THE UNIQUENESS OF ADELAIDE

The history of William Light's plan for Adelaide, particularly its siting and the Park Lands, is a very important element in the growth of the City and the State and is the ‘creative tension’ in the political relationship that developed between the ACC and State Government from 1840. In Bill Peach's view, the free-settled nature of the colony of South Australia contributed to the civilised qualities of Adelaide that has made the City different and special. But it is the continuous belt of Park Lands that makes Adelaide unique and which gives the City its distinctive character as a city in a garden. The City of Adelaide is one of the few cities in the world whose boundaries have not altered since their foundation. The Park Lands provide a clear boundary and sense of identity; whether walking, cycling or driving, you have to pass through them to get to the City. Of all the Australian capital cities, only in Adelaide is there physical evidence separating the centre from the surrounding other local government areas. A good example of this distinctive quality is to compare the boundaries of the City of Adelaide (Figure 1, Introduction) with the boundaries of the City of Sydney in 1971 (Figure 22, Chapter 4).