City of Salisbury

This article is about the local government area in South Australia. For the related town, see Salisbury, South Australia. For the city in England, see Salisbury. For other cities, see Salisbury (disambiguation).

The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Its neighbours are the City of Playford, City of Tea Tree Gully and City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

City of Salisbury South Australia
Coordinates	34.7673°S 138.5857°E / -34.7673; 138.5857
Population	145,806 (LGA 2021)[1]
• Density	922.24/km2 (2,388.6/sq mi)
Established	6 July 1964
Area	158.1 km2 (61.0 sq mi)
Mayor	Gillian Aldridge[2]
Region	Northern Adelaide[3]
State electorate(s)	Ramsay, King, Wright, Florey, Playford, Taylor
Federal division(s)	Spence Makin
Website	City of Salisbury
LGAs around City of Salisbury: City of Playford City of Salisbury City of Tea Tree Gully City of Port Adelaide Enfield

Adelaide's local government areas and the City of Salisbury

Encompassing an area of 158 square kilometres (61 square miles), the city is one of the most populous and fast-growing council areas in South Australia: the local government area's population in 2021, of 145,806,^[4] was an increase of 32% over the 2001 population of 110,676^[5] and of 13% over the 2011 population of 129,109.^[6]

The City of Salisbury offices and the collocated community hub received the Australian Institute of Architects' Jack McConnell Award for Public Architecture for 2020

The Local Government Area's main town centre – Salisbury City Centre – is on the main street of the town of Salisbury, John Street. The centre also hosts the council's principal office, council chambers and library, on Church Street.^[7] There is also a centre at Mawson Lakes, a master-planned development that surrounds the large Sir Douglas Mawson Lake.

History

For millennia, the Aboriginal Kaurna people were custodians of the Adelaide Plains, including the Salisbury area.^[8]

The township of Salisbury was laid out by John Harvey, who had migrated from Scotland in 1839. He named it after the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, near where his wife was born. Harvey purchased land beside the Little Para River in 1847 and in the following year sold allotments in the town. It became a service centre for surrounding farms and by 1881 the population was close to 500.^[9]

The District Council of Salisbury was formed in 1933 by an amalgamation of parts of the abolished District Council of Munno Para West and the District Council of Yatala North.^[10] The population of the township at incorporation was 2385,^[9] but almost doubled from 1940 when the federal government built a munitions factory at Penfield, reaching 4160 by 1947.^[9]

The town council was briefly renamed the District Council of Salisbury and Elizabeth in August 1963, but reverted to its former name after the Elizabeth area was severed to form the new town of Elizabeth in February 1964.

City status was granted as the City of Salisbury on 6 July 1964.^[11]

Culture and events

Since 2005, the annual Salisbury Writers' Festival has been held in the city, co-hosted by the City of Salisbury, Writers SA and the Salisbury Library Service.^[12]

The city has many recreational facilities and parks. The large St Kilda adventure playground, with its wheelchair-accessible picnic settings, barbecues, shaded area, toilets and parking, is very popular: there is a huge castle with slides and a draw bridge, a bouncy boomerang, flying fox, pirate ship, a large "volcano" with multiple slides, swings and a basketball court.^[13] On the afternoons of most Sundays and public holidays, the nearby tramway museum displays all types of trams that operated in Adelaide and has unlimited tram rides included with admission.^[14] The St Kilda Mangrove Trail and Interpretive Centre includes an elevated walkway over a flooded mangrove forest that meanders through tidal salt marshes, mangroves and sea grass channels to a lookout that has scenic views across the Barker Inlet.^[15]

Sister City

The City of Salisbury has a sister cities relationship with:
Mobara, Japan (since May 2002)^[16]

Mobara Park in Mawson Lakes acknowledges their relationship.

Councillors

Council consists of 16 Elected Members comprising a Mayor, and 15 Ward Councillors. The Council area is divided into seven wards, with two Councillors elected from each ward.

Elections were last held in 2022 to cover the period to 2026. The City's Mayor and Councillors as of July 2023^[update] (after removal of two Councillors) were as follows:^[17]

Ward	Party Affiliation		Councillor	First Elected	Notes
Mayor		Labor	Gillian Aldridge OAM	1988
Central		Labor	Chad Buchanan		Deputy Mayor
		Vacant			Severina Burner (independent) was removed from office at a special meeting of the council in June 2023 on account of non-attendance.[18][19]
East		Independent	Johnny Chewparsad
		Independent	Moni Mazzeo
South		Labor	Lauren Brug
		Independent	Alan Graham
Hills		Labor	Peter Jensen
		Independent	Shiralee Reardon
Para		Independent	Kylie Grenfell
		Labor	Sarah Ouk
North		Labor	David Hood
		Vacant			Grace Bawden (independent) was removed from office at a special meeting of the council in June 2023 on account of non-attendance.[18][19]
West		Labor	Beau Brug
		Independent	Sharon McKell

Council chairpersons/mayors of Salisbury

Council chairpersons/mayors since 1933 have been as follows:^{[11] [note 1]}

Years	Chairperson/Mayor
1933–1934	Henry John Wynter Griffiths[20]
1934–1935	Harold Lockheart Martin
1935–1939	Arnold Godfrey Jenkins
1939–1942	Harold Lockheart Martin
1942–1953	Andrew Thomas Goodall
1953–1955	Leslie Paul McIntyre
1955–1957	Keith Neil Davis
1957–1961	Harry Lyle Bowey
1961	Stewart Lynn Gilchrist
1962–1965	John Lawrence Lindblom
1965–1978	Harry Lyle Bowey
1978–1983	Ronald Thomas White
1983–1987	David Allen Plumridge
1987–1993	Patricia St Clair-Dixon
1993–1997	David Allen Plumridge
1997–2007	Tony Zappia
2008–	Gillian Aldridge OAM

See also

• Local Government Areas of South Australia
• List of Adelaide suburbs
• List of Adelaide parks and gardens

Notes

1. Citation does not apply to Cr Griffiths, 1933–34.