Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia

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Colonel Light Gardens (34°59′01″S, 138°35′41″E) is a model garden suburb, featuring wide, tree-lined streets, rounded street corners, and lots of open space, located within the City of Mitcham in the greater City of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. The area is 1.58 km².

It contains Colonel Light Gardens Primary School, the Colonel Light Gardens RSL, a number of sporting clubs using the name Reade Park, and a multitude of historical parks and gardens. It also contains many paved and unpaved laneways, alleyways and bike tracks, most of which do not appear on maps.

1 Unusual facts
2 Naming
3 History
4 Transport
5 Politics
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Unusual facts

Many Adelaide residents are confused by the unusual layout of Colonel Light Gardens, and its maze of laneways and cul-de-sacs. Part of the suburb is said to significantly resemble a rising sun (the symbol of the Australian military) or a Union Jack when viewed from the air. However it was not designed this way. The Colonel Light Gardens Historical Society website suburb myths section explains in more detail.

Until the 1970s the suburb was administered under the Garden Suburb Act and controlled by a South Australian government appointed Garden Suburb Commissioner, who carried out the functions of local government until it was eventually absorbed by the Mitcham Council.

[edit] Naming

Named after the surveyor of Adelaide, Colonel William Light.

For many years residents in the northern section of the suburb adopted Reade Park as their address to distinguish themselves from the Thousand Homes Scheme area.

[edit] History

An area of 1.2 km² was purchased in June 1915 by the Vaughan Labor government from the estate of William Tennant Mortlock. It was formerly known as Grange Farm. During World War I it was the site of an army camp.

The Government decided to establish it as a 'model garden suburb' following New Zealand town planner Charles Reade's 1914 Australian Town Planning Tour.

Placed on the Register of The National Estate in October 1999.