The Reedbeds was in the 19th and early 20th centuries the generally recognised name for an area of seasonal freshwater wetlands to the west 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 ...

comprising the floodplains of the

River Torrens The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...

, and drained to

Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Sp ...

by the tidal estuaries of the

Port River The Port River (officially known as the Port Adelaide River) is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European ...

and the

Patawalonga River The Patawalonga River is a river located in the western suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area, in the Australian state of South Australia. It drains an area of flat, swampy lands formerly known as the Cowandilla Plains or The Reedbeds, whic ...

. The ephemeral wetland was known as (meaning 'low swampy reed country') to the indigenous

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 ...

people. The area was also formerly known as the Cowandilla Plains. The wetlands were inundated annually by the winter flows of the River Torrens, and supported an abundance of wildlife, a valuable source of food for the Kaurna people during their summer camps along the coastal barrier dunes. The area of the Reedbeds is roughly congruent with the present-day suburbs of Cowandilla,

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

Lockleys Lockleys is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of West Torrens. Australian Bureau of Statistics data from May 2021 revealed that Adelaide's western suburbs had the lowest unemployment rate in South Australia. History The area ...

, Underdale and

West Beach West Beach may refer to: ;Australia *West Beach, South Australia West Beach is a seaside suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in both the City of Charles Sturt and the City of West Torrens. History West Beach was first laid out in ...

, including the

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport , also known as Adelaide International Airport, is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fifth-busiest airport in Australia, servicing 8.5 million passenger ...

. Capt. Charles Sturt, famous for his exploration of the Murray River, was one of the early settlers in the Reedbeds. He acquired of land in the northern portion and built his home there in 1840, naming it ''The Grange''. Another early settler in the area was John White (? – 30 December 1860), who arrived in the colony in 1836 and founded "Fulham Farm", named for the London suburb that was his former home. He was succeeded by his son Samuel White ( – 16 November 1880), and grandson

Samuel Albert White Captain Samuel Albert White (20 December 1870 – 19 January 1954) was a wealthy Australian racehorse owner, soldier, explorer, conservationist and amateur ornithologist. He was born in Fulham, South Australia and eventually died there. He fo ...

(1870–1954) A typical settler in the area may have been James Leason ( – 29 July 1908), an undistinguished but hard-working and enterprising farmer who took over "St James farm" in 1859, and when he left the area in 1877 his lease of had under wheat, and was running 27 horses and 36 fat cattle. Charles Fisher and his brother Hurtle, and

William Blackler William Blackler (1827 – 26 June 1896) was a noted horse breeder and sportsman in the early days of the British colony of South Australia. History Blackler was born at Newton Downs, Devonshire, in 1827, a son of Richard Blackler (c. 1791 – 3 ...

were noted horse breeders in the area. The Reedbeds Cavalry was a short-lived (1860–1870) unit of the

South Australian Militia Until Australia became a Federation in 1901, each of the six colonies were responsible for their own defence. From 1788 until 1870 this was done with British regular forces. In all, 24 British infantry regiments served in the Australian colonies ...

(later known as the South Australian Volunteer Force) of which Gabriel Bennett and Gray of "Frogmore" were prominent officers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reedbeds, Adelaide History of Adelaide