Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (previously spelt Mullawirraburka), and numbered as Park 14, is a recreation park located in the East Park Lands of the

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 ...

n capital 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 ...

. There is an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

with

rowboats Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reaction (physics), reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to ...

for hire, a café,

children's playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people w ...

and

rose garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

, and the

Adelaide Bowling Club Adelaide Bowling Club was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bowling club in South Australia. The club was founded as the result of a public meeting called by Henry F. Dench and chaired by J. H. Finlayson. The Governor, Sir T. Fowell Buxton acc ...

is on the Dequetteville Terrace side. The

O-Bahn Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of schedules even during rush hours. Unlike trolleybuses or rubber-tired tra ...

passes underneath it, to emerge at the western side opposite

Grenfell Street Grenfell Street () is a major street in the north-east quarter of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. The street runs west-east from King William Street to East Terrace. On the other side of King William Street, it continues as Currie S ...

. Before and in the early days of the

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 eastern park lands were used as camping grounds for the local

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 ...

and later people from other nearby

Aboriginal peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

, such as the

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 ...

. The park underwent extensive redevelopment, including the construction of the lake, around 1959–1960. It has been used for many cultural and sporting events, in particular

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...

Feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

and Festival of Arts events,

Carnevale in Adelaide Carnevale in Adelaide is an annual Italian festival held in Adelaide, South Australia which follows the centuries-old Christian tradition of Carnevale which is the last celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent - see Carnival. ...

, the

Adelaide International Horse Trials The Adelaide Equestrian Festival is an annual three-day event held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It was known as the Australian International Three Day Event up until 2022. It comprises dressage, cross-country and show-jumping a ...

. The Fringe venue hub set up on the western side of the park is known as Gluttony.

History

Early history of the area

Before European settlement, the eastern parklands were used by the

, as a meeting and camping area. In the late 19th century,

Poltpalingada Booboorowie Poltpalingada Booboorowie (born – died 4 July 1901) was a prominent Aboriginal man of the Thooree clan of the Ngarrindjeri nation, who lived among the community of fringe dwellers in Adelaide, South Australia during the 1890s. He was a ...

, a personality well-known among the European settlers as Tommy Walker, a

man, and other

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

sometimes referred to as the "

fringe-dwellers The term fringe dwellers has been used in Australia to describe groups of Aboriginal Australians who camp on the outskirts of towns and cities, from which they have become excluded, generally through law or land alienation as a result of colonis ...

" camped in the area. They were forced to move from the area, first to the

Adelaide Botanic Garden The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old ...

area and then to Glenelg. East Tce power station

Creation of park (1960)

Keith Conlon Keith Conlon, LL.B. 1968, B.A. 1968 (University of Adelaide), OAM, is a veteran Australian broadcaster based in Adelaide. Conlon previously presented talk radio station 5AA's breakfast program with Jane Reilly, and formerly with Jon Blake, ...

described the area as "bare, swampy in winter, and populated by cows" from the time that Adelaide was founded and the parklands established by

Colonel Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site o ...

, and 120 years later. The Adelaide Bowling Club moved to its present location, with its entrance off Dequetteville Terrace, in 1958. In 1959–60,

Adelaide City Council The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...

made many improvements to the park area. Following a tour overseas, Town Clerk

William Veale Brigadier William Charles Douglas Veale, (16 May 1895 – 17 August 1971), generally known as W. C. D. Veale, was an Australian engineer, surveyor and soldier. He is best known as the longtime (1947–1965) town clerk of the Adelaide City Counc ...

suggested an

, playground and

picnic area 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 ...

. The new facilities were opened by Lord Mayor Charles John Glover in late 1960. The park was named after Sir

Arthur Rymill Sir Arthur Campbell Rymill (8 December 1907 – 27 March 1989) was a businessman, solicitor and Lord Mayor of Adelaide, South Australia. History Born in Adelaide, the son of businessman Arthur Graham Rymill (9 May 1868 – 10 September 1934) ...

, Lord Mayor of Adelaide from 1950 to 1954 and council member for 23 years, who had actively supported the extension and improvement of Adelaide’s parklands. The lake was constructed in 1959 and the rose gardens were created in the 1960s by excavating what was then the Bartels Road

rubbish tip A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...

Dual naming (2003)

Following the Council's ''Reconciliation Vision Statement'' in 1997, it set about applying

dual naming Dual naming is the adoption of an official place name that combines two earlier names, or uses both names, often to resolve a disagreement over which of the two individual names is more appropriate. In some cases, the reasons are political. Some ...

of many city sites and features, deciding on a

Kaurna 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 ...

name in collaboration with appropriate authorities and community organisations. In 2003 the final group of names were endorsed, and the name Mullawirraburka was applied to Rymill Park. The spelling was later revised to Murlawirrapurka, as a more correct transcription of Kaurna. (Also on Google Books.) The name Murlawirrapurka was the name of a Kaurna man, known to settlers as "King John", "King Jack", or "Onkaparinga Jack". His name was derived from Kaurna words (old spelling) ''mulla'' − dry and ''wirra'' – forest, which together made the name of Mullawirra, the "territory" in the Aldinga- Willunga area which Murlawirrapurka inherited from his father, and ''burka'' – " elder". He was one of three elders well-known to the colonists (along with

Kadlitpina Rundle Park / Kadlitpina (formerly spelt Kadlitpinna), also known as Park 13, is a part of the Adelaide Park Lands in Adelaide, South Australia. It was known as Rundle Park until its Kaurna name was assigned as part of the dual naming initiative ...

and

Ityamai-itpina The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

), and more is known about him than any other Kaurna person of that time.

Lake repair (2008)

After being drained in November 2007 to make repairs addressing the leaking of per week, the lake was refilled in September 2008.

O-Bahn extension (2015−2017)

In 2015, a plan to realign

Rundle Street Rundle Street, often referred to as "Rundle Street East" as distinct from Rundle Mall, is a street in the East End of the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace, where it becomes ...

as part of a plan to extend

bus services to and from the city of Adelaide created controversy. The plan would result in the removal of numerous long established regulated and significant trees. Critics of the plan included

Mark Parnell Mark Charles Parnell (born 9 September 1959) is an Australian former politician and parliamentary leader of the SA Greens in the South Australian Legislative Council. He was the first SA Greens representative to be elected to the Parliament of ...

MLC,

Nick Xenophon Nick Xenophon ( Nicholas Xenophou; born 29 January 1959) is an Australian politician and lawyer who was a Senator for South Australia from 2008 to 2017. He was the leader of two political parties: Nick Xenophon Team federally, and Nick Xenophon ...

and former Australian Democrats leader, Ian Gilfillan. Public objections to the redevelopment prompted the creation of the Rymill Park Alliance and the ''Save Adelaide's Rymill Park'' campaign and Facebook page. However, construction went ahead and was completed in 2017 December. Rymill Park and nearby

Rundle Park / Kadlitpina Rundle Park / Kadlitpina (formerly spelt Kadlitpinna), also known as Park 13, is a part of the Adelaide Park Lands in Adelaide, South Australia. It was known as Rundle Park until its Kaurna name was assigned as part of the dual naming initiative ...

was closed and a tunnel was built underneath them.

New master plans (2019–2020)

In late 2019, the Council published a draft Master Plan and Community Land Management Plan (CLMP), inviting comment from the community both online and at a public meeting on 8 December.

Location, facilities, use

The park is bordered by

East Terrace __NOTOC__ East Terrace marks the eastern edge of the Adelaide city centre. It is one of the main north–south thoroughfares through the east side of the city. Although the terrace essentially runs north–south between North Terrace and South ...

, Dequetteville Terrace, and Rundle and Bartels Roads. It is in close proximity to the

Hutt Street Hutt Street is the easternmost of the five major north–south roads running through the City of Adelaide. It runs from Pirie Street to South Terrace, from where it continues south as Hutt Road. Flanked by leafy side streets with many late 19th ...

, Rundle Park and

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

Statue of Alice - Rymill Park - Adelaide

Rowboats are available for hire at the park's

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

, exclusively for use on the park's lake. After a long closure after the death of its previous owner, the kiosk reopened as "Loch & Quay" in late 2018, with an upmarket menu. Other features of the park include rose gardens, playgrounds, avenues of well-established trees, barbecue facilities and the 1962 statue '' Alice'' by John Dowie, inspired by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's stories for children. Dowie's "Piccanniny" drinking fountain, in the form of an Aboriginal child and made out of coloured concrete with a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

water container, is near the playground. The park has been a site for many cultural and sporting events including Carnevale in Adelaide, the Adelaide International Horse Trials, Aerobic Challenge and various events in the Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe and Feast festivals. The Fringe location in Rymill Park is known as "Gluttony".

Flora and fauna

Many of the park's larger trees provide hollows and roosts which are utilised by various species for nesting and residence. Native birds species commonly seen in the park include crested pigeons, magpies,

magpie-lark The magpie-lark (''Grallina cyanoleuca''), also known as wee magpie, peewee, peewit or mudlark, is a passerine bird native to Australia, Timor and southern New Guinea. The male and female both have black and white plumage, though with different ...

eastern rosella The eastern rosella (''Platycercus eximius'') is a rosella native to southeastern Australia and Tasmania. It has been introduced to New Zealand where feral populations are found in the North Island (notably in the northern half of the island, Ta ...

rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...

Australian white ibis The Australian white ibis (''Threskiornis molucca'') is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and blac ...

and various species of duck. Ducks are present year-round at the artificial lake which provides a permanent water source.

Pacific black duck The Pacific black duck (''Anas superciliosa''), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the no ...

s and

Australian wood duck The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (''Chenonetta jubata'') is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus ''Chenonetta''. Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae (dabbling ...

s are the most commonly sighted species. Marsupials such as the

brushtail possum The brushtail possums are the members of the genus ''Trichosurus'' in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hypax ...

rest in tree hollows by day and emerge at night to forage and feed.