One Tree Hill is a town on the outskirts 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 is located in the

City of Playford The City of Playford is a local government area of South Australia in Adelaide's northern suburbs. It was named in recognition of Sir Thomas Playford, who played a part in the development of the area, and was South Australia's premier from 1938 ...

History

The town takes its name from the 'One Tree Hill Inn' (licensed in 1851), for many years the meeting place of the

District Council of Munno Para East The District Council of Munno Para East was a local government area of South Australia from 1853 to 1958, seated at Uleybury. History The District Council of Munno Para East was Proclaimed by Governor Sir Henry Young on 10 November 1853 to gov ...

. The inn's name, in turn, referred to a giant red gum tree which stood on the intersection of Black Top Road and Walters Road. The tree burnt down in 1890 and was cut down in 1934 and replaced with 5 trees which can still be seen today.

Aboriginal history

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. Kaurna ...

were the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

inhabitants of the Adelaide region, which includes One Tree Hill. The Peramangk people, living further inland, visited the area from time to time, chiefly in the warmer parts of the year. This was due to the area being cooler and better watered than the plains. The hills at this time were well wooded with tree species that had been in the area for around 6000 years. Along the rivers and creeks and wide valleys could be found tall, heavy eucalypts, many of which had wide, hollowed bases large enough for the Aboriginals to use as shelters. There were many such shelter trees in use by the Kaurna and Peramangk as late as the 1840s, and evidence exists that they hunted and gathered in the woodlands and grasslands for many generations prior to European settlement. Unfortunately, the community declined soon after European settlement, and most of what we know about them today comes from the few artifacts and sparse archaeological evidence that they left behind.

European settlement

Europeans settled the area in the early 1840s, and the township commenced in 1851 with the building of the One Tree Hill Inn. The settlement was located in a strategic location, being close to several larger towns (such as Gawler and Salisbury) with facilities, and became the meeting place of the surrounding rural community, including Gould Creek and Uleybury. A post office and general store were built in 1858 which featured a large cellar where produce including local wine was sold. In 1906, the Institute, which cost about £600, was built across the road from the post office, and became a town meeting place and recreation centre, which was expanded considerably in 1978. One Tree Hill Post Office opened on 19 May 1857.

Demographics

The 2016 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 1,095 persons in One Tree Hill on census night. Of these, 569 (52.2%) were male and 522 (47.8%) were female. The majority of residents 791 (72.7%) are of Australian birth, with 155 14.2% born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The median age of One Tree Hill residents is 45. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 16.8% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.9% of the population.

Community

The township has one primary school and several historic primary school buildings: Precolumb School (1855-1938), Uley School (1856 to 1971, now the Uleybury School Museum). In 1972 the current primary school was built on McGilp Road. One Tree Hill has an Institute Hall built 1906 and Uniting Church built 1867 (originally Methodist) and many historic buildings. The township has a small shopping centre and a hotel named the Blacksmiths Inn.

Attractions

Parks

The Para Wirra Conservation Park is north-east of the town.Para Wirra Recreation Park
Retrieved 22 March 2013

Transport

There is no specific provision for bicycles on any of the local roads. There are footpaths on most roads within the town and along Black Top Road in some sections up three kilometres west of the town using land from the old alignment of the road.

Roads

The town is serviced by the following main roads: * Black Top Road to

and

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

* Yorktown Road to

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

* Gawler - Kersbrook Road to

Kersbrook Kersbrook (formerly Maidstone) is a town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area. At the 2006 census, Kersbrook had a population of 367. History The first settlers established farms in t ...

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

and Williamstown * One Tree Hill Road to Golden Grove

Public transport

The area is not serviced by Adelaide public transport; the nearest service is an

Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal system offering an integrated network of bus, tram, and train service throughout the metropolitan area. The network has an ann ...

bus route at Craigmore, five kilometres to the west of the town. From the commencement of a Bowman's bus service around 1937 until Friday 14 May 1982, a daily bus service ran from the township to Adelaide via Golden Grove and North East Road (Route 540E). Before that the nearest transport was at Smithfield Railway Station.

References

External links

City of PlayfordLocal Government Association of SA - City of Playford2006 ABS Census Data by Location
{{authority control Suburbs of Adelaide