Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colonel Light GardensAdelaide, South Australia |
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Avenue
|
|||||||||||||||
 Colonel Light Gardens
Location in South Australia
|
|||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5041 | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Mitcham | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Elder | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Boothby | ||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
Colonel Light Gardens is a special suburb in Adelaide, Australia. It's about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) south of the city center. This area is known as a "garden suburb." This means it was planned to have lots of green spaces and beautiful homes. You'll see wide, tree-lined streets and many older, well-kept bungalow houses here.
The suburb has a primary school, a club for ex-service members (RSL), and several sports clubs. There are also many parks and gardens to explore. You can find paved and unpaved paths for walking or biking.
Colonel Light Gardens has an unusual shape. It mostly lies east of Goodwood Road. This larger part is bordered by Grange Road to the north and Springbank Road to the south. A smaller part of the suburb is west of Goodwood Road.
Contents
How Colonel Light Gardens Got Its Name
The land east of Goodwood Road was bought in 1915. It was first called Mortlock Park. For six years, people debated what to name the new suburb. Many ideas were suggested, like "Mitcham Garden Suburb" or "Light Gardens."
In 1921, it was decided that the name would be "Colonel Light Gardens." The suburb is named after Colonel William Light. He was the first Surveyor-General of Adelaide. This means he was in charge of planning the city's layout.
A smaller piece of land west of Goodwood Road was added to the suburb in 1924. Some people tried to rename this part "Daw Park," but it remained part of Colonel Light Gardens.
For many years, people in the northern part of the suburb used "Reade Park" as their address. They did this to feel different from the main area. This name was never official. However, you can still find the Reade Park Bowling Club, Tennis Club, and Croquet Club in this northern area.
A Look Back: History of Colonel Light Gardens
Before it became a suburb, the land east of Goodwood Road was called Grange Farm. During World War I, it was used as an army training camp.
In 1915, the government bought this land. They wanted to create a 'model garden suburb.' This idea came from a town planner named Charles Reade. He helped plan how towns should be built. South Australia hired him as their first official town planner.
The Post Office in the suburb first opened as Light's Gardens. It was renamed Colonel Light Gardens in 1929. Later, in 1967, it became Daw Park.
Until the 1970s, a special government group managed the suburb. This group followed the Garden Suburb Act. Eventually, the suburb became part of the Mitcham Council.
Colonel Light Gardens has many well-preserved bungalow homes. Because of its special design and history, it was added to the Register of The National Estate in 1999. In 2000, it was declared a State Heritage Area. This means it's a very important historical place in South Australia.
The suburb has a very interesting layout when seen from above. Some people think it looks like the rising sun symbol of the Australian military. Others say it looks like the Union Flag. However, it was not designed to look like either of these symbols.
Learning in Colonel Light Gardens
The main building of Colonel Light Gardens Primary School is a heritage-listed building. This means it's an important historical structure. Each building at the school is named after a famous person from South Australia. These include Isabell Doolette, William Ranson Mortlock, Charles Reade, Gil Langley, and Grange Farm. The school opened in 1926 and teaches about 630 students from Reception to Year 7.
Getting Around Colonel Light Gardens
You can travel around the suburb using Adelaide Metro buses. They run along Goodwood Road, East Parkway, Grange Road, and Springbank Road.
The closest railway stations are Mitcham and Torrens Park. These stations are on the Belair railway line. They are a bit of a walk to the east on Belair Road. The Clapham station used to be nearby but closed in 1995.
Colonel Light Gardens also used to have a tram line. This tram line was part of the Municipal Tramways Trust. It closed in the 1950s when most tram routes in Adelaide stopped running.
