Hindmarsh Square/Mukata (formerly Mogata) is one of five

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

s in the

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 Ad ...

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 centre of the north-eastern quarter of the city, and surrounds the intersection of Grenfell and Pulteney Streets, near the eastern end of the

Rundle Mall Rundle Mall is a pedestrian street mall located in Adelaide, South Australia. It was opened as a pedestrian mall in September 1976 by closing the section of Rundle Street between King William Street and Pulteney Street, to vehicular traffic. ...

. Pirie Street forms the southern boundary of the square. It is one of six squares designed by the founder of Adelaide,

Colonel William 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 of ...

, who was Surveyor-General at the time, in his 1837 plan of the City of Adelaide which spanned 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 ...

Valley, comprising the city centre (South Adelaide) and

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

. It was named after John Hindmarsh, the first Governor of South Australia, in the same year by the Street Naming Committee. In 2003, as part of the Adelaide City Council's

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 ...

initiative, it was assigned a second name, Mogata (later corrected to Mukata), in the

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 ...

language of the original inhabitants. The north-western quadrant of the square is also known as "Emo Park".

History

Hindmarsh Square was included by Colonel Light on his 1836 survey "Plan of Adelaide". It was first named by the street naming committee on 23 May 1837 after Governor Hindmarsh. The east side of the square was for many years dominated by the Congregational Church, which later became the orchestral studio for ABC Radio and the South Australian Symphony Orchestra at No. 44, with other studios in adjacent buildings (48–56) and a rehearsal studio and recording facilities across the square in the ground floor and basement of Football House (No. 55). The building then named CitiCentre, on the north-western side of the square, was the scene of the high-profile murder of psychiatrist Margaret Tobin in 2002. In March 2003, as part of the

City of Adelaide 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 South ...

's dual naming project in association with the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

's project, the square was assigned the name "Mogata", from the

word Mukarta, meaning "head". The spelling was later changed to Mukata. This was the name of one of the four wives of

Mullawirraburka Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (previously spelt Mullawirraburka), and numbered as Park 14, is a recreation park located in the East Park Lands of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. There is an artificial lake with rowboats for hire, a ...

, a

elder and warrior, also known as "King John". Mukata was also known as "Pretty Mary". In 2018, two charging stations for electric vehicles were created in Hindmarsh Square, as part of a citywide plan which created a total of 46 EV stations across the city centre.

Description

The square consists of four quadrants, being transected by Pulteney and Grenfell Streets. The north-eastern quadrant is known as Hindmarsh Square Playspace, also known as "Emo Park", owing to the number of young people who identify with the emo subculture who gather there. This part contains four sculptures of oversized objects, namely, tap, hose,

thong The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions. Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at the ...

, and

fish bone Fish bone is any bone of a fish. Fish bone also includes the bony, delicate parts of the skeleton of bony fish, such as ribs and fin rays, but especially the ossification of connective tissue lying transversely inclined backwards to the ribs betwe ...

s, designed by artists Ryan Sims and Gerry Wedd, who collaborated with landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean to create a playground around the sculptures. The north-western quadrant started attracting some overflow from Emo Park in 2022. It is bordered by the Pullman Adelaide Hotel in the corner, and the Griffins Head pub on Grenfell Street.

Heritage buildings

The Griffins

The Griffins Hotel, formerly (before its 2012 renovation) called the Griffin's Head or Griffins Head Hotel, was listed as a local heritage place of significance to the

on 1 November 2001. Located at 36–40 Hindmarsh Square, it is on the north-eastern corner with Grenfell Street. There had been previous hotels existing on the site since 1850, with the current hotel being rebuilt in 1886 for Arthur Waterhouse, son of wealthy Adelaide entrepreneur Thomas Greaves Waterhouse, who had returned to England and died two months before the plans for the King William Hotel were approved. The building was designed by architects English and Soward, who also designed

Beehive Corner The Beehive Corner is a landmark in the Adelaide city centre, on the north-eastern corner of King William Street and Rundle Street, centrally placed between the railway station and the city's shopping precinct. History The name gained curren ...

, among other buildings in Adelaide. The building was named the General Gordon Hotel from when it was opened until 1928. In 1896 the ownership of the hotel was transferred to Arthur, Charles and Thomas Ware of the Torrenside Brewery at Hindmarsh, who sold it in 1898 to the Walkerville Co-operative Brewery Company. In 1911, a new wide verandah was added, shortly before the city council ruled to keep all verandahs to under . Renamed the General Gordon in 1928, it underwent three further name changes before being named the Griffins Head in 1988. The interior has been renovated several times since the 1970s, with a significant fitout and renaming as The Griffin in 2012.

History

Description

Heritage buildings

The Griffins

See also

References

Further reading