Fullarton, South Australia

Fullarton
Fullarton is located in inner Adelaide
Fullarton
Fullarton
Location in greater metropolitan Adelaide
Interactive map of Fullarton
Coordinates: 34°57′04″S 138°37′44″E / 34.951°S 138.629°E / -34.951; 138.629
CountryAustralia
StateSouth Australia
CityAdelaide
LGA
Location
Established1849
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal divisions
Population
 • Total4,500 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode
5063
Suburbs around Fullarton
Unley Parkside, Eastwood Frewville
Malvern Fullarton Glenunga
Highgate Myrtle Bank Glen Osmond

Fullarton is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Unley. It population was recorded as 4,500 in 2021.

It adjoins Parkside, Unley, Malvern, Highgate and Myrtle Bank and is bisected by Fullarton Road. Fullarton is bounded by Cremorne Street, Randolph Avenue and Fullarton Road in the north, Glen Osmond Road in the east, Fisher Street, Fullarton Road and Cheltenham Street in the south and Balmoral Street, Fisher Street and Windsor Street in the west.

History

Before British colonisation of South Australia and subsequent European settlement, Fullarton was inhabited by one of the groups who later collectively became known as the Kaurna peoples.[2][3]

The suburb was first developed by James Frew, a Scottish settler from Glasgow who arrived with his family on the Lady Bute in 1839 and bought property from William Giles. Frew laid out the area in 1849, and named it after his wife, formerly Jane Fullarton. The family resided at an estate built between 1846 and 1850 called Malwood, later Frew Manor, on what is now known as 11 and 13 Frew Street.[4] Other significant historic properties dating from the 19th century include Woodfield at 78 Fisher Street and Penrose at 115 Wattle Street.[5]

The suburb was officially established in 1849.[6]

In 1912 the Girls' Probationary School, originally established at Woodville before being moved to "Sea View House" at Beaumont (1905), then for two years at Norwood (1910), moved to 39 Florence Street, Fullarton. Run by the Salvation Army for the state government (via the Children's Welfare and Public Relief Board, which succeeded the State Children's Council[7]), it housed girls who were wards of the state classed as having behavioural problems – usually owing to truancy.[8] It was intended as an intermediate home for children who had not been committed to a reformatory, but considered to require greater discipline than that offered at Edwardstown Industrial School. The building had 21 rooms housing 50 girls and six staff members, and in 1916 the old coach house was repurposed into two classrooms. It was also known as "The Haven", and housed a number of Aboriginal girls, some of whom undertook three years of training in "domestic arts".[7] From 1945 until around 1969, it was named the Salvation Army Girls' Home, after being renamed when the Children's Welfare and Public Relief Board ceased control of the school, and it was no longer gazetted as a government-approved private institution. The government again assumed supervision of the home in 1950, under amendments to the Maintenance Act 1926-37, which mandated regular inspections for all institutions accommodating children under seven. In 1969 the home started admitting young boys, and was given the name Fullarton Children's Home.[9] Today (2026), the building houses the Salvation Army SA and NT Divisional Office, along with various services offered by them.[10]

Governance and demographics

The local council for Fullarton is the City of Unley. It lies within the state government electoral district of Unley, and is covered by two federal divisions: Adelaide and Sturt.

The population of the suburb was recorded as 4,500 in the 2021 Australian Census, 54.1% of whom were female. 44.6% were tertiary educated, and 67.8% were born in Australia.[11]

Architecture and facilities

Fullarton has a mix of housing styles with leafy, tree-lined streets dotted with character homes – from Victorian Villas through Edwardian, Art Deco and Californian bungalows – alongside many modern rebuilds and subdivisions. Detached houses make up about 45 per cent of the housing stock with 45 per cent being semi-detached and units. Fullarton also houses a number of aged care facilities including the former Julia Farr Centre. This 2.8-hectare (6.9-acre) site has been redeveloped.[12]

Parks

Fullarton Park hosts the monthly Fullarton Market for plants, produce, food, and bric-a-brac,[13] and also houses the Fullarton Community Centre.[14]

Katherine Street Reserve playground offers varied play areas, including a sandpit.

Fern Avenue Reserve has playground facilities, while next door is the Fern Avenue Community Garden.[15]

Schools

Fullarton sits within the Unley Primary School and Glen Osmond Primary School and Glenunga International High School zones.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Fullarton (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  2. ↑ Lockwood, Christine (2017). "4. Early encounters on the Adelaide Plains and Encounter Bay". In Brock, Peggy; Gara, Tom (eds.). Colonialism and its Aftermath: A history of Aboriginal South Australia. Wakefield Press. pp. 65–81. ISBN 978-1-74305-499-4. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022.
  3. ↑ Horton, David R. (1996). "Map of Indigenous Australia". AIATSIS. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  4. ↑ McDougall & Vines. Unley Heritage Research Study for the City of Unley: Volume 2, Part 1 (2006)
  5. ↑ McDougall & Vines. Unley Heritage Research Study for the City of Unley: Volume 1 (2006)
  6. ↑ "How Unley Developed". City of Unley. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Probationary home for girls, run by Salvos under South Australian government boards' control from 1901". Adelaide AZ. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Girls' Probationary School". Find and Connect. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Salvation Army Girls' Home, Fullarton". Find and Connect. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Connecting Up Australia". SAcommunity. 1 March 2026. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "2021 Fullarton, Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Hotels, housing on cards for prime Fullarton site". InDaily. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "Fullarton Market". City of Unley. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Fullarton Park Community Centre". City of Unley. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Fern Avenue Community Garden, Fullarton SA". Fern Avenue Community Garden. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Franklyn – Furner". manning.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Adelaide Advertiser". Adelaide Advertiser; Realestate.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.