Hurtle Square, also known as Tangkaira, is one of five

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

s in 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 ...

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 ...

. Located in the centre of the south-eastern quarter of the city, it surrounds the intersection of Halifax and Pulteney streets. Its north edge is bounded by

Carrington Street Carrington Street is a street in the south-eastern sector of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It runs east–west, from East Terrace to King William Street, blocked at Hutt Street and crossing Pulteney Street at Hurtle Square. It is on ...

. It is one of six squares designed by the founder of Adelaide,

Colonel William Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839) was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of the colony's capi ...

, 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 Ad ...

Valley, comprising the city centre (South Adelaide) and

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

. The square was named in 1837 by the

Street Naming Committee The Street Naming Committee was a committee established to decide on names for the streets of the new city of Adelaide in the colony of South Australia in 1837. Description The Street Naming Committee was set up to decide the names of the streets ...

after

James Hurtle Fisher Sir James Hurtle Fisher (1 May 1790 – 28 January 1875) was a lawyer and prominent South Australian pioneer. He was the first Resident Commissioner of the colony of South Australia, the first List of mayors and lord mayors of Adelaide, Mayor ...

, South Australia's first Resident Commissioner. In 2003, as part of the

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. Som ...

initiative by the

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. It is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...

, a second name, Tangkaira, was assigned 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. Kau ...

language of the original inhabitants.

History

The street naming committee named the square after James Hurtle Fisher, South Australia's first Resident Commissioner, on 23 May 1837. 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 in Australia, local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defi ...

's dual naming project, in association with the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

's Kaurna Dictionary Project, the square was assigned the name "Tangkaira", a word which means "fungus", after a prominent Kaurna person. Tangkaira (also known as Charlotte), who came from the Clare district, was the wife of

Ityamai-itpina The Adelaide Park Lands comprise the figure-eight configuration of land, spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton, which encloses and separates the City of Adelaide area (including both the Adelaide city centre and ...

(aka "King Rodney"), a key negotiator with the new colonists. She provided what would become an important resource for reviving the Kaurna language in recent times, by writing one of the earliest examples of the written Kaurna language: a letter by school children to

Governor Gawler Colonel George Gawler (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 July 1795, was t ...

in 1841, pleading that he continue working as Governor.

Description

Located in the centre of the south-eastern quarter of the city, the Square surrounds the intersection of Halifax and Pulteney Streets, with its northern edge is bounded by Carrington Street. The surrounding area is mostly residential.

History

Description

References

Further reading