Second metropolitan national park officially proclaimed for Adelaide

Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta has officially been proclaimed as Adelaide’s second metropolitan national park with a planned opening in 2021.

The park’s name, Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta, includes the Kaurna name recognising an important Kaurna elder at the time of European Colonisation.

Creation of the 545-hectare park will bring together Glenthorne Farm, O’Halloran Hill Recreation Park, Marino Conservation Park, and Hallett Cove Conservation Park under a single management framework.

South Australian Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs advised “Glenthorne National Park presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve and revitalise a significant portion of natural open space in the southern suburbs and turn it into a thriving environmental and recreational precinct for future generations.

“The Glenthorne precinct is so close to Adelaide city, and will allow more people to get into parks to enjoy our beautiful natural environment which is good for people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“While the public won’t be able to get in and enjoy Glenthorne just yet, the proclamation is an important step in making the park a reality ahead of our planned opening in 2021.

“We have already seen significant works undertaken including a new ranger station, park infrastructure and the demolition of the unusable buildings on site.”

Minister Speirs said managing this land under a single national park management plan will create and expand wildlife and vegetation corridors in the southern suburbs, supporting native plants and animals to survive and thrive noting “the new national park will be a haven of native fauna and flora with koalas, kangaroos, and several bird species of conservation significance including the vulnerable yellow-tailed black-cockatoo and the rare peregrine falcon known to live in the area.

“I want to thank the efforts of the Glenthorne Partnership, a group of community representatives who played a key role assist in the development of this park.

O’Halloran Hill Recreation Park will be formally abolished, and that land now included within the new park identity. Hallett Cove and Marino Conservation Parks will retain their identity as separate parks, however, will be managed within the broader Glenthorne framework.

The Glenthorne Farm property has historical significance for South Australia, being where the state’s first police commissioner Major Thomas O’Halloran established a farm in 1839. It later played a significant role in the training of horses sent to fight in World War I, including at Gallipoli. From the late 1940s until the 1990s in transitioned to a CSIRO agriculture research centre.