O'Sullivan Beach, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids O'Sullivan BeachAdelaide, South Australia |
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 O'Sullivan Beach
Location in South Australia
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| Established | 1926 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5166 | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Onkaparinga | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Southern Adelaide | ||||||||||||||
| County | Adelaide | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Reynell | ||||||||||||||
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| Footnotes | Adjoining suburbs | ||||||||||||||
O'Sullivan Beach is a coastal suburb located south of Adelaide, in South Australia. It is part of the City of Onkaparinga area. This suburb has its own unique postcode, which is 5166.
How O'Sullivan Beach Developed
The story of O'Sullivan Beach began a very long time ago, even before European settlers arrived. About 40,000 years ago, the Aboriginal Kaurna people used this coastal area. They would stay here at different times of the year. A special spot for their camps was near the mouth of Christie Creek. This creek was also one of the last places where traditional burial ceremonies were held.
In 1838, a large area of land, stretching from Glenelg to Christies Beach, was opened for settlement. Many farmers started to claim plots of land along what was then called Anderson Creek. This area remained mostly farmland until 1923. That year, a woman named Rosa Christie created the first "subdivision" here. This means she divided a large piece of land into smaller plots for houses. She named this new area Christies Beach.
A few years later, in 1926, the suburb of O'Sullivan Beach was also divided into smaller plots by a group of developers. They named the suburb after Ignatius O’Sullivan. He came from Ireland and settled in this area around 1840.
O'Sullivan Beach was developed to provide homes for people working nearby. There were new factories and an oil refinery being built in the Lonsdale area. In the 1960s and 1970s, the South Australian Housing Trust built many homes here. These were public housing, meaning they were built by the government. Over time, most of these homes have been bought by private families.
Boat Ramp for Easy Access
O'Sullivan Beach has a large boat ramp, which makes it easy to launch and land boats. There are strong walls, called breakwaters, that protect the ramp from waves. For over 30 years, a small shop that sold snacks and fishing gear was next to the ramp. There is also a big parking area with great views of the coast and ocean. As of 2021, the local council manages the boat ramp. You can buy permits to launch your boat from the City of Onkaparinga.
Amazing Shellfish Reef
In November 2021, something special was built about 500 meters offshore from O'Sullivan Beach. It's an artificial shellfish reef, which means it's a man-made underwater structure. This reef covers an area about the size of five football fields. Young native flat oysters, called Ostrea angasi, have been placed on the reef.
The reef itself is made from limestone rocks and seven tonnes of oyster shells. These shells came from oyster farms on the Eyre Peninsula. The reef sits in water about 10 meters deep and rises half a meter above the seabed. This is the third reef of its kind built in South Australia. Similar projects are near Ardrossan (Windara Reef) and Glenelg. This new reef is expected to help make the water cleaner. It will also provide a home for many different kinds of sea creatures.
