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The Kaurna people lived peacefully and productively along the River Torrens, or Karrawirra Parri, for millennia. This book describes their way of life and their displacement by the first generation of European settlers. The outstanding achievement of the settlers on the upper Torrens was the contribution they made to the development of horticulture. They transitioned from grains and livestock to producing huge quantities of melons and an impressive diversity of fruits, vines and vegetables. Roger Irvine details the live of these settler families, including notables such as Charles Campbell who gave his name to 'Campbell Town', Joseph Ind whose property 'Little Paradise' provided a name for another suburb, and A.J. Murray who chose 'Athelstone' as the name of his farm, for reasons now difficult to trace. The inhabitants of the upper Torrens have witnessed many changes, including both setbacks and successes. Colonial Settlers on the River Torrens reflects on an area that has had many incarnations, and the river that continues to flow through it.… (more)
Local notes
This book tells the stories of the first generation of European settlers to take up properties on the upper reaches of the River Torrens in the north-east area of Adelaide, after the colony of South Australia began in 1836. They were the first to intensively cultivate the land in the present-day suburbs of Campbelltown, Paradise and Athelstone.
The outstanding historical achievement of these settlers was their major contribution to the development of horticulture. Another important narrative, however, was the displacement of the Aboriginal population. This book acknowledges that Europeans were not the first settlers in this region - and recounts the harsh treatment of the indigenous Kaurna people.