Internal Reserves now gone: Galway Garden Suburb, Adelaide, South Australia

Unsurprisingly, many internal reserves have been resumed or subdivided or otherwise eliminated by councils and/or private landowners. An example of thousands is the northern open space area of the small subdivision known as the Galway Garden Suburb in Adelaide, near to the airport. Compare the google map below with the original subdivision outline reproduced below.



The google map link is here.

Wilson Boulevarde, Reservoir, Melbourne 2009

A part of the Merrilands Estate, designed 1919. The Darebin council has recently redesigned this reserve (the decision to dedicate one housing block at the entrance to open space having been made much earlier). Most of the internal reserves on this estate have been subdivided or opened up to be street-fronting parks. You can see in the google map below another reserve to the south which is no longer dedicated public space.





See Google map for context here.

Tanilba Bay, NSW Australia 2000

The Tanilba Bay Estate was designed under the aegis of Henry Ferdinand Halloran in the 1920s. Its unusual 'cartwheel' design combined with cris-crossing roads closer to the shore allowed for inclusion of ten internal reserve spaces. As can be seen from the google map reproduced here (see here for wider context) most of these survive.
(The Google Map satellite suggests the reserve to the north of Centennial Park has recently been subdivided for units).

'The flagship estate was Tanilba Bay. This land was subdivided in 1919 by G D Allen, a surveyor in Halloran's employ, along the 'cartwheel' lines that Halloran often favoured in the immediate postwar period. Like many garden suburb designs of the time, the street nomenclature drew upon key military and political figures.' (Freestone & Nichols 2010)

These pictures were taken ten years ago - the 8th August, 2000. They demonstrate that the internal reserves of the area were patchily maintained presumably by people who backed onto them - and who it seems would only take care of space they thought was relevant to them.









As a side bar, the Tanilba Bay estate features this exotic and elaborate gateway, which Halloran intended to give the estate a particular distinction and link it back to local history.

'Tanilba Bay was also given what would become a distinctive Halloran touch with gateway arches and walls erected from local stone. Statuary and war relics were erected at the gates and in parks. A special 'Centenary Gateway' commemorated a hundred years of settlement in the area. Halloran moved into and extended a historic house nearby, reputedly adding a wall containing a bottle filled with press cuttings vilifying renegade Labor premier Jack Lang. Halloran bought and subdivided many more estates in the Port Stephens area, including Mallabula Point Estate (1919), Karuah Estate (1922), Yalinbah Estate (1923), Holdom Estate (1927) and Tomaree (1934).' (Freestone & Nichols 2010)

On either side, memorial stones announce that: 'The bollards on the centre pillars are from H.M.A.S. Sydney / Victor in Australia's first naval battle/ 9th November 1914' and ''Tanilba Centenary Gates/ Designed and Erected by Henry F. Halloran/ Completed 31st March 1931'


Quotes are from Freestone, Robert, and David Nichols. "Town planning and private enterprise in early twentieth century Australia: Henry F Halloran, 'builder of dreams'." History Australia 7.1 (2010).

Coorparoo, Brisbane, Australia, 2002

These pictures were taken in June 2002, of an unnamed internal reserve in Coorparoo in Brisbane's inner south-east. Much of Coorparoo dates from the early 20th century but I have not been able to find any material on this particular reserve.

This space can be found on google map here.