Glenunga is an inner southeastern suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, the capital of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It is located in the City of Burnside, five kilometres southeast of the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre () is the inner city locality of Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide l ...

. The name Glenunga is a composite of Aboriginal and Scottish words, "unga" meaning near and "glen" from the nearby Glen Osmond Bounded on the north by Windsor Road, the east by

Portrush Road Portrush Road is a major arterial route through the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. This name covers many consecutive streets and is not widely known to most drivers except for the southernmost section, as the entire ...

, the south-west by

Glen Osmond Road Glen Osmond Road is a major section of the Princes Highway (and Highway 1) in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Connecting the Adelaide city centre with the Adelaide Hills via the South Eastern Freeway; Glen Osmond Road carries around 22% ...

and the west by Conyngham Street, the leafy suburb forms a rough triangular layout.

History

Glenunga, along with its neighbouring suburb of Glenside, were once known as 'Knoxville'. The first European settlers of the area (in the 1840s) took up farming, and wheat grown in the area was awarded first prize in the Royal Adelaide Show. The area now occupied by

Glenunga International High School Glenunga International High School (GIHS), formerly Glenunga High School (GHS), is a publicly-funded international school in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located approximately south-east of the Adelaide city centre in the suburb of Glenung ...

and Webb Oval were previously home to

slaughterhouse In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...

s established in 1882. At one point, the slaughterhouses were exporting overseas and at the same time providing half of Adelaide's lamb requirements. A number of coach companies, notably those of William Rounsevell,

Cobb & Co Cobb & Co was the name used by several independent Australian coach businesses. The first company to use 'Cobb & Co' was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name grew to great prominence in the late 19th century, ...

and John Hill, were set up in the 1870s and 1880s. Up to 1,000 horses grazed the land. At this time most of the streets were beginning to be named, and most were named by the inhabitants after their original homes in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the United States. However, one street was named after an Aboriginal word - "Allinga", meaning sun. In the early 20th century, a number of businesses were located in Glenunga. The South Australian icon, the

Hills Hoist A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, designed to permit the compact hanging of wet clothes so that their maximum area can be exposed for wind drying by rotation. They are considered one of Australia's most recognisable Cu ...

, was invented by the Hill family in Glenunga. Other notable businesses were the Symons & Symons glass merchants on Windsor Road, and one involved in "Bland Radios". A church was established in 1926, and a larger church was built in 1956 and dedicated to

St Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

. The suburb's transition from a largely rural area to a residential suburb began after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with migration to the area from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and other countries. St. Stephen's Church was demolished in 1999, with the church community moving to the growing St. Saviour's Church in Glen Osmond. A plaque was left as a reminder of where it had once stood.

Geography

The suburb is very leafy with many trees which make up for the lack of parks and reserves. There are more parks in nearby Glen Osmond, such as the popular Ridge Park. Glenunga

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...

is located on the corner of L'Estrange Street and Bevington Road.

Transport

Public transport services to the suburb are by buses which service

every 15 minutes until 6pm, and there are other bus routes into the city, and the cross-city circle line along Portrush Road. The buses are provided by the

Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...

. However, the majority of commuters still use motor cars and Glenunga is well placed for this, bordering

and

. Glenunga residents can reach the Adelaide CBD by various routes, and the

Adelaide Hills The Adelaide Hills region is located in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. The largest town in the area, Mount Barker, South Australia, Mount Barker, is one of Australia's fastest-growi ...

by way of Glen Osmond Road and the

South Eastern Freeway South Eastern Freeway is a freeway in South Australia (SA). It is a part of the National Highway network linking the state capital cities of Adelaide, SA, and Melbourne, Victoria, and is signed as route M1. It carries traffic over the Adel ...

Population

Residents

The suburb is home to a number of families and retirees of predominantly Anglo-Celtic background.

Attractions

Due to the small size of the suburb, there is only one main park, Glenunga Reserve, which also contains Webb Oval. More than anything else in the suburb, the

brings it prominence both in Australia and overseas. The school campus is an easily identifiable part of Glenunga, being situated roughly in the middle of the suburb. The school's expansion and development have aided in the once-quiet L'Estrange Street being clogged with both traffic and students at peak hour and other times. A number of businesses and shops are located along Glen Osmond Road and Conyngham Street. These include a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

, Chinese and Mexican restaurants, and a number of small businesses and motels. Conyngham Street contains the headquarters of DECS and empty commercial blocks are waiting to undergo development.

Politics

Glenunga is in the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

Electoral District of Bragg Bragg is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. The seat is named after the eminent physicists Bragg – William Henry and his son, William Lawrence. The electorate is largely suburban and encompasses a s ...

and the Federal

Division of Sturt The Division of Sturt is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in South Australia. It was proclaimed at the South Australian redistribution of 11 May 1949. Sturt was named for Captain Charles St ...

, and is a solid Liberal-voting area.

References

{{City of Burnside suburbs Suburbs of Adelaide