History

An Urban Forest Project

Throughout the world, urban forests are regenerating parcels of land that are no longer used for things like industry or transport corridors. Sustainability is an important philosophical aspect of the urban forest. Narnungga was conceived as a demonstration site for sustainable management of public space, and to showcase water sensitive urban design (WSUD) concepts and techniques. As the former SA Water Thebarton Depot, some of the industrial heritage of the site, such as the original site entry gates, has been maintained for interpretive use to make connections between the past and future role of the land. Narnungga was designed to provide a strong link with nature, a transitional space for people to walk or cycle through on their daily commute or to visit as a special destination where they can commune with nature and experience an urban forest. After the South Australian Government opened the park in December 2012 it was handed over to the City of Adelaide to manage, reclaiming some 5.5 hectares of the Park Lands. Initiated in 2006, the Capital City Committee led the multi-agency team to design the urban forest project working with the South Australian Government and City of Adelaide, the Adelaide Park Lands Authority and other stakeholders to deliver this exciting initiative.

The SA Water Site

Thebarton Depot – 1917

West Thebarton Depot – 1930s

The Thebarton Depot

Known as the Thebarton Depot or Sewers Yard, this part of the Park Lands was used as the base for construction, maintenance and operation of Adelaide’s first sewerage system which was commissioned in 1881. In the late nineteenth century, awareness was growing of the dangers of lack of sanitary ways to dispose of liquid waste. Until then, all waste was disposed of via the River Torrens, as was general practice at the time. The sewer line was laid alongside the railway line at this site to Islington (6 kn north of the City). Seen initially as a temporary storage solution, the Thebarton Depot was later used as a maintenance base for this sewer system until SA Water vacated the site in 2008.

2007 - APLA West Parks Precinct Assessment

Narnungga/Park 25 exists of several tracts of land comprising the main portion bounded by Glover Avenue, West Terrace, Port Road and the Adelaide-Melbourne Railway Line. Land to the north of Port Road and North Terrace is included within Tulya Wodli/Park 27 — occasionally been called ‘Park 25A’ – and Narnungga/Park 25B which is the tract of land bounded by the Adelaide-Melbourne Railway Line, Port Road and East Terrace.

SA Water Thebarton Depot: a semi-triangular tract of land in the north-western corner of Narnungga/Park 25B that has been continuously used for the purposes of sewerage and water maintenance since its reservation in 1879.

SA Water Thebarton Depot buildings: a collection of various administrative, storage and maintenance structures in timber, corrugated iron and brick construction that have largely been erected since the 1930s, but excluding in this assessment category the c.1880 Adelaide Sewer & Waterworks Corporation office building.

Aerial view of Narnungga Park - PL15 West Parks Precinct - 1980

Existing Planning / Development Plan Context

Narnungga/Par 25 exists within the West Parks Precinct PL15 south of Port Road and the Bonython Park Precinct PL 16 north of Port Road, in the City of Adelaide Development Plan (pp. 443-448). Its ‘Environment’ is described as: PL15 West Parks Precinct

Environment – Planting Character and Landscape Design

The Precinct should retain its open woodland character which should be extended to screen buildings, the railway area to the west, and to define playing fields within the Precinct. The existing open space grassland along the railway corridor should be planted with native woodland.

The site of the SA Water Deport should be developed as a woodland area incorporating picnic sites.

Port Road Urban Forest was established on part of the Port Road road reservation near the East Terrace intersection in 2004-2005 using Adelaide Plains native plant species. A two segment low concrete seat/wall constructed as part of the Urban Forest development.

Permanent Structures

Advertising hoardings should not be permitted.
Additional buildings should only be permitted to provide facilities for approved sporting activities and passive recreational purposes.
Buildings should be rationalised and where unrelated to educational or recreational use, should be removed.

The SA Water Deport should be removed and the area returned to Park Lands for passive recreation usage.

Assessment Gallery

Entrance Gates (1): a set of cream brick pillars holding wrought iron gates with the motif ‘AWS’ thereon erected in the 1960s as part of renovation and security works at the Depot and located on the Deviation Road.

SA Water Thebarton Depot Old Office: located on the Port Road flank of the SA Water Thebarton Depot, an early 1880s single storey red brick detailed bluestone structure associated with the original Adelaide Sewer and Waterworks Corporation on the site as established on the site in 1879-1880.

The only extant structure of this period left within the SA Water Thebarton Depot compound possessing considerable merit as a representative component of the history of water and sewer supply to and administration thereof for Adelaide.

Ombu (Phytolaccia diocia) specimens: two relatively rare specimens as planted in the 1930s and probably the only mature specimens of this species extant in the Adelaide Park Lands and Squares, outside of the two specimens on the University of South Australia’s City East Campus, and an unusual and rare species in Adelaide overall.

These specimens are located adjacent to the extant 1880s Adelaide Sewer & Waterworks Corporation office on the Port Road frontage of the Depot compound.

Bowling Club Gateway: green painted red brick pedestrian entry pillars associated with the former Bowling Club in Narnungga/Park 25B.

Bowling Club: a bowling club facility that dates from the early 1910s sandwiched between the railway line and former “Deviation Road” and Henley Beach-Adelaide tramway route.

Bowling Club Structures: a series four of green painted corrugated iron and timber faced sheds, including 1 red brick green painted flat gabled corrugated iron roofed toilet block, with green painted corrugated iron and asbestos cement tiles.

Bowling Club Cotton Palms (Washingtonia filifera): planted adjacent to the Bowling Club main green and dating from the 1910s-20s period.

Deviation Road: a vehicular route extant in the 1880s-1920s period that swept around the south-eastern side of the Depot and thereafter closed to service the Henley Beach-Adelaide tramway route.

Entrance Gates (2): a set of cream brick pillars holding wrought iron gates erected in the 1960s as part of renovation and security works at the Depot and located on East Terrace.

East Terrace: a wide road reserve flanking the western side of the Depot that has a mature line of Sugar Gums (Eucalyptus cladocalyx).

Three lines of elderly East Terrace Pepper Trees (Schinus aeria var molle) probably planted in 1879-1880 as part of the establishment of the former Adelaide Sewer & Waterworks Corporation depot, including 3 ‘significant tree’ specimens, forming a segment of an overall planting along the East Terrace frontage of the Depot.