Elizabeth is an outer northern

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of the Adelaide metropolitan area,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, 24 km north of the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre () is the inner city locality of Adelaide, 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 Adelaide l ...

. It is located in the City of Playford. At the 2021 census, Elizabeth had a population of 40,343. Established in 1955, it was the seat of the former local government body, the old City of Elizabeth, which included Elizabeth as well as the immediately adjacent suburbs on all sides except the west. Although the City of Elizabeth no longer exists, having been amalgamated into the much larger City of Playford in 1997, the term "Elizabeth", in the context of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, typically refers to the historic municipality and the distinct community therein.

History

Before the 1950s, most of the area surrounding today's suburb of Elizabeth was farming land. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with its shortage of materials, the state government decided that South Australia needed to grow and become industrialised. A satellite city was planned for northern metropolitan fringe of Adelaide between the existing townships of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

and Smithfield. The South Australian Housing Trust initiated a housing development program in the area, with a purchase of at the site of the present suburb. The township (now suburb) of Elizabeth was established on 16 November 1955, being named after

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

queen of Australia The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parli ...

, and inaugurated by Sir Thomas Playford, who was then

premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

. The town council was briefly renamed the District Council of Salisbury and Elizabeth on 22 August 1963. On 13 February 1964, a new local government body, the municipality of Elizabeth, later called the City of Elizabeth, was created by severance from the District Council of Salisbury.

Geography

Elizabeth is the seat of the Playford local government area and thus acts as a

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

for the surrounding suburbs. It lies mostly between the Gawler railway line and the hills' face. DST

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

is located to the west of Elizabeth.

Demographics

The

2021 Australian census The 2021 Australian census, simply called the 2021 Census, was the eighteenth national Census of Population and Housing in Australia. The 2021 Census took place on 10 August 2021, and was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ...

by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

counted 40,343 persons in the suburb of Elizabeth on census night. Of these, 20,017 (49.6%) were male and 20,323 (50.4%) were female. The majority of residents 28,574 (70.8%) were born in Australia, while 2,895 (7.2%) were born in England. The median age of Elizabeth residents was 35. Children aged 0–14 years made up 22.1% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.9% of the population.

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

was third as place of birth and parents' birth after Australia and England, overtaking Scotland, and Hazaraghi was the language next most frequently spoken at home after English.

Facilities and attractions

The City of Playford civic centre houses the council chambers, the Elizabeth branch of the Playford Library and the Shedley Theatre. Westerly adjacent to the civic centre is the Elizabeth Shopping Centre at the heart of the suburb. Formerly known as Elizabeth Town Centre, it has been progressively expanded since the 1960s. In its early days it featured open-air malls, but today it comprises a single storey undercover mall. A major renovation and extension was completed in 2004. In 2007, Northern Sound System was established at 71 Elizabeth Way. The centre has offered programs, courses and workshops in various skills, including DJ, hip hop music, youth choir, gaming and animation; songwriting and music production, and it also includes recording studios, a live music venue, and rehearsal spaces.

Parks

Dauntsey Reserve is located between Winterslow Road and Woodford Road. Ridley Reserve is located on the suburb's southern boundary. There are other parks and reserves in the suburb.

Schools

Playford International College (formerly Fremont-Elizabeth City High School) is on Philip Highway. Kaurna Plains School is on Ridley Road.

Sport

Elizabeth is the home of the Central District Bulldogs, an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

team in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL). The team won nine SANFL premierships in the period from 2000 to 2010. They play all of their home games at Elizabeth Oval ("X Convenience Oval" under naming rights).

Transport

Roads

Elizabeth is serviced by

Main North Road Main North Road is the major north–south arterial route through the suburbs north of the Adelaide City Centre in the city of Adelaide, South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, ...

, connecting the suburb to the

, and by Philip Highway.

Public transport

Elizabeth is serviced by public transport run by the

Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...

, including buses and the Gawler railway line which passes beside the suburb. Mountbatten Square houses Elizabeth station, which also acts as a major bus interchange for the region.

Media

The local newspaper was the now-closed '' News Review Messenger''. ''The Bunyip'' newspaper also covers the Elizabeth area in its ''Playford Times'' section.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Suburbs of Adelaide Populated places established in 1955 1955 establishments in Australia