Victoria Square, Adelaide

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Victoria Square from its western edge
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Victoria Square from its western edge

Victoria Square (34°55′50″S, 138°36′15″E) is a public square located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The square forms the centre of the city's grid of one square mile. The square was named on May 23, 1837 after Princess Victoria, heir presumptive of the British throne. [1] Less than a month later the King died and she became Queen. A statue of Queen Victoria stands in the centre of the square. The Kaurna know the area as Tarndanyangga and in line with the Adelaide City Council's recognition of Kaurna country, it is officially referred to as Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga.

The fountain in the square is designed to represent the three rivers from which Adelaide receives most of its water—the Torrens, the Onkaparinga and the Murray.

Victoria Square is bordered by important public institutions, such as the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Adelaide Magistrate's Court, the Federal Court of Australia, the Treasury and the Adelaide General Post Office. On the eastern side is the Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St Francis Xavier. The Torrens Building, once home to several community organisations, is now used by the Heinz School Australia, an international campus of Carnegie-Mellon University. The Adelaide Central Market is located to the west of the Square.

King William Street passes around the square making a diamond shape with the southbound carriageway passing to the east, and the northbound carriageway around the west of the square. It is bisected by Wakefield Street entering from the east meeting Grote Street entering from the west. The terminus for the Glenelg Tram is in the southern part of the square.