Woodville Gardens, South Australia

Woodville Gardens is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 10km from the CBD, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Woodville North, Mansfield Park, Ferryden Park, and Kilkenny. The post code for Woodville Gardens is 5012. It is bounded to the south by First Avenue, and to the east by Liberty Grove, and to the west by Hanson Road.

History

Prior to the Second World War, Woodville Gardens mainly consisted of pastures, and open land. Its development as a residential area coincided with the post-war boom in the 1950s. It is home to a large number of houses owned by the South Australian Housing Trust. In the 1990s, plans were made for the Westwood Urban Renewal project, of which Ferryden Park, Mansfield Park, Angle Park, and Athol Park are also a part. This involved the demolition of many of the Housing Trust homes, to be replaced by either private housing, or a lesser number of newer, townhouse-style housing trust homes. The building began in 2001, and as of 2003, began to affect the eastern part of Woodville Gardens.

Facilities

There is one primary school in the area, being the public Ridley Grove Primary School, established in 1950, with around 300-400 students. after the closure of a Catholic R-2 when it merged with St Margaret Mary's School in the adjoining suburb of Croydon Park. There are many medical, pharmaceutical and Asian grocery and restaurants along Hanson Road. The Centro Arndale shopping centre in adjacent Kilkenny is the main shopping facility in the area. The nearby Parks Community Centre, in Angle Park also provides a library, health centre, gym and fitness centre, swimming complex, council office, and a few other community services. It was also site of the Parks High School, which was closed at the end of 1996, due to declining enrolments. Currently, the local zone high school is Woodville High School, in Woodville. However, a large number of the families in the area choose to send their children to other schools, mainly in the city centre, which was one of the causes of the closure of the Parks High School. There is one small park in the area called, Mikawomma Reserve.

There is an outdoor velodrome located in Woodville Gardens, which was opened in 1929 by the Kilkenny Amateur Cycling Club, leading to the construction of the banked arena in 1932. It also became the home of the Woodville Professional cycling club, and at one stage the facility was used by Arn Bate and Dean Toseland, the national mile and 10 mile champions respectively. It was also where former Australian track cycling coach Charlie Walsh began his involvement in cycling.

Transport

Liberty Grove is served by the 250, 251 and 252 services, while the First Avenue is served by the 239, 250, 251, 252 services. The 253, 253X, 254, 254X service Hanson Road.

Demographics

Woodville Gardens is home to a large immigrant population. The initial settlement of the suburb coincided with a large wave of immigrants from Eastern Europe arriving in Australia, following the Second World War. Although most of their children have moved on, a large number of immigrant retirees still live in the area. This is reflected in the peak enrolment at Ridley Grove Primary School, which peaked at 880 in 1961. Another wave of immigration occurred in the 1980s, when Vietnamese immigrants arrived after the Vietnam War. Currently, more than 50% of the population is from a non-English speaking background.

Politics

Angle Park is located within the federal seat of Port Adelaide. It is one of the most pro-Australian Labor Party area in South Australia, recording two-party-preferred votes for the ALP at the Ridley Grove Primary School booth at the 1998, 2001 and 2004 federal elections of more than 70% on each occasion.

References

Lewis, H.J., "Enfield and the northern villages", Corporation of the City of Enfield, 1985