The City of Adelaide has unveiled a five-year Strategic Plan that contains a startling new direction for your Park Lands.
“No new development” in your Park Lands (it says) - but is this actually workable?
Dear Premier, why won’t you call me by my name? If you are going to chop down my trees, why won’t you look me in the forest and tell me straight? Yours sincerely, Pirltawardli ….
It’s holiday time - so time to explore your Park Lands, especially the remarkable urban forest on Adelaide’s doorstep - before it’s drastically cut back. “It’s Not Just a Golf Course” is the event title. Explore it with us, on one of a dozen dates over the next few weeks.
More than 300 trees have been felled, so far, to make room for a three billion dollar hospital on your Park Lands, but much more tree destruction is on the way.
You’re invited! Please come to inspect, first-hand, the remarkable urban forest on Adelaide’s doorstep - before it’s drastically cut back. “It’s Not Just a Golf Course” is the event title. Explore it with us, on one of 15 dates over the next few weeks.
We love interviewing people who enjoy frequenting your Park Lands.
This time in the hot-seat is Sue O’Brien who has an interesting background. She’s an outdoor educator and guide, a maker and repairer of outdoor gear, and a keen cyclist and hiker. We pinned her down long enough to find out what motivates her.
Do jacaranda trees suck?
According to Adelaide pollination ecologist and educator Bianca Amato, they do. She believes the well-loved trees, though pretty, are “ecological dead zones”.
Meanwhile, plane trees have also come under attack interstate, with Sydney’s city council phasing out their use across its streets and parks. Environmentalist Tim Flannery has labelled the species “about as much use to our wildlife as concrete posts”. Could the same happen here?
Park lovers have questioned why the State Government chose to return the Adelaide 500 car race to Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) after award-winning biodiversity wetlands were created there.
Birds and other wildlife have proliferated in the area since the $13 million, 3.2-hectare wetland was opened in the southern part of the Park in 2022.