Gilberton (formerly Gilbert Town) is an inner northern suburb 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 ...

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 ...

on the northern bank 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 Ad ...

. It is a short distance from Adelaide's city centre. It is bounded by the river, Park Terrace, Stephen Terrace and Northcote Terrace. The suburb is largely residential with some large and ornate Victorian homes and approximately of the

Torrens Linear Park The Torrens Linear Park is a linear park that runs along the River Torrens in South Australia, spanning from the edge of Adelaide Hills in Athelstone to the coast in West Beach and Henley Beach South. Upon completion in 1997, it was the fir ...

represent its southern boundary. The large homes in the suburb's northern section give it a historic character that is protected by government planning regulations. The area of Gilberton was first purchased in 1839 by a Richard Blundell as "Section 475" of the survey of Adelaide. Blundell, who lived in England, was declared

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

later that year. The section was subsequently sold by his creditors. Joseph Gilbert of Pewsey Vale winery fame, purchased the section for £600/5s in 1846, naming it "Gilbert Town" and in 1852 dividing into 43 lots for sale or lease. Early activities in the area included a

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a clay pit, quar ...

, farms and gardens and an

abattoir In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...

. By 1847, the southern part of the town was planned, the plan completed by 1871 and extensive housing completed by the 1890s. The suburb is largely flat from the river north to Walkerville Terrace, then slopes upwards to its northern extent. Due to the elevation of views from the northern section, this land attracted wealthier purchasers. Some of their ornate Victorian homes, situated on large grounds, remain there today. At a large bend in the river, the location of today's St Peters River Park,

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

extraction, sand washing and

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

have all been commercial activities. Sand washing was replaced by a dump in 1961, leading to complaints from the neighbouring suburb of St Peters about fumes from the burning rubbish. After the land was purchased by St Peters, the bend was straightened and the dump reclaimed.

Gilberton Bathing Reserve

A section of the River Torrens, retained by weirs, was the home of the Gilberton Swimming Club, founded 1915, and where many local children learned to swim. Arguably the most notable event to be held here was the Australian Swimming Championships, held between 17 and 24 February 1923, when many thousands of spectators lined the western bank. The area was still in use for informal swimming in the 1950s then closed due to the presence of the bacteria E coli. Many relics of the Swimming Club era remain, including the fine Memorial Arch, which was erected in 1936 to honour the contribution to the Club of Percy Frank Jervis (1870 – 13 January 1947). The nearby pedestrian suspension "swing" bridge linking Severn Street, Gilberton with Swing Bridge Lane, St Peters, was erected by Charles Francis Muller for Frank Woolley (1861–1941), a large landholder, in 1920. In 2017, it was rebuilt to modern safety standards as a joint project of the

Town of Walkerville The Corporation of the Town of Walkerville (or Town of Walkerville) is a small Local government in Australia, local government area in the central suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The residents of the Town of Walkerville are represented by ...

and the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, and opened in February 2018. It is in regular use by locals and is of interest to visitors. The original anchoring structures, which are of historic and architectural interest, have been preserved. The

runs nearby.

References

{{coord, 34.9, S, 138.612, E, format=dms, type:city_region:AU-SA, display=title Suburbs of Adelaide

Gilberton Bathing Reserve

See also

References