Words: Shane Sody. Photos: Lyndon Stacy

There have been some strange sights in your Park Lands during recent days, with more changes on the horizon.

New lighting and pathways, a new soccer pitch, and some weird mounds of earth.

It's been two months so far, but it seems there's still a long way to go with the upgrade of the Park Lands Trail through Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27).

Lighting will be installed along the Trail all the way to Port Road, but for the time being, pedestrians and cyclists are still being diverted away from the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari.

The Adelaide Comets soccer club, Western Districts Athletics Club and St Mary's school will be the main beneficiaries of this irrigation and turf replacement that's underway in Ellis Park / Tampawardli (Park 24).

Another earthmoving project is under way in Josie Agius Park / Wikapartu Wirra (Park 22) near the corner of Goodwood Road and Greenhill Road.

There's no signage here to indicate what's going on, but we’re told that the mounds of earth have been excavated from an intersection upgrade further north in the same Park, at the corner of Anzac Highway and West Terrace.

We've asked the City Council for information about the cost of these projects and when they might be finished. We’ll update this story when we get a reply.

UPDATE 12 DECEMBER 2022

The City Council has advised:

Bonython Park/ Tulya Wardli (Park 27)

This project is part of the Cycling Infrastructure projects part of the City of Adelaide partnership with the State Government progressing the bicycle paths across the CBD which includes improved lighting along the Bonython Park path.

Ellis Park / Tampawardli (Park 24)

This upgrade is being undertaken by the Adelaide Comets who received $1.75M in funding from the State Government to improve irrigation and turf quality of the main pitch and replace the existing sports lighting which the lighting requires Development Approval. Additional infrastructure to main pitch to host National Premier league games will be raised with Kadaltilla and Council.

Josie Agius Park / Wikparntu Wirra (Park 22)  

The mounds of mulch/ dirt are for the works that are being undertake on West Terrace with the median garden beds renewal, these will be reused in West Terrace.  

Another change coming soon in the south-western Park Lands will be the removal of the COVID-19 drive-through testing site off Anzac Highway, in Edwards Park - part of G.S. Kingston Park / Wirrarninthi (Park 23).

Removal of the drive-through site, by 8 January, will re-open the possibility of restoring this large expanse of bitumen to public Park Land.

APA will be lobbying the City Council to commit resources in the City’s next budget to restoring this area of your Park Lands.