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Toorak Gardens is a leafy, mainly residential inner eastern
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 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 2 km east 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 ...
. This is one of South Australia’s most expensive suburbs. It is characterised by tree-lined streets and detached single story villas,
Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...
and bungalow houses built in the 1920s and 1930s on allotments of around 0.25 acres (0.1 hectares). The Toorak Gardens area was part of the then larger and now adjacent suburb of Rose Park. Between 1912 and 1917 it was named "Toorak" and subsequently "Toorak Gardens". Originally farmland owned by the Fergusson and Prescott families in the 19th century, it was subdivided and gained popularity in 1920s. First Creek, part of the Torrens catchment, runs through the north-east corner of the suburb. Toorak Gardens is in the
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
of the
City of Burnside The City of Burnside is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Australian city of Adelaide stretching from the Adelaide Parklands into the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide foothills with an area of . It was founded in August ...
, and is bounded to the north by
Kensington Road Kensington Road is a section of road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the A315 road. Location and description It runs along the south edge of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, ...
, to the east by
Portrush Road Portrush Road is a major arterial route through the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. This name covers many consecutive streets and is not widely known to most drivers except for the southernmost section, as the entire ...
, to the south by
Greenhill Road Greenhill Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia, that provides a connection to the eastern and hills suburbs. Its western section, running along the south side of Adelaide Parklands, forms part of Adelaide's City Ring Route. Route ...
and to the west by Prescott Terrace and Warwick Avenue. It contains the Burnside Hospital, the only hospital in the
City of Burnside The City of Burnside is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Australian city of Adelaide stretching from the Adelaide Parklands into the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide foothills with an area of . It was founded in August ...
.


History

Possibilities for derivation of the name ''Toorak'' are ''Torrak'', an aboriginal word meaning ''tea-tree springs'', ''toora'' an Aboriginal word for ''
coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...
'' or ''
malleefowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...
'' and other aboriginal words of similar pronunciation meaning reedy swamp and black crow. Today's suburb of Toorak Gardens is composed of parts of the Adelaide sections of 275 (Toorak) and 274 (Monreith Farm). Section 274 was bounded by (in clockwise order) Swaine Avenue, Portrush Road, Greenhill Road and Fullarton Road. Section 275 was bounded by Kensington Road, Portrush Road, Swaine Avenue and Prescott Terrace. The suburb of Toorak was first developed in 1912, largely on land that had previously been the eastern half of the Prescott Farm. Before its development into a village, it had been farmland up until that point with little settlement apart from the Prescott's home and worksheds as well as two large and extravagant houses. Julia Hallett owned a spectacular mansion on Portrush Road (now located at No. 15) while Benjamin Burford had a grand mansion on Kensington Road that he named Attunga. When the suburb was first planned, laid-out and named there were many objections, primarily because of the association with the elite Melbourne suburb of
Toorak Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 census. The name ...
(which remains wealthy and upper-class to this day). The real estate agents assigned to the suburb received many complaints due to this association, including one signed 'No Snobbery'. Extensive building restrictions were placed on development in the early suburb. After the first houses had been built, the ''Adelaide Mail'' reported on 18 May 1912: Toorak received considerable attention from real-estate businesses, the press and the community at large. The Adelaide papers paid particular notice to the suburb's developments, announcing council work on the suburb's paths and gardens. In 1912 when trees were planted on Grant and Alexandra avenues, in 1914 when flower strips were developed on the kerbs, in 1916 when a reserve was created on Giles Street; they were all quickly reported. The Toorak Bowling Club was also developed in this era, it stands to this day. Fergusson Square, the only park in the suburb Section 274 was bought by a Scottish family, the Fergussons. It was purchased along with property at Knoxville (today's suburbs of
Glenunga Glenunga is an List of Adelaide suburbs, inner southeastern suburb of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is located in the City of Burnside, five kilometres southeast of the Adelaide city centre. The name Glenunga is a composite of Au ...
and Glenside) and named by the family. They had come from the village of Monreith in Wigtown County,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and gave that name to their new farm. The Monreith farm was steadily developed by the family, but with the death of Alexander Fergusson in 1869, the property passed into the hands of his widow, Agnes. She sold off parts of the farm in 1883 for £15,000, and the remainder in 1917 for £20,000. Before the farm was sold, the Fergussons had established a
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 ...
, horse stabling and were engaging in business ventures in various parts of the state. It was in 1917 that Monreith was given its modern name of Toorak Gardens. Developers started subdividing the new suburb on much the same lines as Toorak had been, with similar building restrictions and much media attention. The original Fergusson family home was demolished in 1923 and the family settled in separate houses on Cudmore Avenue. Miss Ivy Laver, a successful local businesswoman, was responsible for building the main park of Toorak Gardens, Fergusson Square. It remains as a monument to those who first settled the area. Benjamin Burford's Attunga property contained the largest and most extravagant mansion built in the suburb, and with his passing it was bought in 1905 by an investor from Broken Hill, Otto Georg Ludwig von Rieben. Although living at the property for 37 years, maintaining it, and paying particular attention to the gardens, von Rieben eventually settled on a property at Mount Lofty in the
Adelaide Hills The Adelaide Hills region is located in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. The largest town in the area, Mount Barker, South Australia, Mount Barker, is one of Australia's fastest-growi ...
. Attunga however, almost forty years after he gained it, was offered to the Burnside Council free of charge in 1944 for use as a hospital, on the condition that the house and grounds be maintained. A Council committee had previously suggested building a community hospital in August 1943, as part of its Post-War Reconstruction and Development Plan; it was to cost no more than £100,000, and was to remain as a memorial to honour Burnside's war dead. In April 1949 the first conversion of von Rieben's home was completed, as a convalescent home caring for 21 patients. It closed in September 1956, having cared for over 1,400 patients. The adjacent newly completed
Burnside War Memorial Hospital Burnside Hospital, formerly Burnside War Memorial Hospital, is the only private community hospital in the City of Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, st ...
opened in October, and received its first patients in November 1956.


Geography

Toorak Gardens has an area of 1.11 km2 with a population density of 2,303/km2. (2006 census) Situated on the
Adelaide Plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast ( Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of A ...
at an average elevation of 80 metres above sea level and a kilometre east of the parklands, the suburb is rectangular shaped and wholly urbanised. There is only one notable park, Fergusson Square; the only other open space is provided by the Toorak Bowling Club. Prior to European settlement, the area was heavily forested. Blue Gum and River Gum trees grew on the floodplains around First and Second creeks. Grey box woodlands, known to early settlers as the 'black forest', grew around and south of Greenhill Road. Native Australia flora and fauna inhabited the plains. With the advent of colonisation, much of the forest was cleared and replaced by farmland, on which wheat and barley were grown. First Creek provided a reliable source of water, and crops flourished. In the late 19th century, the area that today comprises Toorak Gardens was almost completely free of native vegetation. When the land was sold and subdivided, with streets beginning to run through it, lush gardens were grown. The new wealthy white inhabitants, both of their own preference, and under duty from the land deed, put much effort into the suburb's greenery.


Facilities and attractions

Burnside Hospital, which was converted from the grand mansion Attunga in 1949, is Burnside's only hospital. It is a
private hospital A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profit and non-profit hospitals. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in var ...
. While Toorak Gardens is a small mainly residential suburb, there are several attractions of note. The only shopping inside the suburb is at the Greenhill Rd / Portrush Rd corner, where there is a small precinct of shops. This is popular because of its close proximity to
Burnside Village Burnside Village is a premium shopping centre located in the suburb of Glenside in Adelaide, South Australia. It is situated within the City of Burnside local government area. Burnside Village is home to prestigious stores such as Zara, T ...
(i.e. Burnside village is in the other side of Greenhill Road). One of the most popular places is the Trak Cinema–this is a small cinema which is well known for its
arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
screenings, but it also shows mainstream releases. A restaurant, Grimaldi's, is situated in the same group of shops and is popular with locals and visitors. The only park in the suburb is Fergusson Square (named after the Fergusson family), which was developed by Ivy Laver shortly after World War I. The Anglican Church of St Theodore is located on the corner of Prescott Terrace and Swaine Avenue. It was originally established in what is now the Rose Park Primary School, and then moved to the current site. The Toorak Burnside Bowling Club Inc, surrounded on three sides by Grant Ave, Alexandra Ave and Giles St, has two greens and up to four weekly competitions.


Governance

Toorak Gardens is part of the state
electoral district of Bragg Bragg is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. The seat is named after the eminent physicists Bragg – William Henry and his son, William Lawrence. The electorate is largely suburban and encompasses a s ...
, which has been held since 2002 by Liberal MP and current South Australian Attorney-General
Vickie Chapman Vickie Ann Chapman is a former Australian politician, representing the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Bragg for the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia between the 2002 election and May 2022. Chapman serve ...
. In federal politics, the suburb is now part of the
division of Sturt The Division of Sturt is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in South Australia. It was proclaimed at the South Australian redistribution of 11 May 1949. Sturt was named for Captain Charles St ...
, which has been represented by James Stevens since 2019. As Toorak Gardens does not have a booth at state or federal level, the results shown are from the Rose Park Primary School polling booth in nearby Rose Park. At local government level, Toorak Gardens is part of the
City of Burnside The City of Burnside is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Australian city of Adelaide stretching from the Adelaide Parklands into the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide foothills with an area of . It was founded in August ...
, and falls within the Rose Park and Toorak Gardens ward.


Demographics

According to the 2001 Census, the population of the Toorak Gardens census area was 2,595 and stable, with only a minor decrease in population between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. 55.0% of the population was
female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...
, 80.3% were Australian born and over 92% of residents were Australian
citizens Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...
.City of Burnside: Community Profile
''Toorak Gardens''. Retrieved 7 June 2007


References

{{City of Burnside suburbs Suburbs of Adelaide