by Shane Sody
We’ve offered to help Premier Malinauskas to capture the economic benefits of the LIV Golf tourism drawcard, while protecting trees and public access to your Adelaide Park Lands.
The Premier’s plans to chop trees, erect fences, and build over parts of Possum Park / Pirltawardli (Park 1 of your Adelaide Park Lands) have been characterised as “Pillaging Possum Park for FIFO millionaires.”
A social media campaign, using the hashtag #ProtectParksPete has kicked off, and our petition “Protect Possum Park, Pete” is attracting a rapidly growing number of signatures.
Have you signed yet? https://www.change.org/p/protect-possum-park-pete
Our campaign is two-pronged, and it’s positive. We are intent on both protecting your world-unique Adelaide Park Lands, and also assisting the Premier by suggesting a number of alternative locations to build a new championship golf course (or modify an existing course) to host the multi-million dollar annual LIV Golf tournament.
This is the second in our series of options we’re suggesting to the Premier, so that he can protect your Park Lands, while still catering to the millionaire FIFOs of the LIV Golf circuit.
Last month, our first suggested option was at Dry Creek, where there are about 980 hectares of idle evaporation ponds. Choosing that site would allow construction of a brand new course, suitable for LIV Golf, without chopping a single tree or fencing off any of your Adelaide Park Lands.
Now; Option 2: Cherry Gardens
Blackwood Golf Club at Cherry Gardens. Pic by Greg Yopi Jones, via Google Maps
The picturesque Blackwood Golf Club occupies a 40-hectare (100 acre) site at Cherry Gardens, with sweeping hilltop views over the southern Adelaide Hills. Just 23 kilometres from the GPO, it’s at the top of a hill, (elevation 420 metres) at the intersection of three main roads: Ironbank Road, Cherry Gardens Road, and Acland Hill Road.
The 40-hectare grounds of the Blackwood Golf Club at Cherry Gardens. Pic: Google Earth.
To cater for LIV Golf, there would be no need to erect temporary fences because the course has been fully fenced since 1987.
Its current size might be a little too small for the world-class LIV golf circuit, which typically plays on courses of even larger size, of 48 hectares or more.
However acquiring additional land need not be an impediment to this, or any other potential site, because the State Government has the power of compulsory land acquisition (at a fair price).
Purchasing a few extra hectares to expand the size of the Blackwood Golf Club course would be a minor component of a likely $100 million construction project.
The Adelaide Park Lands Association has not sought the views of any of the Blackwood Golf Club members. That’s not our role. We are not the State Government’s real estate agency. Our role is to protect your Open, Green, Public Possum Park / Pirltawardli (Park 1 of your Adelaide Park Lands) from the Premier’s Park Lands proposals which would require:
hundreds of trees being destroyed to make longer, wider fairways;
new buildings to generate multi-million dollar revenue streams; and
at least five months of fencing and grandstand construction disrupting North Adelaide each year.
It’s the Premier’s duty to do “due diligence” and investigate all options; which should include canvassing the views of golf club members at this club, and others.
The Blackwood Golf Club is is just one of many potential sites; and we will be suggesting other potential sites in coming weeks.
Reviews of the Blackwood Golf Club on Google include comments that suggest the layout might not need as much modification to cater for LIV golf, because the fairways are "fairly wide";
"Tough golf course for the average golfer but if your keen for a challenge then this a good test."
"This is a proper golfers' course. Combination of tight and open holes, you will use most clubs in your bag, the greens are in great nick, bunkers are a mixed bag."
Find out more
Future stories in this series will focus on other alternative sites on which the State Government might build its desired new LIV Golf course, without trying to harm or diminish your Park Lands.
See our previously published stories on this issue and other relevant resources - including a letter from the Premier, and suggestions for activism, collected on this page:
