Old Reynella, South Australia
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Old Reynella is a metropolitan
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
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. It is located 20 km south 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 ...
in the north of the
City of Onkaparinga The City of Onkaparinga () is a local government area (LGA) located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from ''Ngangkiparinga'', a Kaurna word meaning women's river. It ...
. The suburb is named after John Reynell, a pioneering South Australian winemaker. Reynell sold some farmland to create the town of Reynella which is the present location of the suburb Old Reynella. The Reynell name goes back to the very beginning of the wine industry in
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 ...
, when John Reynell planted some of the first vines in the infant colony in the area that was later to bear his name. This pioneer of the grape was born in 1809 of a Devonshire farming family. Shortly after his arrival in 1838 John Reynell established his property, situated 20 kilometres south of Adelaide and 5 kilometres east of
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 ...
– the gateway to the
McLaren Vale McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about south of the Adelaide city centre. It is internationally renowned for the wi ...
wine region. The Reynella Winery is claimed to be the only winery in Australia that can use the name of a town as its registered brand because the winery was in existence before the town was established. The Old Reynella area is the historical centre of the district and the original home of Reynella Primary School, before it was moved to its current site in Carew Fields in 1990. Old Reynella is also the historical home of the Hardy Wine Company.
Edge Church Edge Church, registered as Edge Church International, formerly Southside Christian Church, is a multi-campus non-denomination church established in 1994. It is based in Adelaide, South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) ...
is located in Old Reynella at the former site of the Reynella Markets (closed down in 1995).


History


Hurtle Vale

With the arrival of
Governor Hindmarsh Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838. Family His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Coni ...
on on 28 December 1836, the new private colony of South Australia was proclaimed. The state government was established through the formation of a private company in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
known as the
South Australia Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the S ...
. Its Surveyor-General,
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 ...
, was charged with the surveying of the land into allotments ready for sale to the new settlers to
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 ...
. One of his team was John McLaren, who was responsible for surveying Sections B, C and D to the south of Adelaide.T.N. Phillips, ''Reynella 1876-1976'', 1976 South Australian Universities Joint Store (URRSA) This task was completed in 1839 and the first survey maps were printed in 1840. On 16 June 1837, the Colonial Commissioner Sir James Hurtle Fisher,
John Morphett Sir John Morphett (4 May 1809 – 7 November 1892) was a South Australian pioneer, landowner and politician. His younger brother George Morphett was also an early settler in South Australia. Early life Morphett was born in London, t ...
,
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 ...
, and a party of marines set off from Glenelg intending to travel overland to
Encounter Bay Encounter Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state's south central coast about south of the state capital of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his encounter on 8 April 1802 with Nicolas Bau ...
to visit whalers who were employees of the South Australian Company. Colonel Light's diary records: "At 4.00pm the party arrived at a beautiful valley, where they encamped for the night, the country and soil together adapted for grazing or agriculture; the whole distance was not more than ten or from Glenelg." This area was named Hurtle Vale after the Colonial Commissioner. A later survey map drawn by John Mclaren in 1857 shows the area covered some 107 x allotments, stretching from the hills in the east towards the coast in the west with the
Field River The Field River is an urban watercourse located in the southern suburbs of Adelaide in the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features Part of the Onkaparinga River catchment that drains the western slopes of the Mount Lofty Range ...
running through the centre of the valley. The name Hurtle Vale was never officially registered as a geographical name although widely used in the community for some time. Today the suburbs of Happy Valley, O'Halloran Hill, Trott Park, Sheidow Park,
Reynella Reynella is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located 20 km south of the Central Business District of Adelaide in the north of the City of Onkaparinga. It is bordered to the east by Main South Road, to the south by ...
and parts of Hallett Cove,
Morphett Vale Morphett Vale is a southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga. It is the largest suburb in the state, with a population of more than 23,000 and an area of 12.76 km2, followed by Paralowie with nearly 10,000 fewe ...
and Woodcroft can be found within the old definition of Hurtle Vale.


Town establishment

On 12 March 1839, Section 524 was granted to Thomas Lucas who immediately rented it to John Reynell until the Indenture for Sale was drawn up on 26 August 1839, when John agreed to pay Thomas and Catherine Lucas £80 for the section. In 1839, John Reynell claimed he was the first settler to enclose an entire section. A little later he had to cut the fences to allow for the alignment of a proposed road for the passage of a regular mail run to
Encounter Bay Encounter Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state's south central coast about south of the state capital of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his encounter on 8 April 1802 with Nicolas Bau ...
which was established by the end of 1839.Reynell, Lenore ''John Reynell of Reynella : a South Australian pioneer'', Adelaide: M. Hopton, 1988


Vineyards

In 1841, Reynell began the planting of his vineyard with cuttings from
Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...
, which was recorded as South Australia's first commercial
vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
.Old Reynella – European History and Heritage
/ref>


Subdivision and notice of sale

By 1854 there was a demand for land for housing in the area and in February of that year, John Reynell drew up a Notice of Sale for a portion of his Reynella Farm for the establishment of the township of Reynella. Selections of paragraphs from that notice are as follows: "Sale by Auction of the Township of Reynella, to be sold on the land of Wednesday, 12 April 1854 by order and for account of John Reynella Esq. We have received instructions to submit to public competition this promising Township....." "The township consists of about of land divided into allotments varying from one quarter to two acres with the Great
South Road South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. A ...
dividing it equally from North to South..." "A fine
steam mill A steam mill is a type of Mill (grinding), grinding mill using a stationary steam engine to power its mechanism. * Albion Mills, Southwark, Albion Flour Mills, first steam mill in London from around 1790 * Aurora Steam Grist Mill, a historic gr ...
of four storeys is already erected in the town ship and a handsome hotel is in rapid progress and will be open by winter." "The auction will be held at the mill, and in the grounds luncheon will be prepared where required facilities will be afforded in the way of payment." "Further conditions at time of sale. Title indisputable. Plans may be seen at Hay's Tapley's Hill, The Emu, hese are early hotels in the districtand also at the Blacksmith's shop on the ground." By 1866 the town had the steam
flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
, hotel,
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
, store, school and chapel. However, by the end of the Nineteenth Century as many farmers had moved to the northern agricultural lands, Reynella was said to be "a village of the past, as several ruined houses along the road remain to testify."


Twentieth century

The town flourished around the farming and wine making that had been pioneered and by the mid twentieth century tourism had begun to join wine, fruit production and farming to underpin the local economy. Around 1920, the artist
Gladys Reynell Gladys Reynell (1881–1956) was one of South Australia's earliest potters and is known for her bold modernist style and her preference for working with native clays. Family and education Reynell was born on 4 September 1881 in Glenelg, a s ...
—granddaughter of John Reynell—established her own pottery studio at Reynella. She thus became one of Australia's earliest studio potters. She ran the pottery at first single-handedly but sometime in the 1920s hired George Samuel Osborne, an ex-serviceman and gardener, as her assistant. They developed a close relationship and eventually married, moving their pottery operation away from Reynella to
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...
in Victoria state.Ioannou, Noris
"Gladys Reynell (1881-1956)"
''Australian Dictionary of Biography''.
South Road was bypassed in the later half of the century and since 1960 the spread of
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 ...
s south from Adelaide has transformed much of the
agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other organism, forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous ...
into
housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...
. Vineyards can still be seen in the surrounds of Accolade Wines, originally the Reynell Winery, later known as Hardy's Winery in Old Reynella.


Historical sites


Crown Inn Hotel

In 1853, twelve months before the town land sales took place, John Reynell sold of land on the north side of Panalatinga Creek on what was known as the Great South Road, to a Mr Robert Hay for the purpose of building a hotel. The hotel, now known as the ''Crown Inn Hotel'', has had a continual licence since that time. Over the years it has had several variations of the original name. In 1855 it was known as the ''Crown Inn'', then in 1856 it became the ''Crown Hotel'', in 1886 the ''Reynella Hotel'', and in 1887 the ''Crown Inn''.


Cellar No.1

As part of John Reynell's expanding interest in winemaking, Cellar No. 1, known as the Old Cave, was developed. This is Australia's oldest working cellar and is registered with the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
. In 1845, the cellar was dug by hand into
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
subsoil with nothing but a shovel. The walls were made of local
blue gum Blue gum is a common name for subspecies or the species in ''Eucalyptus globulus'' complex, and also a number of other species of ''Eucalyptus'' in Australia. In Queensland, it usually refers to ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', which is known elsewher ...
beams and
sugar gum ''Eucalyptus cladocalyx'', commonly known as sugar gum, is a species of eucalypt tree found in the Australia, Australian state of South Australia. It is found naturally in three distinct populations - in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula a ...
saplings and the roof of
tree trunk Trunks are the Plant stem, stems of woody plants and the main structural element of trees. The woody part of the trunk consists of dead but structurally significant heartwood and living sapwood, which is used for nutrient storage and transport ...
s from the nearby scrub covered with a thick layer of straw and clay. Although now covered by manicured lawn, the cellar is still in practical use.


Southern Grist Mill

The abundance of grain in the area saw the building of a four-storey steam-driven flourmill, known as the Southern Grist Mill. Although the exact date it was erected is not known, records show that it was operation prior to the sale of land for the hotel on 22 August 1853. In the early days of the colony, the registration of the use of land often took some time. It is recorded that on 15 August 1853, the mill property, lot number 81 on the town plan, was sold to a consortium of gentlemen and farmers of the district, namely Robert Montgomery, Charles Smith, John Reynell, Henry Douglas, William Sherriff, Ignatius Sullivan and James Bain, operating as the Southern Grist Mill Company. On 10 January 1855, the mill was sold to George Pool, a miller. In the late 1850s, John Cain, became the mill manager for George Pool. On 15 August 1857, John Cain was killed in a horrific accident at the mill, being dragged into the machinery. George Pool operated the mill until his death on 18 June 1864. The mill operations then passed to his wife. Sometime circa 1865 the mill was destroyed by fire – according to local mythology, under mysterious circumstances. The mill was located where the current
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
now stands, approximately opposite Mill Street.


Changing Station

Situated on the northern side of the flourmill, these buildings were originally used as a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
that operated before the hotel was built in 1853. Evidence would suggest that the first documented Certificate of Title found is for Robert Eglinton, Reynella Blacksmith, dated 17 January 1867. These buildings included stables, livery and ostlers rooms and later a cottage. It was also natural for such businesses to be the place where travellers, going to and from Adelaide, changed horses. And so it developed into a changing station for the Cobb & Co coaches that operated between Adelaide and Willunga. An addition to the front of the cottage acted as a ticket office for this service. Operation as a changing station ceased in February 1915 with the introduction of
train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
services from Willunga to
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 ...
.


Old Distillery, now St Francis Winery

Carew Reynell, son of Walter Reynell, had a great interest in the study of
viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
and by the age of 19 his father gave him most of the responsibility for managing the
winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...
. He greatly expanded and developed the business, building a distillery, enhancing the firm's reputation for brandy making. Reynella Brandy became Australia's leading brandy.


Railway services

The official opening of the Adelaide – Willunga railway was on Wednesday 20 January 1915, although there would have been construction and work trains operating on the line well before this date. Both
freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
and
passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
s operated on the line. The last passenger service ran on 19 May 1957. A
goods train A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...
ran twice a week until 1963 and, following falling demand, the rail service finally closed in May 1969. The dismantling of the line commenced in May 1972. Some 43,000 sleepers were removed between Willunga and Hallett Cove. The high embankment that carried the line over the Panalatinga Creek was also removed during this time.


Transport information

Old Reynella is primary serviced by
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
es on 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, ...
network. It is home to the Old Reynella Bus Interchange with connections to the
Noarlunga Centre Noarlunga Centre is a suburb in the City of Onkaparinga in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb is mostly commercial, being dominated by the Centro Colonnades shopping centre and the small 'Inspire Noarlunga' estate t ...
, the city and
Westfield Marion Westfield Marion (colloquially known as simply "Marion") is the largest shopping centre in Adelaide, South Australia, located in Oaklands Park, serving greater Southern Adelaide. Westfield Marion is the eleventh largest shopping centre in A ...
. It is serviced primarily by
South Road South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. A ...
, Panalatinga Road and the Panalatinga Road exit of the Southern Expressway. The
Coast to Vines rail trail The Coast to Vines rail trail is a rail trail in the Australian state of South Australia following the course of the disused Willunga railway line in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, and runs for 34  ...
passes through Old Reynella.


Sport

The Reynella Community Centre is located on Oval Road, and is home to local sporting clubs such as the
Reynella Football Club The Reynella Football Club is an Australian rules football club first formed on 18 April 1896. Reynella first joined an organised competition in 1914, the Southern Metropolitan Football League, Mid-Southern Football Association, playing in that ...
(
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 ...
), as well as the Reynella cricket, tennis, air rifle, lawn bowls, and dart clubs, among others. The Reynella Neighbourhood Centre is on Old South Road and is a hub for many activities for the youngest to the oldest members of the community. It is run by the City of Onkaparinga.


Schools

* Reynella Primary School * Reynella Community Children's Centre


References


External links


City of Onkparinga – Reynella History
{{City of Onkaparinga suburbs Suburbs of Adelaide