Penfield, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Penfield Adelaide, South Australia
Penfield Location in City of Playford
Postcode(s)	5121
LGA(s)	City of Playford
State electorate(s)	Taylor
Federal Division(s)	Spence
Suburbs around Penfield: Penfield Gardens MacDonald Park Eyre Virginia Penfield Edinburgh North Waterloo Corner Direk Edinburgh

Penfield is a suburb located north of Adelaide, South Australia. It is part of the City of Playford.

The area was named after William Penfold. He was one of the first settlers here. In 1856, he divided his land to create the town of Penfield. Before that, it was often called Peachey Belt.

Over time, Penfield changed a lot. The government bought much of the land for military buildings, like a factory that made explosives. Because of this, Penfield today is mostly used for businesses and factories, not homes. The original town center is no longer a busy place.

A small cemetery is all that remains of the old Zoar Bible Christian Church, which was built in 1855.

History of Penfield

Before European settlers arrived, the Kaurna people lived on this land. They were the original inhabitants.

Early Settlers and the Village

The area was surveyed in 1849. Early settlers came in the 1850s. They cleared the land to grow crops like wheat and to raise animals.

William Friend Penfold was one of the first people to buy land here. In 1853, he opened a hotel called the Plough and Harrow. This hotel closed in 1893 and was later destroyed by fire.

In 1856, William Penfold divided his land. He created a village where Penfield and Argent Roads meet. Today, this intersection is surrounded by RAAF Base Edinburgh.

Many settlers joined the Bible Christian Church. This was a type of Methodist church. The Zoar Bible Christian Church was built in 1855. It was taken down in 1956, but its small cemetery is still there. You can find it near the Max Fatchen Expressway.

In its early years, the village had two general stores, a police station, the church, and the hotel. The Penfield Post Office opened around 1856 and closed in 1951. A government school opened in 1874 and closed around 1940. Another church, Sturton Primitive Methodist Church, is still standing on the RAAF property.

The Name Peachey Belt

The area was known as Peachey Belt until 1858. There are two ideas about where this name came from:

• It might have come from the native peach trees, also called quandongs, that grew in the area.
• It might have been named after Peter Peachey, a surveyor who was interested in South Australia in 1833.

World War II Changes

In September 1940, during World War II, the Australian government bought a large amount of land in Penfield. They needed the land to build a factory. This factory, called the Salisbury explosives factory, made explosives and filled them into weapons. Part of the area was later renamed Edinburgh.

The government paid a low price for the land. This caused problems with the landowners. However, the war was very important, so the farming families had to leave their land. This led to the old town of Penfield being largely destroyed.

After the war, the factory was used for scientific research. It became the Long Range Weapons Establishment (LRWE). This later changed to the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) and then the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). The Edinburgh Airfield opened in 1954.

Penfield Today

The boundaries of Penfield have changed several times. The current boundaries were set more recently.

In the 2010s, the eastern part of Penfield was developed for new homes. In 2017, this section became a new suburb called Eyre.

The western part of Penfield is mostly an industrial area. It is located around the northern side of RAAF Base Edinburgh. It also sits south of the Max Fatchen Expressway. This area includes a large freight terminal. Here, goods are moved between trains and trucks. It also has a big warehouse for a wine company.