Clovelly Park, South Australia

Clovelly Park Adelaide, South Australia
English Avenue, looking east towards South Road
Population:	2,718 (2001)[1]
Postcode:	5042
Area:	10.1 km² (3.9 sq mi)
Property Value:	AUD $257,500 (2007)
Location:	10 km (6 mi) from City-centre
LGA:	City of Marion
State District:	Elder, Mitchell
Federal Division:	Boothby
Suburbs around Clovelly Park: Ascot Park Edwardstown Melrose Park Mitchell Park Clovelly Park St. Marys Bedford Park Bedford Park Bedford Park

Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion. Before becoming an 'advanced' suburb, it was a farm and vineyard. It has a population of around 2,700. The borders are defined by Daws Road to the north, South Road to the east, Sturt Road to the south, and a combination of Percy Avenue and the Tonsley railway line to the west. It is situated approximately 20 minutes from the CBD, and about 10 minutes from Flinders University, Flinders Medical Centre and Westfield Marion.

It is the location of the (now closed) Mitsubishi plant, although this is often called Tonsley Park, due to the former name of that part of the suburb.

For a time, Clovelly Park was also referred to as Chrysler Park due to misprints on street directories labeling the train station as 'Chrysler Park' railway station and the Chrysler plant (which was later taken over by Mitsubishi Australia). This was also because of the Chrysler Pub and Chrysler car sales.

Etymology

Clovelly Park is simply named after the village in Devon, England of the same name. The landscape of Clovelly Park at the time was similar to that of Clovelly, Devon.

History

Clovelly Park is situated on former Viaduct and Watts Creek. Prior to development in the late 1950s, settlers used Clovelly Park as a farming and agricultural region. During the 1960s, urban encroachment further into the city of Adelaide forced developers to build on partially bankrupt farms. Created was a small semi-town much similar to that of modern day Sellicks Beach or McLaren Vale. The late 1960s saw Clovelly Park and most other suburbs of Marion turn into a 'family friendly' establishment due to the introduction of parks, reserves, and in the 1970s, playgrounds. This establishment although toned down, stands today. During the 1980s, Clovelly Park opened its doors to a more retail scene, with the opening or upgrading of a few major shopping centres around the area. Today, Clovelly Park has lost most of its countryside charm but is still regarded as a safe family friendly neighbourhood.

Schools and childcare

Clovelly Park Primary School, originally known as Mitchell Park Primary School, it was renamed in 1995 following the closure of Tonsley Park Primary School.^[2]

The area contains a government primary school — Clovelly Park Primary School — which caters to approximately 300 students^[3] and includes a New Arrivals Program (NAP) for young migrant students.^[4] The nearest government secondary school is Mitchell Park's Hamilton Secondary College (formerly Mitchell Park Technical College). St Bernadette's School in St. Marys is a lower-primary Catholic school, teaching from reception to grade 5, and is located on the other (eastern) side of South Road.^[5] Sacred Heart College Middle School in Mitchell Park provides Catholic schooling for boys in grades 6-9,^[6] while Westminster School is an independent Uniting Church school catering for approximately 1000 students from reception to year 12, and is located in the nearby suburb of Marion.^[7]

There is no kindergarten within the suburb, but Mitchell Park Kindergarten is close by, and the suburb houses an ABC Learning Centre^[8] which provides childcare.

A plan to convert an existing shopping complex on South Road into an independent primary school for the Exclusive Brethren^[9] was initially approved by the City of Marion's Development Assessment Panel,^[10] before being successfully challenged in the Supreme Court by a local business owner.^[11]

Clovelly Park Primary School houses the office of Family Life SA^[12] which delivers programs and provides resources on sexuality education to schools around the state.^[13]

Finally, Clovelly Park was the location of the former Marion High School, established 1955, which closed in 1996.^[14] The old high school grounds were converted into a housing estate,^[15] but the school hall remains as a community centre.^[14]

Shopping

There are a number of retail stores lining South Road, including a local Cash Converters, a garden center and a snack bar, but there are no significant shopping centers situated within Clovelly Park. The nearest is Park Holme Shopping Centre, which is within walking distance of the residential portion of the suburb. In addition, South Road provides ready access to the CBD and to Castle Plaza in Edwardstown,^[16] while Westfield Marion in Oaklands Park possesses over 300 stores^[17] (with a forthcoming expansion increasing the number by an additional 90)^[18] and is readily accessible by road and public transport.^[19]

Parks and community halls

Rosslyn Avenue Reserve, the largest public open area within Clovelly Park

The largest park within the suburb is Rosslyn Avenue Reserve, which sits between Rosslyn Avenue and Beverley Street at the northern end of the suburb. Rosslyn Avenue Reserve has a playground, seating and a playing area.^[20]

The Clovelly Park Reserve lies between Scottish and Australian Avenues. It features a playground, a community hall, electric barbecues and tennis courts that can be hired by the general public.^[20]

Cosgrove Hall is all that remains of Marion High School.

Slightly further south, on the site of the former Marion High School, sits Cosgrove Hall — the original school hall and gymnasium.^[14] The hall can be hired for a variety of purposes, and the site includes the Graham Watts Playground (completed in February, 2006, and named after the long-serving local councillor),^[21] a basketball net and undercover seating. The hall can be found on the corner of York Street and Scott Avenue.^[20] (Officially opened September 2007)

On the corner of Kensington Street and Windsor Avenue, just west of Cosgrove Hall, is situated Kensington Reserve. While it doesn't possess any play equipment, it does provide seating.

Byron Avenue Reserve, which resides next to the old Clovelly Park Scout Hall on Byron Avenue, encompasses 0.49 hectares which are in the process of being revegetated with pre-European flora.^[22] The reserve contains 200 year old river red gums, and used to include Viaduct Creek before the creek was built over as part of the Chrysler/Mitsubishi development.^[23]

Finally, hidden behind units on Cohen Court and the southern end of Windsor Avenue is a small reserve containing seating and a playground.

Although not located in Clovelly Park, the adjacent Mitchell Park Reserve on Bradley Grove provides a full-sized playing oval, a community hall, tennis courts, barbecues, large open spaces and two playgrounds.^[24]

Health and community services

The Southern Clinic provides health services for the area, with six medical doctors on staff. The clinic is open Monday to Saturday, and out-of-hours appointments can be organized for Sundays. Counseling and related services are available through the Inner Southern Community Health Service[1], which includes the Aboriginal Health House on the corner of Wingfield Street and Newton Avenue. More serious cases are handled at the Flinders Medical Centre, which is a short drive away and directly accessible by public transport.

Clovelly Park Pharmacy sits alongside the Southern Clinic and the Community Health Service on South Road.

Notable residents

• Robert Coulthard, local doctor and Member of the Order of Australia.^[25]
• Shaun Micallef, comedian, ARIA award winner and host of Talkin' 'bout Your Generation.

Transport

Street in Clovelly Park, looking west from South Road

The suburb lies adjacent to South Road to the east, and Marion Road lies a short distance to the west. South Road is the main north-south arterial road in Adelaide, and thus it provides rapid access to a large portion of the city. Limited east-west travel is facilitated through Daws Road/Oaklands Road to the north and Sturt Road to the south.

Clovelly Park is well serviced by public transport. Frequent buses run along South Road, and both the 213 and 297 run through the center of the suburb. In addition, the northern residential portion of Clovelly Park is serviced by the Mitchell Park railway station on the Tonsley railway line. Clovelly Park railway station primarily services the southern portion of Mitchell Park and Mitsubishi's Tonsley plant, while Tonsley station handles the southern end of the suburb, as well as being in walking distance of Flinders University. The Noarlunga Centre railway line, which provides more services than the Tonsley line, is close by and is accessible via the Ascot Park railway station to the north of the suburb.

The disused Mitsubishi plant in the suburb

According to the 2006 census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, just under 11% of the employed population of the suburb used public transport to travel to work,^[26] up from 9% in the 2001 census. The majority (68%) of those traveling to work using a single form of transport relied on cars, motorbikes and trucks, with 7% of those employed choosing to travel as a passenger.

Politics

The suburb is part of the federal seat of Boothby led by Andrew Southcott and the state seats of Elder and Mitchell.

References

Coordinates: 35°00′00″S 138°34′34″E / 35°S 138.576°E / -35; 138.576