Urrbrae, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Urrbrae Adelaide, South Australia
Old Toll House. Urrbrae is to the right.
Urrbrae Location in South Australia
Postcode(s)	5064
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	5.6 km (3 mi) SE of Adelaide CBD
LGA(s)	City of Mitcham
Region	Southern Adelaide
County	Adelaide
State electorate(s)	Waite
Federal Division(s)	Boothby
Suburbs around Urrbrae: Highgate Myrtle Bank Glen Osmond Glen Osmond Netherby Urrbrae Glen Osmond Mount Osmond Netherby Netherby Springfield Brown Hill Creek Mount Osmond
Footnotes	Adjoining suburbs

Urrbrae is a suburb found in Adelaide, South Australia. It is part of the City of Mitcham.

This area is located at the base of the Adelaide Hills. To its east, you'll find the South Eastern Freeway and the Old Toll House. This historic building was once the main entry point to the city of Adelaide in the 1800s.

Discover the History of Urrbrae

In the early 1850s, a man named Robert Forsyth Macgeorge bought land here. He built a house and called his estate Urrbrae. He named it after a village in Scotland called Haugh of Urr. The word brae means a hillside, especially one near a river or creek. One of his famous sons was the architect James Macgeorge.

Who Lives in Urrbrae?

According to the 2016 Census, 966 people lived in Urrbrae. About 47.3% were boys and men, and 52.7% were girls and women.

Most residents (68.5%) were born in Australia. Other common birthplaces included China (5.3%) and England (5.2%).

The age of people in Urrbrae is similar to the rest of Australia. About 71.1% of residents were over 25 years old in 2016. About 28.9% were younger than 25.

What Can You See and Do in Urrbrae?

Explore Urrbrae House Historic Precinct

Urrbrae House

Urrbrae House is a large, two-storey house made of bluestone. You can find it on Walter Young Avenue, within the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide. This house is not the original one that gave the suburb its name. The current house was finished in 1891 by a kind person named Peter Waite. It replaced the first house owned by Robert MacGeorge. Peter Waite, who was also from Scotland, likely decided to keep the name Urrbrae.

For many years, Urrbrae House was the home of Peter Waite, his wife Matilda, and their children. After Peter and Matilda passed away, their two daughters gave the house to the University of Adelaide in February 1923.

Did you know that Urrbrae House was the very first home in Adelaide to have electricity?

Today, the house and the land around it are known as the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct. It's a special part of the university campus.

Visit St Paul's Retreat Monastery

On Cross Road, in the northern part of Urrbrae, you'll find the Roman Catholic monastery called St Paul's Retreat. This building used to be a fancy mansion named The Glen. It was once lived in by a retired judge from India. Later, it belonged to the Boothby family before being sold in 1896 to a Catholic group called the Passionist order.

Besides the monastery, St Paul's Retreat also has a convent and other buildings.

Discover the Waite Research Precinct

The Waite Research Precinct is a hub for science and learning. It includes the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus and several other important research places:

• Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) – They study plant genes.
• Australian Grain Technologies – They work on improving grains.
• Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) – They research wine.
• CSIRO research laboratories – A big science organization.
• Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) – They help with farming and regional areas.
• South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) – They do research for South Australia.
• Urrbrae Agricultural High School – A school focused on farming.

Learn at the University of Adelaide Waite Campus

The University of Adelaide's Waite Campus is mostly in the western and southwestern parts of Urrbrae. It also reaches into the nearby suburbs of Springfield and Brown Hill Creek.

This campus was built on land given by Peter Waite, the former owner of Urrbrae House. It has several research facilities:

• Waite Research Institute (WRI) – A place for scientific studies.
• Waite Conservation Reserve – An area dedicated to protecting nature.
• Waite Arboretum – A collection of different trees for study.

Enjoy Urrbrae's Parks

You can find parks and small nature reserves scattered throughout the suburb. They are great places to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

How to Get Around Urrbrae

Roads for Driving

Cross Road forms the northern edge of Urrbrae. Fullarton Road makes up part of the eastern border. The South Eastern Freeway also begins here.

Public Transport Options

Urrbrae has public transport services run by Adelaide Metro. You can use buses to get around the area.