised both buildings in 2000.[42]
Water filtration plant
In the 1970s, the Engineering and Water Supply Department chose an area at the top of the park, adjacent to Lower North East Road, to build a water treatment works. Based partly on
The plant was intended to serve 70,000 homes in the outer northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, specifically those north of the River Torrens. The total construction cost was $14.5 million, including changes to the existing pipeline.[49] As of 2005, the plant filters approximately 20% of Adelaide's water supply.[50] A small hydroelectric plant began operating in adjacent Hope Valley in 2003, using the head of water as it flows down Anstey Hill. The plant is designed to supply 7,000 megawatt hours per year.[51]
Roads
Lower North East Road runs around Anstey Hill and up the escarpment of the Burnside-Eden Fault Zone. It connects the suburbs—formerly villages—of Hope Valley and Houghton. Three roads were surveyed and built to connect the same locations. The first was a private road constructed by George Anstey in 1841—although officially surveyed in 1844—to reach his estate, as a mostly straight-line extension of Grand Junction Road. It followed the base of a gully, before rising steeply up Anstey Hill. From 1842 to 1846, Anstey constructed a replacement private road with a devil's elbow (double hairpin bend) that followed the land's contours more closely. As Chairman of Roads for the District of Yatala, Anstey allocated most of the district's funding to his road, leading to a public outcry that forced him from office in 1851. This ungravelled road became known as Anstey Hill Road and remained in use for 20 years. New Road, later renamed Houghton Road and subsequently Lower North East Road, was constructed in 1873 as a replacement. It was longer than the preceding roads but lacked a devil's elbow, was more evenly sloped, and was paved in 1930. It now separates a small part of the park—that contains Klopper's quarries and the Gun Emplacement—from the rest.[52] Remains of the two previous roads can be seen near Klopper's quarries.[20]
Perseverance Road, and some housing, defines the western edge of much of the park. William Haines was the district clerk for Tea Tree Gully from 1867 to 1902 and Member of Parliament for Gumeracha from 1878 to 1884. Since 1862, he had lobbied for construction of a road to link Tea Tree Gully to Anstey Hill Road. The 1–1⁄2 mile road was eventually approved and subsequently opened in 1880. Known as Haines' Folly before its completion, it was officially called Haines' Perseverance Road at the opening ceremony.[53]
Anstey Hill Quarry
The Anstey Hill Quarry is adjacent to the southern border of the park.[7] In 2017, the then very neglected quarry was used for another Adelaide Festival production (as Klopper's quarry, which had been used in the 1988 festival, had been regenerated): The Secret River, written by Andrew Bovell and first staged in 2013. Before the production could be staged, the abandoned quarry had to be cleaned of a large amount of rubbish and weeds, and the dirt track sealed in order to carry the traffic. The show was a record-breaking success, selling out all performances over its 18 nights, with an audience of 800 each night.[54] It was a co-production of the State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company, co-directed by Neil Armfield and Geordie Brookman.[55]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ Blevins, F.T. (31 August 1989). "NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT, 1972, SECTION 34(1): CONSTITUTION OF ANSTEY HILL RECREATION PARK" (PDF). Government of South Australia. p. 699. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ "Protected Areas Information System Reserve List" (PDF). Government of South Australia. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- Adelaide Observer. Vol. XXX, no. 1632. South Australia. 11 January 1873. p. 12. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ The park's area is listed as 362 hectares in Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), Introduction, the latest source. It is noted as 384 hectares in park brochures and 383.25 in some other sources.
- ^ a b c Gallasch, Kevin. "Anstey Hill". Tea Tree Gully and District Historical Society. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Grzegorzek (2003), pp. 149–153.
- ISBN 978-0-7319-1963-5.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), pp. 1, 4, 7.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 19.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 1.
- ^ Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee (1983), p. 2.
- ^ Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee (1983), pp. 5, 19.
- ^ Clemow, Matt (28 November 2004). "FIRE SEASON; Blaze scare for family". The Sunday Mail. Adelaide: News Limited. p. 5.
- ^ Pippos, Chris (4 December 2004). "FIRE SEASON; You're being watched, CFS tells arsonists". The Sunday Mail. Adelaide: News Limited. p. 16.
- ^ Ward (1870)
- ^ Bryant (2008), pp. 52–53.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 15.
- ^ a b Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 9.
- ^ a b c Tilbrook (2007), pp. 58–59.
- ^ a b Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee (1983), Appendix A
- ^ a b Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee (1983), p. 5.
- ^ a b Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e f "Anstey Hill Recreation Park, Information Sheet (pdf)" (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
- ^ "Kloppers Quarries", Information sign in the park, Dept of Environment and Heritage, as of 2008
- ^ a b c Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 12.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 14.
- ^ Lane, Dave. "European History". Friends of Anstey Hill. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
- ^ a b Donovan and Donovan (2001), pp. 31–34.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 4.
- ^ a b c Hart (1983), p. 35.
- ^ Tilbrook, Kim (4 November 1981). "Govt. unveils plan for large Hills park". The Advertiser. News Limited.
- ^ "About the Friends Group". Friends of Anstey Hill. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), Introduction, p. 23.
- ^ Koleff, Fontella (18 September 1989). "New park boosts SA cover to 14pc". The Advertiser. News Limited.
- ^ Treccasi, Louise (10 April 2003). "They're taking George Dickerson's land - and there's nothing he can do". The Advertiser. News Limited. p. 13.
- ^ ISBN 0-9757359-6-9.
- ^ Auhl (1978), p. 295.
- ^ Currency converted using relative rate of 86.1515 between January 1885 and 2005 for the Pound sterling from:
"Inflation: the value of the pound 1750–2005" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009.
Converted to Australian Dollars at 1:0.4112 from Australian Reserve Bank published spot rates - ^ a b Smillie (1890), p.157
- ^ a b Auhl (1978), pp. 296–297.
- ^ a b Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 17.
- ^ Auhl (1978), p. 265.
- ^ ISBN 0-9757359-6-9.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage (2006), p. 23.
- ^ Barker, Clair (2004). "The Kloepper Family". The Tea Tree Gullyian. 4 (6). Tea Tree Gully and District Historical Society: 2–7.
- ^ Tilbrook (2007), pp. 56–57.
- ^ Cooke (2002), pp. 124–126.
- ^ a b Engineering and Water Supply Department (1980), pp. 1–4.
- ^ "BUSH FIX Mannum to Adelaide water pipe held up by firewood". The Advertiser. News Limited Australia. 14 June 2005.
- ^ "Mini-Hydro". SA Water. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ Auhl (1978), pp. 64–68.
- ^ Auhl (1979), pp. 28, 46.
- Adelaide Now. Messenger. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "The Secret River". AusStage. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
References
- Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee; Balaton and Associates Pty. Ltd (1983). Anstey Hill Regional Park: concept report. (Final Report). Adelaide: Anstey Hill Joint Steering Committee.
- Auhl, Ian (1978). From settlement to city, a history of the district of Tea Tree Gully 1836–1976. Blackwood, South Australia: Lynton Publications. ISBN 0-86946-344-6.
- Auhl, Ian; Milsteed Rex (illustrator) (1979). Tea Tree Gully Sketchbook. Hawthorndene, South Australia: Investigator Press. ISBN 0-85864-028-7.
- Bryant, Colleen (2008). "South Australia". Understanding bushfire: trends in deliberate vegetation fires in Australia (large pdf) (PDF). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. ISBN 978-1-921185-62-5.
- Cooke, Ken (2002). The early settler's historical club of Tea Tree Gully. Regency Park, Adelaide: Starburst Publishing. ISBN 0-9580139-2-6.
- Anstey Hill Recreation Park, management plan (PDF). Adelaide, South Australia: Department for Environment and Heritage. 2006. ISBN 1-921238-20-8.
- Donovan, Peter; Donovan, June, eds. (2001). From paddocks to plaza, Essays on the development of the City of Tea Tree Gully 1945–2001. Modbury, South Australia: City of Tea Tree Gully. ISBN 0-9577357-6-6.
- Anstey Hill Water Filtration Plant. Adelaide: Engineering and Water Supply Department. 1980. ISBN 0-7243-5799-8.
- Grzegorzek, Robert (2003). "The regolith and landforms of the Anstey Hill Recreation Park, with particular emphasis on The Gun Emplacement". In Roach I.C. (ed.). Advances in Regolith: Proceedings of the CRC LEME Regional Regolith Symposia. Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration. ISBN 0-7315-5221-0.
- Hart, Stuart B. (1983). The History of the South Australian Planning Authority. Adelaide: Dept. of Environment and Planning. ISBN 0-7243-8761-7.
- Smillie, J (1890). Descriptive Australia and federal guide (Extended ed.). Adelaide: Vardon & Pritchard.
- Smith Pam; Pate Donald F; Martin Robert, eds. (2006). Valleys of Stone, The archaeology and history of Adelaide's hills face. Adelaide: Kopi Books. ISBN 0-9757359-6-9.
- Tilbrook, Kym (2007). WalkSA. Volume 2. Adelaide: Advertiser Enterprises, a division of Advertiser Newspapers. ISBN 978-0-9599602-4-2.
- Ward, Thos (5 March 1870). State Coroner's report. Government of South Australia.
Further reading
- Barker, Clair (1979). The Koppler Family. Tea Tree Gully library: Unpublished manuscript held in the Tea Tree Gully local history collection.
- Brittle, Beth (1990). Water gully, C.F. Newman & son – The model nursery 1854–1932. Tea Tree Gully Library: Unpublished manuscript in the Tea Tree Gully local history collection, Copy also held by the State Library of South Australia.