__NOTOC__ Aldinga Beach is an outer southern suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It lies within the City of Onkaparinga and has the postcode 5173. At the , Aldinga Beach had a population of 10,557. It lies about a kilometre west of the smaller suburb of Aldinga. The beach is a well-known spot for surfing, swimming,

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

, and snorkelling during the summer months. It overlooks an

aquatic reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

which has been created to safeguard a unique

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

formation. The Silver Sands beach and holiday area lies just south of Aldinga Beach.

History

Aboriginal use

Before

British colonisation of South Australia British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield ...

, the

Kaurna people The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...

occupied the land from the

Adelaide plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast (Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of Ade ...

and southwards down western side of the Fleurieu Peninsula. There was a camp at Aldinga known as Camp Coortandillah, and Kaurna people were present living in the Aldinga Scrub until the 1870s, when Bishop Augustus Short sent the remaining people to the mission at

Poonindie __NOTOC__ Poonindie is a small township near Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The land upon which it sits was originally the land of the Barngarla people. Poonindie Mission was established as a mission for Aboriginal people ...

, thus ending their occupation of the area. After they were removed, some Aboriginal people from the Goolwa area (

Ngarrindjeri The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian people of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The term ''Ngarrindjeri'' means "belo ...

people) occupied the area. The Kaurna language name of Aldinga was Ngaltingga.

European settlement

Aldinga Beach Post Office opened on 1 March 1960. Aldinga Beach has four places listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

. The former farmhouses at 5 Barramundi Way and 3726 Main South Road, Symond's Barn at 7 Stewart Avenue and 4-8 Sunset Parade are all listed on the register.

Protected areas

Aldinga Beach is associated with two protected areas - the

Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the suburb of Aldinga Beach, South Australia, Aldinga Beach about south by west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. ...

and the

Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters adjoining the east coast of Gulf St Vincent including land within the intertidal zone in the suburbs of Aldinga Beac ...

. The Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park is located within the southern extent of the suburb and on land in the adjoining suburb of

Sellicks Beach __NOTOC__ Sellicks Beach, formerly spelt Sellick's Beach, is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located within Adelaide metropolitan area about from the Adelaide city centre. It is an outer southern suburb of Adelaide and ...

. The Aldinga Reef aquatic reserve is located immediately offshore of both Aldinga Beach and

Port Willunga Port Willunga is a semi-rural suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is known as Wirruwarrungga or Ruwarunga by the traditional owners, the Kaurna people, and is of significance as being the site of a freshwater spring said to be created by the ...

and includes land within the intertidal zone of both suburbs.

Aldinga Washpool

Aldinga Washpool and Blue Lagoon are situated just to the south of the conservation park, with the Washpool area covering almost . The Blue Lagoon is a smaller

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

, situated at the north-eastern end. The Washpool is one of few remaining coastal

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

lagoon systems and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

on the coast of

greater Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

, and provides important habitat for waterbirds (such as the

hooded plover The hooded dotterel or hooded plover (''Thinornis cucullatus'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is endemic to southern Australia, where it inhabits ocean beaches and subcoastal lagoons. There are two recognised subspecies whic ...

) and other

flora and fauna In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi; ...

. The wetland fills up as the winter rains come, and can dry out from about October to May each year. It is a popular area for

birding Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

, and a breeding ground for the endangered

yellowish sedge skipper ''Hesperilla flavescens'', also known as the yellow sedge-skipper or yellowish skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The wingsp ...

butterfly. The Washpool area is also a place of great significance for the traditional owners, the Kaurna people, as it is the location of a

Tjirbruke Tjilbruke (also Tjirbruki, Tjilbruki, Tjirbruke, Tjirbuk or Tjirbuki,) is an important creator being, creation ancestor for the Kaurna people, Kaurna of the Adelaide plains in the Australian state of South Australia. Tjilbruke was a Kaurna man, ...

(the creator ancestor) freshwater spring, and part of the Dreaming Track dedicated in 1986. The Kaurna name was Wakondilla or Wangkondilla. The second version of the name (incorporating "wang") relates to a small possum, but it is not known which version is correct. The area was used for curing and drying animal skins, and there were freshwater springs nearby, around which were Kaurna campsites. Hunting would take place in the Aldinga Scrub, and fishing along

.PDF
/ref> Volunteers have been working on rewilding the area for many years, and they have been lobbying the state government to give the area protection. Among other measures, the volunteers have been planting

gahnia ''Gahnia'' (sawsedge, saw-sedge) is a genus of sedges native to China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and a number of Pacific Islands. The common name is due to the toothed margins. It often forms tussocks. Species Accept ...

seedlings, upon which the yellowish sedge skipper butterfly lives. The area has been the site of community activism since 1971, when the government announced that it intended to include the Blue Lagoon and Washpool in an extended the Aldinga Reserve (now Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park).

References

External links

Aldinga Beach Beachsafe webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldinga Beach, South Australia Suburbs of Adelaide Beaches of South Australia Gulf St Vincent