Straight ahead, you’ll spot Rymill Park by its sparkling lake lined with lush green trees, their reflections perfectly mirrored in the calm water and framed by wide grassy lawns.
Welcome to Rymill Park, also known by its Kaurna name, Murlawirrapurka-a place where the soft splash of oars on the water mixes with laughter and birdsong, and history ripples beneath the tranquil surface. Close your eyes for a second and picture this spot hundreds of years ago: before the shouts of rowers or the hum of the O-Bahn bus tunnel below, these eastern parklands were a vital camping and meeting ground for the Kaurna people. Family fires sent up smoke under starlit skies, storytelling and community life passed between generations long before Adelaide was even on the map.
Move forward to the days after European settlement. The parklands became home, albeit for only a while, to a mix of Aboriginal peoples, including the Ngarrindjeri, like the legendary Poltpalingada Booboorowie. Known to settlers as Tommy Walker, he and others-sometimes called “fringe-dwellers”-set up camp right here until they were eventually pushed out, first to the Botanic Gardens, and then all the way to Glenelg. It’s a story full of both warmth and sorrow, a reminder that every pretty corner in a city has deeper roots.
Now, imagine you’re back in the 1800s. Instead of today’s lush lawns and lakes, this place was called “bare and swampy in winter,” a patch of rough ground that hosted more cows than people-certainly not a place you’d bring a first date for a romantic stroll! But Adelaide’s dreamers had other plans. In the late 1950s, things started to change, all thanks to a globe-trotting town clerk named William Veale, who thought, “Why not add a lake?” And, just like that, in 1959-60, Rymill Park gained its calm waters, a playground, a rose garden, and the Adelaide Bowling Club even moved in, right off Dequetteville Terrace. Local families flocked to the new facilities, and some of Adelaide’s most beloved memories began right here-with children’s laughter, paddling rowboats, and the soft slap of ball against bowling green.
The park’s name gives away its next hero: Sir Arthur Rymill. A Lord Mayor with a knack for supporting big green spaces, Rymill believed in making Adelaide beautiful and accessible for everyone. Thanks to him, and other tireless supporters, this spot went from a cow-patch to a picnic haven. Would you believe the rose gardens sit where the Bartels Road rubbish tip once was? Talk about “blooming” where you're planted!
But even paradise needs a little maintenance. In 2007, the lake started leaking an Olympic swimming pool’s worth of water every week, so it had to be drained and patched up. When it refilled in 2008, the ducks and rowboats returned, and once again, the lake mirrored Adelaide’s ever-changing sky.
The Kaurna name, Murlawirrapurka, was added later as part of Adelaide’s reconciliation journey, chosen to honor a wise Kaurna elder whose presence and land defined the area for centuries. Did you know ‘Murlawirrapurka’ combines words meaning “dry forest” and “elder”? This dual identity echoes through the park, reminding us to look beyond the green lawns and see the full story beneath our feet.
Then, in true Adelaide fashion, a plan to send the O-Bahn busway right underneath the park sparked fierce debates-trees and old landscapes at risk, determined campaigners fighting to “Save Rymill Park!” Eventually, a tunnel was built under your very feet, with traffic quietly rushing by below, and today the lawns and lakes above remain just as peaceful.
The lake enjoyed yet another facelift, reopening in April 2024 after a multi-million dollar eco-upgrade that pipes water all the way from Victoria Park. The playground and the rose gardens gleam again, and the hunt is on for a café brand new enough to rival the old days of bustling kiosk and pop-ups-maybe next time you visit, you’ll enjoy a coffee courtesy of the “Peter Rabbit” café people.
Rymill Park is never quiet for long-Fringe events in “Gluttony” hub, the Equestrian Festival, Carnevale, and even aerobics competitions all bring life and color here. Statues like John Dowie’s quirky “Alice” and the “Piccaninny” drinking fountain mark the park’s playful edges, and if you listen as the sun sets, you’re likely to hear the flap of possums in the trees or the quack of ducks bobbing on the lake.
So as you stand here, soaked in sunlight, you’re feeling the heart of Adelaide-a place of old stories and new adventures, always changing, forever welcoming. Thanks for wandering with me today, and remember: the best stories are often hiding in plain sight.
