Our history

Learn about our European settlement history, location, residential suburbs and attractions. As well as important dates in Mitcham's history.

The indigenous Kaurna (pronounced Garna) people had been living in harmony with the environment of the region for many thousands of years before the arrival of the first European settlers. Little record has however been kept of these early contacts.

The Mitcham area is significant from the earliest days of European settlement over 180 years ago. A group of sailors jumping ship in 1837 led to the first settlement, a place of hiding in the hills around Coromandel Valley. Three years later in 1840 Mitcham Village was established.

City of Mitcham was founded in 1853

On 11 May 1853 our city was proclaimed the District Council of Mitcham. Making it one of the oldest councils in South Australia.

Its name taken from the village of Mitcham which had been established earlier in 1840 near Brownhill Creek. This name came from Mitcham in Surrey England.

A number of villages with main road frontages were becoming established across the district, along with mixed farms, hay paddocks, market gardens and later, towards the mid-north, vineyards and almond plantations.

Land subdivision for settlement began to build up momentum, and suburban living really took off in the 1880s, when horse-drawn tram services radiating out from Adelaide made it much easier for local residents to commute to Adelaide City for work.

In 1853, according to the first assessment undertaken in the District Council of Mitcham, there were 12 public houses, five 'mansions' and 457 dwelling houses, "varying from two to twelve rooms" with a population of approximately 3,000 people with settlements at Coromandel Valley, Mitcham Village and St Marys.

In Mitcham itself the three largest employers around the turn of the century were the large estates, the local quarries, and the Council.

Initially the Council was larger covering an area of about 108 square kms, extending from the south parklands to Mt Baker Road in the east with the Sturt River forming both the southern and western boundaries. However, over time the area was change when in 1867 the western boundary was realigned to South Road, enabling the formation of a District Council of Brighton.

The City of Unley was formed in 1871 between the south parklands and Cross Road and after the railway drew more settlement to the hills, the District Council of Stirling was formed in 1883 taking in the area east of the Government Farm in Belair National Park.

Today our city covers 75.7km2, and has a population of approximately 68,180. We have over 5,265 registered businesses in our city that provide over 30,607 local jobs and $4.05 billion in Gross Regional Product.

Our first Council

The first Council consisted of five members led by the first Chairman Benjamin H Babbage, Mr Pickworth of Unley was appointed the Council Clerk, and Mr Carlington was the Assessor. One of their first roles was to assess the value of all the properties, so that the rates could be declared and collected to provide the new Council with some funds to mend the roads and collect the rubbish. This was the main reason to form the City.

Today we have 13 Council Members who are elected on behalf of the community to manage the City's business to provide a wide range of services such as community programs for all ages, Library and Toy Library facilities, waste management and recycling services, building and planning services, environmental and climate initiatives, roads and footpaths, sport and recreational facilities and parks, and gardens.

Our Council offices and chambers

From 1854 to 1869 the District Council of Mitcham rented accommodation in offices in King William Street, Adelaide as well as hotels such as the Hawkstone Arms which was located in Lower Mitcham.

From 1870 to 1908 the Council operated in the east wing of the Mitcham Village Institute, and then between 1908 to 1934 the office relocated to a converted house on the north east corner of Tutt Avenue and Unley Road, Kingswood which is now the Mitcham RSL.

Council found as their duties and responsibilities increased it became apparent that there was a need for proper Council Chambers where staff could be housed and business conducted. In 1934 our art deco style Chambers were designed by architect Dean Berry and built by Grove and Son.

As the Council grew so did the need for accommodation and in 1954 a north-eastern extension was built to accommodate offices and the Mayor's Parlour and in 1960 a single storey cream brick addition was built on the southern side. Finally in 2000, a redevelopment of the Council Offices was undertaken with a new extension built on the site of the 1960 addition with the original art-deco style portion restored and enhanced.

Our unique residential suburbs

Most of the properties in our city are residential, with over 26,000 dwellings across 32 suburbs, each with their own style and community spirit.

Our city is home to some of the state’s most unique suburbs.

State Heritage listed Colonel Light Gardens part of the original Thousand Home Scheme and Australia’s most complete example of an early 1900s garden suburb.
Historic Belair is surrounded by parks on three of its sides, including South Australia’s oldest park Belair National Park.
Springfield is one of Adelaide’s most prestigious suburbs with sweeping views over the Adelaide plains.
Bedford Park and St Marys are adjacent to Flinders University and home to many new residents and international students, as well as a new housing development at Craigburn Farm.

There’s loads to see and do

You can visit many tourist attractions in our city:

Carrick Hill Estate
Belair National Park
Brown Hill Creek Reserve
Waite Arboretum
Wittunga Botanic Gardens
Sturt River Linear Trail
Windy Point
Reserves
Walking trails through historic Mitcham, Lower Mitcham, Blackwood, Brownhill Creek, St Marys and Colonel Light Gardens walking trails.

Our quartzite quarries are a must for visitors. You can spend an afternoon seeing the rippled surfaces preserved in the rocks and folds, showcasing the intense forces that deformed the rocks nearly 500 million years ago.

Education plays an important role

At the time of proclamation there were three schools; Thomas Mugg's Village school conducted in the Union Chapel at Mitcham; the day school in the first St Mary's Church of England; and Reverend Samuel Gill's school at Coromandel Valley.

Today we have 27 schools, they include 11 Government and 6 non-Government Primary Schools, 5 Government and 4 non-Government Secondary Schools and highly regarded tertiary institutions such as Flinders University and Waite Agricultural Research Institute.

Important dates in Mitcham's history

1838 Mitcham Plains surveyed into eighty 134 acre sections and European settlement began.
1840 Mitcham Village offered for sale by the SA Company.
1853 May 12 - SA Government Gazette published proclamation of the formation of the District Council of Mitcham.
1859 Governor's summer residence building began at Government Farm, Belair (now Belair National Park).
1867 Area between South Road and Sturt Creek transferred to the District Council of Brighton, later to become part of Marion in 1888.
1871 Northern portion of the district broke away to form the Corporation of Unley.
1877 the first government owned public school was built at Mitcham, reputed to be the longest continuous running school in the State having been established by Thomas Mugg in 1847.
878 the horse tram was laid to Mitcham, this form of public transport was replaced by electric tram and later a bus.
1880 a water supply was laid to Mitcham from Brownhill Creek.
1883 the railway across the district was opened. It was the biggest public works undertaken in the district.
1886 Cabra Catholic Convent was opened at Cumberland Park by the Dominican Order.
1891 the first National Park in South Australia and the second in Australia was proclaimed in Belair. It was also the year that Manure Pits were erected on Brownhill Creek to stop the pollution of the water supply. Market gardeners would off-load wet manure on the side of the road when it was too heavy for the horses to pull the cart any further. They returned later when it had dried out and carted it to their gardens.
1900 Edward Street between South and Goodwood Roads opened to give the residents of the Edwardstown Working Mens' Blocks easier access to Mitcham Village.
1901 a telephone was connected to the Mitcham Council office which was part of the Mitcham Institute. Council also agreed to pay for new tyres for the Town Clerk's bike as he undertook Council business on it.
1902 "Nunyara" at Belair was opened by Dr Gault for patients with consumptive complaints. He was the district's doctor, Council health inspector and drove one of the earliest cars in the district.
1908 Department of Agriculture opened its Experimental Orchard at Hawthorndene which operated until the early 1970s.
1915 "Grange Farm", Mortlock's Estate, acquired for laying out a Garden Suburb, however it was first used as Mitcham Camp for embarkation of men during World War I. The suburb of Colonel Light Gardens was developed there during the 1920s and administrated under the Garden Commission Act until 1975.
1919 Scotch College at Torrens Park was established.
1920's Colonel Light Gardens - The Garden Suburb was developed. This suburb is now heritage protected and internationally recognised.
1923 "Craigburn" property near Coromandel Valley bought by Minda Inc.
1928 Springfield was promoted for prestige housing and the Arboretum plantings at Waite Research Institute began.
1929 the First Nursery School or Kindergarten for the Commonwealth of Australia was established in Lower Mitcham.
1932 Urrbrae Agriculture High School opened.
1934 Present Mitcham Council Chambers built in art-deco style featuring the English Rose in the facade, recognising Mitcham's English connections. Architect was Dean Berry.
1934 March 10 - Worst bush-fires devastated the hills of Mitcham burning at Blackwood, the Church of England, fruit cold store, Scout Hall and "Wittunga".
1936 To celebrate the State Centenary, Councils of Mitcham, Unley and Marion, combined to establish Centennial Park Cemetery at Pasadena.
1942 Daw Park Repatriation Hospital opened for ill returned soldiers.
1944 the District Council of Mitcham became a Corporation and in 1947 the Corporation of the Town of Mitcham became the City of Mitcham.
1947 Mitcham becomes a "City".
1953 "History of the City of Mitcham" written by Alderman WA Norman for the Council's centenary celebrations.
1954 Blackwood and District Community Hospital established and opened by community fundraising.
1954 a north-eastern extension was built to accommodate offices and the Mayor's Parlour
1957 "Watiparinga Flora Reserve" bequeathed by Miss Alison Ashby of "Wittunga" to the National Trust of SA. This was the first property acquired by the Trust and is managed by a Management Committee.
1960 the Council chambers were extended with a single storey cream brick addition on the southern side.
1965 the Mitcham Memorial Library opened.
1966 Flinders University, the first University outside Adelaide was opened at Bedford Park by the Queen Mother.
1970 Winn's Bakehouse at Coromandel Valley was saved and a National Trust Branch was established to manage the first public museum in the district.
1972 "Birksgate", Urrbrae demolished and the property subdivided and "Colebrook" home closed.
1973 "Colebrook" home was demolished.
1975 "Wittunga", Eden Hills a living garden of Australian and South African plants opened to the public having been established by Edwin Ashby who left it to the Botanical Gardens in 1965.
In 1984 Misses Gamble donated their property to Mitcham Council. The Cottage Garden is maintained by a Friends Group and the 1902 cottage has been restored for community receptions and meetings by Coromandel Valley and District National Trust.
In 1989 the community and the Council lobbied State Government successfully to prevent the dissolution of the City of Mitcham.
1998 Fountain of Tears sculpture unveiled in memory of the aboriginal children of "Colebrook Home" at Eden Hills site.
1998 Council purchased Brown Hill to save it from development as part of the Hills Face Zone.
2000 Colonel Light Gardens State Heritage listed.
2000 Council Civic Centre was redeveloped and extended.
2003 The Belair Railway Station signal box burnt down.
2004 Mitcham Shopping Centre destroyed in fire.
2009 The Mitcham Heritage Research Centre (Mitcham Local History Service) relocates to the old Mitcham Police Station (Mitcham Cultural Village).
2010 The Blackwood Hospital in the Adelaide Hills closes after 56 years.
2010 The Belair Railway Station signal box but was fully rebuilt after the 2003 fire.
2012 The highly respected and well-known Mitcham Local Historian ‘Maggy Ragless’ passes away.
2017 Daw Park Repatriation Hospital closes, marking the end of 75 years service.
2017 Construction of Aldi Supermarket on Belair Road.
2019 The new redeveloped Mitcham Memorial Library was officially opened.
2019 Brownhill Creek, Hawthorn Reserve Soldiers Memorial, JW Morris and Delwood Reserves redevelopment.
2021 Colonel Light Gardens celebrated its 100th year anniversary.
2021 The new Goodwood, Springbank and Daws Road Intersection upgrade finished.
2023 Mitcham, Belair & Blackwood railway stations all celebrate their 140th birthday.
2023 Fullarton Road and Cross Road intersection upgrade
2023 Relocation of the 130 year old Urrbrae Gatehouse to south eastern corner of the Waite Arboretum
2023 Tiwu Kumangka redevelopment and opening combining the Blackwood Library and Community Centre.