Dry Creek, South Australia

Dry Creek is a mostly industrial suburb north of Adelaide, containing significant wetlands and a substantial area formerly devoted to salt crystallisation pans, managed by Ridley Corporation, which planned to redevelop the site for housing. This plan, first put forward in 2008, was revived in 2013, for a proposed 10,000 homes.[3][4] Salt production ceased in 2014, and in 2016 Ridley Corporation sold the land to Adelaide Resource Recovery.[5]

This article is about the suburb in South Australia. For the associated water course, see Dry Creek (South Australia).

Dry Creek Adelaide, South Australia
Barker Inlet wetlands at Dry Creek
Dry Creek
Coordinates
Population	228 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	5094
LGA(s)	City of Salisbury City of Port Adelaide Enfield
State electorate(s)	Port Adelaide (2018) Enfield (2015)
Federal Division(s)	Makin
Suburbs around Dry Creek: Garden Island Barker Inlet Bolivar Globe Derby Park Gillman Dry Creek Mawson Lakes Cavan Gillman Gillman Wingfield Kilburn Gepps Cross
Footnotes	Adjoining suburbs[2]

Flooded Dry Creek explosives depot

Description

It is named for the Dry Creek, a stream and drain which flows through the suburb and into Swan Alley, a tidal distributory of Barker Inlet, Gulf St Vincent.[2]

It was the site of the soapworks of W. H. Burford & Sons from 1923 (adjacent to the Dry Creek railway station, and formerly used for smelting ore from Broken Hill)[6] and a pioneering "garden suburb" for its employees, designed by W. J. Earle (who also laid out Cadbury's model town at Claremont, Tasmania).[7] The name Burford Gardens has vanished, but its streets remain: Flame Avenue, Gum Avenue, Wattle Avenue, Grevillea Avenue and Bushwood Avenue.[8]

The buildings of the former Dry Creek explosives depot, now State heritage-listed, are on Magazine Road between the Salisbury Highway South Road Connector and the salt pans.[9]

Wetlands

The Dry Creek wetlands are composed of many separate sections running from the eastern edge of the suburb to the sea outlet of Dry Creek. They form part of the storm water management system for the City of Salisbury and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and are connected to numerous drains that run across the Adelaide Plains including the eponymous Dry Creek, as well as being the outflow point for storm water pipes. Some of the wetlands have been extensively landscaped but have only limited public access.

The wetlands form a fauna and flora haven with one of the southernmost mangrove habitats in the world, extensive reed and samphire beds and a large bird and fish population. They discharge via North Arm creek into the Barker Inlet of Gulf St Vincent. The wetlands are part of the Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area.[10]

Transport

Harvesting Dry Creek's salt pans

Dry Creek railway station is located on the Gawler railway line. The Northfield railway line, which branched eastwards from Dry Creek station, was closed in 1987.

The Port River Expressway traverses Dry Creek east–west, and the North–South Motorway provides a new north–south route through the suburb.

See also

• Dry Creek (disambiguation)
• Northern Connector

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Dry Creek (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
2. "Search result for " Dry Creek (Suburb)" (Record no SA0020832) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
3. Plan to build 10,000 homes on Dry Creek salt pans News Review Messenger, 15 March 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
4. Ridley to sell most of Dry Creek site, retain 316 hectares for residential development The Advertiser, 20 February 2014. Accessed 11 March 2015.
5. Dry Creek homes plan revival under new ownership The Advertiser, 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
6. A Fine New Factory The Advertiser 16 June 1920 p.9 accessed 8 July 2011
7. An Old-Established BusinessThe Register 31 May 1922 p.8 accessed 4 July 2011
8. Burford Gardens - Wonderful Public Enthusiasm The Mail 14 April 1923 p.1 accessed 8 July 2011
9. Jolly, Bridget (13 April 2000). "High And Dry By The Mangroves? South Australia's Dry Creek Explosives Magazines" (PDF). Professional Historians Association (SA). Retrieved 10 March 2015.
10. "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gulf St Vincent". BirdLife International. 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

Dry Creek salt crystallisation pans, view to the southwest. The Dry Creek channel borders the pans along their northern edge (bottom of photo) and joins with Swan Alley creek (just visible on the right of the photo).

External links

• City of Salisbury
• City of Port Adelaide Enfield