Glenunga, South Australia
Glenunga () is a small suburb of 2,539 people located in the
South Australian city of
Adelaide. It is located three kilometres east of Adelaide's central business district (CBD). The name Glenunga is taken from an Aboriginal language and was given to the area by the natives before European settlement. Bounded on the north by Windsor Road, the east by Portrush Road, the south-west by Glen Osmond Road and the west by Conyngham Street, it forms a rough triangular layout.
Glenunga, along with its neighbouring suburb of
Glenside were originally known by the name of 'Knoxville'. They were first settled in the 1840's as farming land, and wheat grown in the area was awarded first prize in the Royal Adelaide Show. The area now taken up by Glenunga International High School and Webb Oval, were previously home to slaughter houses established in the nineteenth century. At one point, the slaughterhouses were exporting overseas and at the same time providing half of Adelaide's lamb requirements.
A number of coach companies, notably Rounsevell, Cobb & Co and John Hill were set up in the 1870's and 1880's. Up to 1000 horses grazed the land. At this point, most of the streets were beginning to be named. Most were named by the inhabitants at the time, usually in reference to their original homes in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and the United States. However, one street was named after an Aboriginal Word - "Allinga", meaning sun.
In the early twentieth century, a number of businesses started locating themselves in Glenunga. The South Australian idiom, the Hills Hoist - was invented by the Hill family in Glenunga. Other notable businesses were the Symons & Symons glass merchants and one involved in "Bland Radios".
A church was established in 1928, and a larger church was later built in 1956 and dedicated to St Stephen. The suburb's transition from a largely rural area to a residential suburb began after
World War II, with migration to the area from the
United Kingdom and other countries. The St. Stephens church was demolished in 1999, with the church community moving to the growing St. Saviour's church in Glen Osmond. A plaque was left as a reminder where it had once stood.
The suburb is very leafy with many trees which make up for the lack of parks and reserves. There are more parks in nearby
Glen Osmond, such as the popular Ridge Park. There is a small
Anglican church also located on the corner of L'Estrange Street and Bevington Road.
Public Transport for the suburb is easy; buses run down
Glen Osmond Road every 15 minutes until 6pm and there are numerous other bus routes in the city including the cross-city circle line. The buses are provided by the Adelaide Metro. However, the majority of commuters still use cars and Glenunga is well-placed for this, bordering
Greenhill Road,
Portrush Road and Glen Osmond Road. Glenunga residents can reach the Adelaide CBD by various routes, and the
Adelaide Hills by way of Glen Osmond Road and the
South Eastern Freeway.
The suburb is home to a number of families and retirees of predominantly
Anglo-Celtic background. Much of the suburb is fairly wealthy.
Due to the small size of the suburb itself, there is only one main park - Glenunga Reserve which also contains Webb Oval. More than anything else in the suburb, the
Glenunga International High School brings it prominence both in Australia and overseas. The school campus is an easily-identifiable part of Glenunga, being situated roughly in the middle of the suburb itself. The school's expansion and development have aided in the once-quiet L'Estrange Street being clogged with both traffic and students at peak hour and other times.
A number of businesses and shops are located along Glen Osmond Road and Conyngham Street. A McDonald's, Chinese and Mexican restaurants are found within Glenunga on Glen Osmond Road, along with a number of small businesses and motels. Conyngham Street contains the headquarters of DECS and empty commercial blocks are waiting to undergo development.
Glenunga is in the
South Australian House of Assembly Electoral District of Unley and the
Federal Division of Sturt, and is a solid Liberal-voting area.
