Onkaparinga River Recreation Park is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

occupying land in the estuary of the

Onkaparinga River The Onkaparinga River, known as Ngangkiparri or Ngangkiparingga ("place of the women’s river") in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Southern Adelaide region in the Australian state of South Australia. Rising in the Mount Lofty Ran ...

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 ...

. The recreation park which was established in 1985 is approximately from

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre (Kaurna: Tarndanya) is the inner city locality of 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 Ade ...

. It is the venue for recreational activities such as

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...

and

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

Description

The recreation park occupies the majority of the portion of the river's catchment area between

Main South Road South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. As ...

near

Old Noarlunga Old Noarlunga (formerly Noarlunga) is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located about south of the state capital of Adelaide. Originally settled around 1840, the town retains its village atmosphere in spite of encroaching subur ...

in the east and Commercial and Saltfleet Roads at Port Noarlunga in the west. The occupied land is located within the following suburbs in the

City of Onkaparinga The City of Onkaparinga () is a local government area (LGA) located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from ''Ngangkiparinga'', a Kaurna word meaning women's river. It i ...

Noarlunga Downs Noarlunga Downs is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies within the City of Onkaparinga and has postcode 5168. The suburb is the home of Hickinbotham Oval, the home ground of the South Adelaide Football Club who play in ...

Port Noarlunga South Port Noarlunga South is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area on the coastline of Gulf St Vincent about south of the state capital of Adelaide. Port Noarlunga South started as a private s ...

and Seaford Meadows. A combined pedestrian/cycle track known as the

Coast to Vines Rail Trail The Coast to Vines rail trail is a rail trail in the Australian state of South Australia following the course of the disused Willunga railway line in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, and runs for 34 k ...

has an

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

that passes through the recreation park on its east side following the alignment of the former

Willunga railway line The Willunga railway line ran through the southern Adelaide suburbs from Adelaide railway station to Willunga, over long (longer than the current Gawler line, ). The line was opened in Willunga by the Governor of South Australia Sir Henry Gal ...

. The

Seaford railway line The Seaford railway line is a suburban commuter line in Adelaide, South Australia. History Before the extension of the line to Noarlunga Centre in 1978, the Willunga line ran from Hallett Cove station on a different route through Reynella, ...

passes over the recreation park on a elevated bridge (known as the Onkaparinga Valley Bridge) which was built between 2011 and 2014. It is classified as an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Category III protected area.

History

Most of the land now dedicated to the recreation park was purchased in the period 1973 to 1977 by a former SA government agency, the State Planning Authority. The purpose of the land acquisition which included land along the full length of Onkaparinga River was threefold. Firstly, it was ‘to provide open space for recreational purposes’, secondly, ‘to preserve the natural character of the landscape, including the native flora and fauna’ and thirdly, ‘to function as a buffer between areas of urban and rural land.’ In 1982, the majority of the land was transferred to the then Department for Environment and Heritage which established the recreation park in 1985. In 1993, all of the land east of Main South Road (known as the gorge section’) was reclassified as the

Onkaparinga River National Park Onkaparinga River National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about south of Adelaide city centre. It extends over the floodplain of the Onkaparinga River east of Main South Road. History Most o ...

. For managerial and administrative purposes, the recreation park and the national park are known collectively as the ‘Onkaparinga River Reserve’.

Prior use of the land

Aboriginal use

As of 2004,

radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

of material recovered via archaeological excavation from known Aboriginal sites in the river's estuary suggest continuous use of the land prior to European colonisation for as long ago as 7,500 years BP.

European use

Land in the locality including the Onkaparinga floodplain was surveyed and became available for

selection Selection may refer to: Science * Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution ** Sex selection, in genetics ** Mate selection, in mating ** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality ** Human mating strategie ...

in February 1839. Most of the land in the recreation park was a farm originally purchased about 1861 by John Jared, an immigrant who arrived from

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

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 original purchase of was expanded to . Jared named the farm ‘Clear Farm’ and built a house on the property in 1862. Jared was succeeded in 1871 by his son, John William, who renamed the property ‘Pringle Farm’. The property remained in the Jared family until the 1970s when it was purchased by the State Planning Authority. The remains of Pringle Farm which was 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'' ...

on 11 April 1996 are conserved within the recreation park.

Recreational uses

The recreation park features a system of walking tracks. Two are named and signposted: the Wetlands Walk on the north side of the river and the Pringle Farm Walk on the south side of the river. Canoeing, kayaking and recreational fishing is permitted in the waters of the Onkaparinga River within the recreation park's boundaries.

Dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

s are permitted in the recreation park, but must be kept on a

leash A leash (also called a lead, lead line or tether) is a rope or similar material used to control an animal by attaching it to a collar, harness, or halter. In British English, a leash is generally for a larger (possibly dangerous or aggressive) ...

at all times. Vehicle parking areas,

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popul ...

and a picnic ground are provided both within the recreation park and just outside its boundaries. A recreational

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

of length which is known as the Old Noarlunga Airfield is located in the south east corner of the recreation park. It is leased by two organisations, the South Coast Flying Club Inc and the Noarlunga Model Aero Sports Inc, for flying respectively vintage aircraft and

model aircraft A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models. Aircraft manufactur ...

Associated protected areas

The full extent of the River Onkaparinga from the recreational park's eastern boundary at Old Noarlunga to its western boundary at Port Noarlunga is part of both the

Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters in Gulf St Vincent adjoining the Adelaide metropolitan area and including part of the Onkaparinga River about ...

and the

Encounter Marine Park Encounter Marine Park is a marine park in South Australia. It is in the Fleurieu Peninsula in state of South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part ...

. With respect to the aquatic reserve, the only permitted fishing activity is ‘ line fishing and hand net fishing for bait shrimp only’.

References

External links

Onkaparinga River National Park and Recreation Park official webpageFriends of Onkaparinga Park IncOnkaparinga River Recreation Park webpage on protected planet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onkaparinga River Recreation Park Recreation Parks of South Australia Protected areas in Adelaide Protected areas established in 1985 1985 establishments in Australia