Torrens Park, South Australia

Torrens Park is a mainly residential inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, incorporating some of the foothills^[2] and adjacent to the original "Mitcham Village".

The suburb is in the City of Mitcham local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Waite and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Boothby.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Politics
5 Schools
6 Public Transport
7 Notes
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

The name was formally submitted for approval in 1945. Torrens Park is named after Sir Robert Torrens, the third Premier of South Australia and instigator of the Torrens title land title system. Torrens Park contained "Torrens Park Estate", the residence of Sir Robert Torrens, which today forms part of the campus of Scotch College. Although, sadly, the original gates have recently been removed, the original gatehouse to the Estate is still visible at the corner of Belair Rd and Ayr Ave.

Part of today's suburb was laid out in 1917 from the estate of T. Barr-Smith^[3]; various parts of the suburb were originally known as "Glenburnie", Blytheswoodville, Panchito Park, Blythwood Estate and West Mitcham.^[4]

[edit] Geography

For Adelaide, Torrens Park is large suburb. The north end of the suburb is reasonably flat, but as one travels south (towards the foothills) the terrain rises and becomes hilly. The Brown Hill Creek runs through the suburb from the south-east to the north-west. Due to the foothills, the rainfall in the City of Mitcham is 25%-50% higher than the rainfall on the Adelaide Plains.

[edit] Demographics

Torrens Park has an ageing population with a high proportion of professionally qualified people.^[1]

[edit] Politics

Traditionally, the area has been part of a "blue ribbon Liberal" seat; State member has been Martin Hamilton-Smith, and Federal member has been Andrew Southcott.

[edit] Schools

The only school actually located in the suburb is Scotch College.

Nearby Primary Schools:

Clapham
Mitcham
Colonel Light Gardens

Nearby High Schools:

[edit] Public Transport

Public Transport to Torrens Park is available through the Belair railway line, to the Mitcham (North-West), Torrens Park^[5] (West) and Lynton (South-West) stations.^[6] Buses are also available along Belair Road.^[7] Route 191 turns east along Princes Rd serving the northern side of the suburb; Route 192 terminates on Kays Road; Routes 193, 195, 196, 197 and 198 pass through the suburb enroute to destinations in the Adelaide Hills.

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Torrens Park (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
^ The southern edge of the suburb is zoned Hills Face Zone.
^ Tom Elder Barr-Smith, born in 1863, was the son of businessman and philanthropist Robert Barr Smith (1824-1915). In 1920 the Barr-Smith family gave £11,000 for the endowment of the library of the University of Adelaide, and in 1928 Tom gave £30,000 for the Barr Smith Library building.
^ Torrens Park Local History - Places, City of Mitcham.
^ Local folklore/legend is that the bend in the railway line and the location of the Torrens Park station were planned to minimise the distance between Sir Robert Torrens' house and a railway station.
^ Prior to the "standardization" of the Adelaide-Melbourne rail line, the suburb was also served by the now closed Clapham station.
^ To a lesser degree, buses along Fullarton Road serve the eastern side of the suburb.