Torrensville is a western suburb west of the centre of Adelaide,

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 ...

. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the

South Australian Colonisation Commission British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield, ...

, Robert Torrens. Torrensville is in the

City of West Torrens The City of West Torrens is a local government area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Since the 1970s, the area was mainly home to many open spaces and parks, however after the mid-1990s (1993–1995) the LGA became more resid ...

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 ...

, the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

electoral district of West Torrens West Torrens is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. Named after the City of West Torrens (which is so-named because of its location on the River Torrens), it is a 25.1 km² suburban electorate in ...

and the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

Division of Hindmarsh The Division of Hindmarsh is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the north western and western coastal suburbs of Adelaide. The division was one of the seven establ ...

. The area has a high proportion of Greek-Australians. Revitalisation of the Adelaide's inner suburbs in the 2000s has made

Henley Beach Road Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map
of 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 ...

, Torrensville is situated on

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 ...

land. According to the ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', the suburb was named after Robert Torrens senior, who was chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, which was responsible for setting up and running the colony in its early years. ''New Thebarton'' Post Office opened on 1 November 1879 and was renamed ''Torrensville'' in 1909. Torrensville was part of the then largely rural District of West Torrens until 1883, when the residents of the more urban suburbs of Thebarton, Mile End and Torrensville successfully petitioned to become the Corporation of the Town of Thebarton. In 1997 the Town of Thebarton re-amalgamated with the City of West Torrens. The Star Theatre, at 107 Henley Beach Road, was one of the earliest

picture theatre A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

s in

Dan Clifford ''Holby City'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. It is set in the sam ...

's cinema chain, opening in March 1916. It was renamed the Plaza Theatre in 1937, but still operated under Clifford's Star banner, and continued to operate as a cinema until at least 1957. it is operating as the Mile End Office Furniture store.

Demographics

According to the

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th Census in Australia, national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was count ...

, the most common ancestries for Torrensville residents were English (18.8%), Australian (15.9%), Greek (11.8%) and Italian (9.7%) - although 62.4% of respondents were born in Australia. The significant

Greek Australian Greek Australians () are Australians of Greek ancestry. Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. As per the 2021 Australian census, 424,750 people stated that they had Greek ancestry (whether alone o ...

and

Italian Australians Italian Australians () are Australian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Australia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Australia. Italian Australian ...

populations being a result of mass migration in the middle of the 20th century. 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). ...

identified that 14.8% of residents in Torrensville were of Greek ancestry compared to South Australia 2.7% and Australia 1.7%

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 ...

data from May 2021 identified Adelaide's western suburbs as having the lowest unemployment in South Australia. Both the State and Federal MPs, representing the electoral districts that include Torrensville, are notable Greek Australians:

Tom Koutsantonis Anastasios "Tom" Koutsantonis (born 23 August 1971) is an Australian politician in the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party, representing the seats of West Torrens (2002−current) and Peake (1997−2002) as a Labor member in ...

and

Steve Georganas Steven Georganas (; born 13 June 1959) is an Australian politician and is the Australian Labor Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Adelaide in South Australia since the 2019 Australian federal election. Previously, he had been ...

of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

. Their success in winning office could potentially be attributed to the population of Greek Australians in their electoral districts including Torrensville and neighbouring suburbs of

Thebarton Thebarton ( ), formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road and Bonython Park to the east, Kintore St ...

and

Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...

Heritage listings and places of interest

Brickworks

The Brickworks Marketplace, a shopping centre, is on the site of the former

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 ...

of J. Hallett and Son. It occupies a large block on the corner of

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 ...

and Ashwin Parade, with the

Torrens River 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 ...

(Karrawirri Parri) at its northern boundary. The Hoffman Brick Kiln, Hallett Brickworks (Lot 32 Ashwin Parade) was

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

in 1983. The Brickworks kiln was constructed in 1912 or 1913 in the Hoffman style, and is the last remaining such kiln in Adelaide. A major renovation of the kiln, costing $1.5 million, was effected by the

West Torrens Council The City of West Torrens is a local government area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Since the 1970s, the area was mainly home to many open spaces and parks, however after the mid-1990s (1993–1995) the LGA became more resid ...

between 2016 and 2017. The chimney is high. Brickworks Chimney October 2021

The old brickworks site was converted into a lively market in the late 20th century, with a leisure complex including rides for children, and a multitude of stalls selling goods from fruit and vegetables, to crafted items, jewellery and clothing. This was demolished and a shopping centre built in its place; Brickworks Marketplace, whose largest tenant is

Woolworths (Australia) Woolworths Group Limited is an Australian multinational retail and finance company, primarily known for the operation of its retail chain Woolworths Supermarkets across Australia, Woolworths (previously known as Countdown) in New Zealand and ...

, opened on 25 June 2015. Thebarton Oval Gates

From 2021 the South Australian tradition which commenced in 1954 of placing the

SANFL 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. ...

premiership team colours on top of the chimney at the West End Brewery (first in

Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and West Terrace, Adelaide, West Terrace. Th ...

and after 1980 at the

site), was moved to the Brickworks kiln chimney. The Woodville West Torrens Eagles were the 2021 SANFL Premiers, and after temporary placement on a replica chimney on the day of the ceremony, the colours were unveiled on it on the actual chimney on 19 October 2021. As of 2023,

Glenelg Football Club The Glenelg Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or the Bays, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the South Australian National Football League. Their home ground is Stratarama Stadium (formerly Glenelg Oval), located in the so ...

colours sit on top of the chimney after defeating

Sturt Football Club The Sturt Football Club, nicknamed The Double Blues, is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in the suburb of Unley, South Australia, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. Founded in 1901 by the Stur ...

in the 2023 SANFL Grand Final.

Other places

Thebarton Oval Thebarton Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia currently used for a variety of sports including Australian rules football. It was the home ground of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club West Torrens Football Cl ...

, once used as 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 ...

ground by

West Torrens Football Club West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1895 to 1990. In 1991, the club merged with neighbouring Woodville Football Club to form the Woodville- ...

** Ashley Street: Gate and Ticket Office, Thebarton Oval was heritage-listed in 1993. ** The Hotel Royal in Torrensville was built in 1879 and is heritage listed. The West Torrens Council has controversially approved a $4 million upgrade to the hotel in 2022 that has raised concerns from the Art Deco and Modernism, Adelaide Chapter. The concerns are based on the hotel losing its

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

elements and characteristics. Thebarton Theatre 2021

Thebarton Theatre The Thebarton Theatre, also known as the Thebbie Theatre or simply Thebbie/Thebby, is an entertainment venue located in the inner-western Adelaide suburb of Torrensville, South Australia. Built in 1926 as a combined town hall / picture theatr ...

, a historic and popular entertainment venue, at 112 Henley Beach Road, heritage-listed in 1982. *

World Series Cricket World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to established ...

icon

David Hookes David William Hookes (3 May 1955 – 19 January 2004) was an Australian cricket player and coach. He played for the Australia national cricket team and domestic cricket for South Australia, later coaching Victoria. An aggressive left-handed ba ...

grew up on Clifford Street Torrensville and played cricket in Torrensville. There is a monument to him on the corner of South Road and Ashwin Parade, Torrensville. * 4-8 Hayward Avenue: Torrensville Uniting Church * 92 South Road: World War Two Civil Defence Sub-Control Station Acclaimed restaurants Parwana Afgan Kitchen which has attracted celebrities such as

Nigella Lawson Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. After graduating from Oxford, Lawson worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of ''The Sunday Times'' in ...

and the British Raj Restaurant which has been the Indian restaurant of choice for visiting international cricket teams. (The Indian Cricket team has visited the restaurant for many years ) are both in Torrensville. The Indian Cricket teams most recent visit in November 2022 attracted a sea of fans at the restaurant, all gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the cricketers and in particular cricket superstar

Virat Kohli Virat Kohli (born 5 November 1988) is an Indian Cricket, international cricketer who plays One Day International, ODI cricket for the India national cricket team, national team and is a former Captain (cricket), captain in all formats. He is a ...

. Virat Kohli has scored more runs as a touring player at

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

than any other cricketer in history. In November 2024 the

Pakistan Cricket Team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

also visited and ate at the restaurant

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...

printed in its newspaper that the British Raj in Torrensville is famous in this part of the word for its Indian cuisine. David Hookes Monument

Education

Thebarton Senior College Thebarton Senior College is a public senior secondary school located in Torrensville in Adelaide, South Australia. The school was established on the site in 1924 as Thebarton Boys Technical High School, with adult re-entry students accepted in ...

* Torrensville Primary School

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Adelaide