Here we are in the Semaphore/Port Adelaide/LeFevre Peninsula area, in the year 2021, and isn't it lovely to be able to view this map from 1839. Well, maybe not. We see that the place was a pristine wilderness, as in contrast to the overbuilt, ugly, crowded suburban sprawl that it is today. So in the grand tradition of all maps, we will look at where we were, and maybe, at the end of this post, take a peek at where we might end up.
Here is another map, from 1840. The vultures are circling.
By the year 1852, the place was already being drawn and quartered. As you'll see, the development of our area was planned from the get go. Money was borrowed, lots drawn up, and until every square inch could be made to service the infinite debt, the development was going to proceed apace.
The question is, who owned it, and if they owned it, who'd they buy it from, and with whose money?
In this map from 1883, we can see that despite the lots drawn up 43 years prior, there hasn't been development outside of what is now Semaphore and Port Adelaide. Imagine how beautiful the pristine wilderness of the LeFevre Peninsula must have been!
By 1912, about 70 years from the date of our first map, not only was the whole place drawn and quartered, but it was being developed with an artery of transportation lines, so that all the suburbia that was about to be created, could be accessed by trains and cars.
Let's fast-forward to 2021, where the Adelaide metro area, has now had every square inch developed. This map from Google Earth shows that the paved over, developed areas actually look GREY from outer space. The area within the yellow line still looks green, but will most likely turn grey by the year 2050.
We are 180 years on from the first map, and 110 years on from the 1912 transit map.
That's 180 years of non-stop development. In other words, it took only 180 years to destroy every square inch of open green space. Gone are the Platypus, Emu, Koalas and Kangaroos that must've been in abundance here. Now its nothing but cars, cars, cars. Plus people and their houses and dogs. Oh, and shops. Most of the industrial places in the Adelaide metro area are either defunct and derelict, or are undergoing transformation into housing developments. It would seem there is no plan to take any existing developed land (which is pretty much everything) and return it to the wild. The entire Adelaide metro area of 2021 is approximately 400 square miles. That was 400 square miles of pristine nature unique to this part of the world, and it only took 180 years to completely destroy it. So whats it going to look like 180 years from now?
This is Google Maps satellite view of the Port River area in 2021. As we can see, it is a mix of residential and industrial development, with very little green or wild places.
This map, from PlanSA's 3D project tracker, shows a snapshot of the area on 30 November 2021. The big yellow area is, according to PlanSA, an "uplift area".
In this map we take a look at all the space that is currently NOT residential. This includes post-industrial areas being re-developed by Renewal SA, industrial areas, wetlands, and natural areas. There's a sizeable chunk of space that, if the SA Government and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield were forward thinking enough, could be set aside and re-wilded forever. Don't count on it. The Steven Marshall government is pushing their $17.9Billion infrastructure plan, which means more cars, more houses, more people, more malls, etc, etc... We predict that by 2030, or 2050, all the pink areas will be solidly residential suburbia or hi-rise city.
In this map we look at it in a slightly different way, with the green and yellow areas representing the pink from the earlier map. Its the same chunk of land area, and it could be rewilded and saved for future generations to enjoy as wild parkland, but like we said, don't hold your breath waiting. So much for the "National Park City" pledge that Claire Boan and Steven Marshall put forward.
If you are reading this post, and it is the year 2050, and there is abundant green space in the Port River area, and the computers and electricity are still running green, and the government is still of the people, by the people, for the people, then all's well that ends well. From a lone greenie in 2021, hello!
