Dry Creek, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dry Creek Adelaide, South Australia
Barker Inlet wetlands at Dry Creek
Dry Creek Location in South Australia
Postcode(s)	5094
LGA(s)	City of Salisbury City of Port Adelaide Enfield
State electorate(s)	Port Adelaide (2018) Enfield (2015)
Federal Division(s)	Makin
Suburbs around Dry Creek: Garden Island Barker Inlet Bolivar Globe Derby Park Gillman Dry Creek Mawson Lakes Cavan Gillman Gillman Wingfield Kilburn Gepps Cross
Footnotes	Adjoining suburbs

Flooded Dry Creek explosives depot

Dry Creek is a suburb located north of Adelaide, a major city in South Australia. It is mainly an industrial suburb, meaning it has many factories and businesses. Dry Creek is also home to important wetlands, which are areas of land covered by water.

For many years, a large part of Dry Creek was used for making salt. Huge salt pans were used to collect salt until 2014. There are now plans to build new homes on this land. This idea for 10,000 new homes was first suggested in 2008 and brought up again in 2013. After salt production stopped in 2014, the company that managed the salt pans sold the land in 2016.

What is Dry Creek Named After?

Dry Creek gets its name from the Dry Creek, which is a stream and drain. This stream flows through the suburb and eventually reaches Swan Alley. Swan Alley is a tidal channel that connects to the Barker Inlet and then to Gulf St Vincent.

History of Dry Creek's Industries and Homes

In 1923, a soap factory called W. H. Burford & Sons was built here. It was located near the Dry Creek railway station. Before that, the site was used for smelting metal from Broken Hill.

A special "garden suburb" was also designed for the factory workers. This area was planned by W. J. Earle. Although the name Burford Gardens is no longer used, you can still find its original streets. These include Flame Avenue, Gum Avenue, Wattle Avenue, Grevillea Avenue, and Bushwood Avenue.

The old buildings of the Dry Creek explosives depot are also in the suburb. These buildings are now protected as a State heritage site. They are located on Magazine Road, between the Salisbury Highway South Road Connector and the former salt pans.

Exploring the Dry Creek Wetlands

The Dry Creek wetlands are made up of many different parts. They stretch from the eastern side of the suburb all the way to the sea. These wetlands are an important part of the storm water management system. They help control water flow for the City of Salisbury and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

The wetlands are connected to many drains across the Adelaide Plains. They also receive stormwater from pipes. Some parts of the wetlands have been carefully designed and planted. However, public access to these areas is limited.

Wildlife and Plants in the Wetlands

The wetlands are a safe place for many animals and plants. They have one of the most southern mangrove habitats in the world. Mangroves are special trees that grow in salty water. The wetlands also have large areas of reeds and samphire plants.

You can find many different birds and fish living here. The wetlands flow into the Barker Inlet through North Arm creek. The entire area is part of the Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area. This means it's a very important place for birds.

How to Get Around Dry Creek

Harvesting salt from Dry Creek's salt pans

Dry Creek has its own railway station, called Dry Creek railway station. This station is on the Gawler railway line. There used to be another train line, the Northfield railway line, which branched off from Dry Creek station. However, this line was closed in 1987.

Dry Creek was also a place where trains could change their wheels. This was called a bogie exchange. It was needed because different train tracks sometimes have different widths.

Major roads also pass through Dry Creek. The Port River Expressway goes from east to west through the suburb. The North–South Motorway provides a new route for traffic going north and south.