Eden Hills, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Eden Hills is a suburb in the Mitcham Hills area, 12 km. south of Adelaide
, South Australia
in the local government area of the City of Mitcham
.
There was little settlement of the area until the early 1880s, when the railway from Adelaide to Nairne
opened, being the first stage in the plan to link Adelaide to Melbourne
. In 1883, a syndicate comprising John Whyte, James Cowan, Ebenezer Ward, John Hill, R.D. Moore, Seth Ferry and G.H. Catchlove acquired the sections of land where the suburb is now centred, and following a survey laid out the land into allotments.
Around that time Edwin Ashby
moved into the area. Ashby and fellow land agent and financier Ernest Saunders owned and largely developed much of Eden Hills from 1890 and Ashby established the property Wittunga (now the Wittunga Botanic Garden
) in Blackwood
.
The opening of the Eden Hills railway station in 1911 hastened development in the area. A post office and store opened in 1912 and a school (now Eden Hills Primary School) opened in 1916. The school's original stone classroom survives as a reception area. The Ashby family instigated the building of a Friends meeting house
in 1912 which served as a venue for several religious denominations, the local dramatic society and other community events. It was demolished in 1956. An Anglican
Parish Hall was built in 1927, and a Methodist church
established in 1937, moving to its current location (now Eden Hills Uniting Church
) in 1957.
A brickworks was established near the railway line and Shepherds Hill Road in 1881 to facilitate the building of railway tunnels and remained in operation until 1933. A smaller brickyard operated near Parham Road from 1884-1930. Nearby in Wade Road is Seaview, the oldest known residence in Eden Hills, built in 1849.
, Blackwood Primary School and Eden Hills Primary School are located in Eden Hills. Eden Hills railway station is on the Belair railway line. Eden Hills also has a Country Fire Service
Station, established in 1951.
in 1996. It comprises approximately 32 hectares and is considered a significant cultural landscape, exhibiting a diverse range of flora and provides an early example of nature conservation efforts in South Australia from the 1950s. The Reserve also contains remnants of the original 1880s Adelaide to Melbourne railway line, including an original single-track tunnel and concrete viaduct buttresses. The Reserve contains the first National Trust
plaque to be erected in South Australia, which was unveiled in 1959.
Watiparinga Reserve was developed as farmland in 1850-51 and acquired by Ernest Saunders and Edwin Ashby in 1911. The South Australian Railways
bought some of the land for the single-track railway line and viaduct in 1880. During World War II
the former railway tunnel in the reserve was used for safe storage of South Australian art treasures and is now used to grow mushrooms commercially. The property was transferred to Edwin Ashby in 1922 and farmed as part of his Wittunga property. In the late 1950s his daughter Alison Ashby began planting thousands of seedlings of Australian plants in Watiparinga. She eventually donated Watiparinga to the National Trust
in 1957.
in 1924, moved to Quorn
, then finally relocated to Eden Hills in 1942. At its Eden Hills location, Colebrook Home continued to house children, including prominent Aboriginal
Australian health worker and public administrator Lowitja O'Donoghue
. By 1956 the property was in poor condition and the home was finally closed in 1972 and demolished in 1973.
The Reconciliation Park was born out of meetings in the 1990s between a local reconciliation study group and the Tji Tji Tjuta (former residents) of Colebrook Home. This led to memorial works including Fountain of Tears, created in 1998 by Silvio Apponyi and Grieving Mother in 1999.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in the local government area of the City of Mitcham
City of Mitcham
The City of Mitcham is a Local Government Area situated in the foothills of eastern Adelaide, South Australia. Within its bounds is Flinders University, South Australia's third largest....
.
History
Whilst the derivation of the name is not conclusive, the Department of Lands Grant Book reveals the first land owner in the area was William Detmar Cook who purchased a property on 29 October 1839. Cook was Master of the barque Eden.There was little settlement of the area until the early 1880s, when the railway from Adelaide to Nairne
Nairne, South Australia
Nairne is a small township in South Australia and was founded by Matthew Smillie in 1839. Nairne is about 7 km from Mount Barker, in the federal Division of Mayo and in the state electoral district of Kavel...
opened, being the first stage in the plan to link Adelaide to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. In 1883, a syndicate comprising John Whyte, James Cowan, Ebenezer Ward, John Hill, R.D. Moore, Seth Ferry and G.H. Catchlove acquired the sections of land where the suburb is now centred, and following a survey laid out the land into allotments.
Around that time Edwin Ashby
Edwin Ashby
Edwin Ashby was an Adelaide based Australian property developer and a noted malacologist interested in chitons and ornithologist. He was a founding member of the South Australian Ornithological Association in 1899, and of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union in 1901 for which he served...
moved into the area. Ashby and fellow land agent and financier Ernest Saunders owned and largely developed much of Eden Hills from 1890 and Ashby established the property Wittunga (now the Wittunga Botanic Garden
Wittunga Botanic Garden
The Wittunga Botanic Garden is in Adelaide, South Australia, and is one of three botanic gardens that comprise the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide. It is located on Shepherds Hill Road, Blackwood, in the foothills...
) in Blackwood
Blackwood, South Australia
Blackwood is a south eastern suburb located in the foothills of Adelaide, South Australia.-History:The first use of the name "Blackwood" appears to have been before 1880, in relation to the "Blackwood Inn", a small hotel located where the Belair Hotel now stands, and was probably derived from the...
.
The opening of the Eden Hills railway station in 1911 hastened development in the area. A post office and store opened in 1912 and a school (now Eden Hills Primary School) opened in 1916. The school's original stone classroom survives as a reception area. The Ashby family instigated the building of a Friends meeting house
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
in 1912 which served as a venue for several religious denominations, the local dramatic society and other community events. It was demolished in 1956. An Anglican
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
Parish Hall was built in 1927, and a Methodist church
Methodist Church of Australasia
The Methodist Church of Australasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia.It ceased to exist in 1977 when most of its congregations joined with the many congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia to form the Uniting Church in...
established in 1937, moving to its current location (now Eden Hills Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
) in 1957.
A brickworks was established near the railway line and Shepherds Hill Road in 1881 to facilitate the building of railway tunnels and remained in operation until 1933. A smaller brickyard operated near Parham Road from 1884-1930. Nearby in Wade Road is Seaview, the oldest known residence in Eden Hills, built in 1849.
Places of interest
Blackwood High SchoolBlackwood High School
Blackwood High School is a co-educational secondary school located in Eden Hills, a south-eastern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia offering the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme with six nearby primary schools and Diploma Programme as the "Mitcham Hills College". It is also a...
, Blackwood Primary School and Eden Hills Primary School are located in Eden Hills. Eden Hills railway station is on the Belair railway line. Eden Hills also has a Country Fire Service
Country Fire Service
The SA Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia in Australia. Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated whilst at the same time they are under significant risk of bushfire. Due to economics, it is prohibitively expensive for each Australian town...
Station, established in 1951.
Watiparinga Reserve
Watiparinga Reserve and adjacent land near Gloucester Avenue in Eden Hills was added to the Register of the National EstateRegister of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
in 1996. It comprises approximately 32 hectares and is considered a significant cultural landscape, exhibiting a diverse range of flora and provides an early example of nature conservation efforts in South Australia from the 1950s. The Reserve also contains remnants of the original 1880s Adelaide to Melbourne railway line, including an original single-track tunnel and concrete viaduct buttresses. The Reserve contains the first National Trust
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
plaque to be erected in South Australia, which was unveiled in 1959.
Watiparinga Reserve was developed as farmland in 1850-51 and acquired by Ernest Saunders and Edwin Ashby in 1911. The South Australian Railways
Rail transport in South Australia
The first railway in colonial South Australia was a horse-drawn tramway from the port of Goolwa on the Murray River to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot in 1854...
bought some of the land for the single-track railway line and viaduct in 1880. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the former railway tunnel in the reserve was used for safe storage of South Australian art treasures and is now used to grow mushrooms commercially. The property was transferred to Edwin Ashby in 1922 and farmed as part of his Wittunga property. In the late 1950s his daughter Alison Ashby began planting thousands of seedlings of Australian plants in Watiparinga. She eventually donated Watiparinga to the National Trust
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
in 1957.
Colebrook Reconciliation Park
Colebrook Reconciliation Park in Eden Hills was established from 1998 as a memorial to the children who were removed from their families and housed at Colebrook Home, a "United Aborigines" mission which had originated in OodnadattaOodnadatta, South Australia
Oodnadatta, South Australia, is a small town surrounded by an area of with cattle stations in arid pastoral rangelands close to the Simpson Desert, north of Adelaide and 112 m above sea level. It can be reached by an unsealed road from Coober Pedy or via the unsealed Oodnadatta Track from...
in 1924, moved to Quorn
Quorn, South Australia
Quorn is a township and railhead in the Flinders Ranges in the north of South Australia, 39 km northeast of Port Augusta. At the 2006 census, Quorn had a population of 1068.Quorn is the home of the Flinders Ranges Council local government area...
, then finally relocated to Eden Hills in 1942. At its Eden Hills location, Colebrook Home continued to house children, including prominent Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
Australian health worker and public administrator Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Ms Lowitja "Lois" O'Donoghue, AC, CBE, DSG is an Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator.She was named Australian of the Year in 1984 and 1990, and was inaugural chairperson of the now dissolved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission .-Personal life:Lowitja O'Donoghue was the...
. By 1956 the property was in poor condition and the home was finally closed in 1972 and demolished in 1973.
The Reconciliation Park was born out of meetings in the 1990s between a local reconciliation study group and the Tji Tji Tjuta (former residents) of Colebrook Home. This led to memorial works including Fountain of Tears, created in 1998 by Silvio Apponyi and Grieving Mother in 1999.