1.0 Introduction St Peters River Park, St Peters

St Peters River Park is the largest reserve in the City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters covering an area of 92,643 square metres and is part of the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri riverine system. Entrance to the park is via Goss Court, Eighth Avenue and River Street in St Peters. It is flanked by clay cliffs and the River Torrens Linear Park.

The St Peters River Park is classified as Regional Open Space in the Council’s Open Space Strategic Plan and is managed under the Council’s Community Land Management Plan (2021) pursuant to Section 196 of the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act).

The purpose of the St Peters River Park Reserve as stated within the City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Community Land Management Plan (2021) is to:

• provide public open space for the use, enjoyment and benefit of the community
• provide opportunities for recreational, community and sporting activities
• provide opportunities for social interaction and connection, relaxation and physical activity
• protect and enhance the lifestyle, amenity and sense of place in the city
• protect and enhance the natural environment, including areas of remnant vegetation, biodiversity and waterways and riparian zones including the St Peters Billabong
• provide regional open space as part of the River Torrens Linear Park for the use, enjoyment and benefit of the community as a recreational and educational resource, and as a tourism asset.

The reserve exists to provide the community with a place for passive recreation and includes the L G Perriam Memorial Oval, which is used by local sporting groups and the River Torrens Linear Park Trail which is available for use by pedestrians and cyclists.

The urban wetlands habitat of the St Peters Billabong is situated within the St Peters River Park and is home to a wide variety of native birdlife and plant species which have encouraged the return of native wildlife to the park. The area includes reserve land purchased by the Council over many years at the rear of properties on River Street, Eighth Avenue, Arrow road and Goss Court along what is known as the horseshoe bend.

The St Peters River Park was officially opened on 9 of March 1980 and was referred to by the Corporate Town of St Peters as the ‘River Torrens Recreation Ground (RTRG)’. The name the St Peters River Park was adopted and gazetted by the Corporate Town of St Peters in April 1980.

The following history of the St Peters River Park briefly outlines the pattern of European settlement and land use and refers to the area as an Aboriginal cultural landscape.

The Kaurna Nation are the Traditional Owners of the Adelaide Plains and ‘Karrawirra Parri’ is the Kaurna name for the River Torrens which has its source in the Mt Lofty Ranges and winds its way through the City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters.

In 2001, the cultural protocol of dual naming of the River Torrens was adopted by the South Australian Government in recognition of the Kaurna as the traditional owners and custodians of the Karrawirra Parri:

“NOTICE is hereby given [that the] Minister of the Crown to whom the administration of the Geographical Names Act 1991, is committed do hereby
1. Assign the name Karrawirra Parri as an alternative name to that feature also known as River Torrens. Both names, separately and together, would have equal validity as the name of the subject.”

Notice to Assign Dual Names to Places, South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 15 November 2001.

Rivers, creeks and springs connect Aboriginal people to Country through culture and ecology. There is a high correlation between Aboriginal cultural sites and major water courses such as the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri

This is the case in the local government area of the City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters and the St Peters River Park, where there are several specific sites of ‘known’ high cultural heritage value and sensitivity for the Kaurna.

While not formally listed on the existing Central Archive Register of Aboriginal sites and Objects (South Australia) there is a compelling evidence based on historical research for the presence of archaeological sites, including camping, ceremonial and burial sites within the St Peters River Park.

It is important to understand that under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (AHA) any Aboriginal site means an area of land:
(a) That is of significance according to Aboriginal tradition; or
(b) That is of significance according to Aboriginal archaeology, anthropology or history.

It is an offence under Section 23 of the AHA to damage, disturb or interfere with an Aboriginal site, object or remains unless written authorisation from the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation has been obtained.

It should also be noted that it is an offence under Section 35 of the AHA to divulge information relating to an Aboriginal site, object, remains or Aboriginal tradition without authorisation from the relevant Aboriginal group or groups.

The application of the AHA is relevant given the potential to encounter Aboriginal sites in the St Peters River Park which has not been subject to detailed survey or cultural mapping.

The AHA argues that there is no legal requirement to have undertaken an Aboriginal heritage survey as a precursor to implementing the regulations of the Act.

Under the AHA, due diligence is a necessary strategy in mitigating risk when it comes to understanding Aboriginal landscapes and should be part of any approval or development process particularly with respect to the St Peters River Park and adjoining areas where ground disturbance is required.

The St Peters River Park lies within what is referred to as the ‘ox bow bend’ or the ‘horseshoe bend’ of the Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens. This physical feature of the river is associated with important aspects of Kaurna cultural practices and is ethnographically and anthropologically significant.

This area is now part of what is designated ‘The Billabong’ and is an artificial construction that was brought about by diverting the River Torrens away from its natural course in 1976.

The history of the St Peters River Park is inextricably linked to the complex system of European colonisation in South Australia from 1836.