by Emma Moss

Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17) is more than just a green space on Adelaide’s southern edge.

It’s a place where history, culture, and community converge. From the elm-lined avenue planted in the 19th century, to the croquet lawns alive with tradition, to volunteers restoring native vegetation, and the Kaurna community bringing back cultural burning after two centuries, this Park carries stories across generations.

*An APA Guided Walk through Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17).* *Pic: @adelaidewriter*

The Kaurna name for this Park, “Tuthangga” means “grass place”. The name was officially assigned in 2002, while its English name, “Carriageway Park” became official only in September 2017.

This Park carries at least three different stories across generations:

the game of croquet,
bush restoration, and
Kaurna traditions.

What follows is a journey through these voices and moments, capturing the living character of Tuthangga.

*The elm “carriageway” in Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17). Pic: Shane Sody*

Croquet Club Chronicles

Set alongside the serene backdrop of the elm “carriageway” are the neatly trimmed lawns of two croquet clubs: the South Terrace Croquet Club and the SA Croquet Association’s courts both leased from the City of Adelaide.

Their clubhouses—one a red, English-style cottage; the other a deep green blended into hedges—evoke another era.

*Pics: (left) Shane Sody; (right) @adelaidewriter*

Croquet was one of the few sports from the Victorian era where men and women were able to compete.

Eileen Ferguson, the former president of the South Australian Croquet Association Adelaide Park Lands Association has told us that “croquet is a gender-neutral sport, with men and women able to compete against each other on equal terms.” Furthermore, croquet was “one of the first sports in which women were allowed to compete at an Olympic level – way back in the 1900 Summer Olympics.”

Eileen recalls: “Since its inception, croquet has always had a presence in the Adelaide Park Lands. The [SACA] lawns in Park 17 were established in 1926, although they were first situated further north on Hutt Road from their present location.”

*Opening of the SA Croquet headquarters, Hutt Road, May 19, 1926, by Mr T. N. Stephens. Pic: South Australian Croquet Association*

These lawns, fenced and reserved for members, feel like private time capsules. A walk here is a nod to Victorian grace—past and present rolled quietly through the gates.

The Gentle Hands of Bush for Life

Add to that the work of volunteer groups tending native grasses and saplings—restoring what was once overshadowed.

*Pic: Samantha Catford / Trees for Life*

Trees for Life’s “Regenerate” program brings people into this Park not just to tend the land, but to heal themselves.

Participant Samantha Catford writes:

“As we go about the rewarding task of freeing the rare plants from their plastic tubes… I’m aware of the different conversations taking place around me… there appears to be a natural rhythm we fall into as we relax in our bushland surroundings… it’s a relief to realise I feel very much at peace…”

*The ‘Bush for Life’ site in Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17). Pic: Shane Sody*

Here, amid re-planted grasslands, volunteers and nature move together in quiet harmony—each contributing something gentle and vital in maintaining your Adelaide Park Lands.

Rekindling with Fire: Kaurna Voices

This land has deeper stories. On 14 May 2021, Tuthangga became the site of something historic. It hosted the first cultural burn in an Australian capital city and the first on Kaurna Yerta in 200 years since colonisation.

*Pic: Green Adelaide* ***https://www.greenadelaide.sa.gov.au/news/2022-cultural-burning-south-australia***

Jeffrey Newchurch, Kaurna elder and chairperson of the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, told InDaily’s CityMag:

“For me personally, and for Aboriginals, it’s emotional. … It’s a feeling of excitement because we get this opportunity to do a cultural practice in relation to maintaining country.”

Cultural burning returned to Tuthangga for a second time, in August 2024, supported by the Kaurna community, the City of Adelaide, and Green Adelaide.

The revival of cultural burning at Tuthangga is not only a powerful act of cultural renewal for the Kaurna people, but also a practical land management tool. These burns reduce fuel loads, enhance biodiversity, and help maintain healthy ecosystems while restoring balance to the park’s native vegetation.

In bringing back this ancient practice, the Kaurna community strengthens both ecological resilience and cultural continuity, reconnecting Country with knowledge carried for thousands of years. Carriageway Park / Tuthangga is, in every sense, a place of many voices— a significant place for wildlife and people in the heart of your Adelaide Park Lands.

Banner pic (at top): Nicole Lionnet

The author of this article, Emma Moss, is a volunteer writer for the Adelaide Park Lands Association.

With a professional background in Learning and Development, Emma is passionate about education, clear communication and community engagement.

Outside of work, she is a dedicated artist and an advocate for animal and wildlife conservation.