Whatever happened to Greenhills?

Above: The areas along the river will be maintained as a public walkway with recreational picnic and play areas dotted throughout.

Whatever happened to Greenhills? Story by Katrina McLachlan. Photography by Brenton Edwards.

Ask any South Australian over the age of twenty and they’ll have a funny story or fond memory about Greenhills Adventure Park. Although it operated right up until early 2016, Greenhills is really always remembered as a snapshot of Australian summers in the eighties and nineties, when board shorts, neon t-shirts and boob tubes were the outfits of choice. The good times on the paddle boats and go carts, scaling walls or putt-putting around the par-three golf course were all about having a laugh in the fresh air. It all added up to a day of wonderful family fun.

Only a few years on and Greenhills has been transformed into a hidden haven of new homes. Local neighbourhood koalas, kookaburras and warbling magpies are now the closest neighbours of families ready for a new adventure.

Greenhills Adventure Park was established by Margaret and Bill McKenzie and Rosemary and Tom Builder in 1982 and officially opened in March 1983 by the then South Australian Minister for Tourism, Gavin Keneally. For more than three decades, energetic tourists and locals enjoyed countless hours playing and relaxing with family and friends across the ten-hectare grounds that offered more than twenty attractions.

Greenhills Adventure Park hosted circuses, jet ski demonstrations, and even South Australia’s first ever bungee jump which was strung up from a crane over the lake – and Craig Littlely has been there to enjoy it all. As the Grounds and Duty Manager of the Adventure Park the fun didn’t stop for Craig when the park closed, he stayed on as the Grounds Maintenance Manager of the Greenhills development.

Above left: Greenhills Land Management Group Director, Dean Kyros says, ‘most people don’t even know this secret little haven even exists.’ Above right: For Craig Littlely – the Grounds and Duty Manager of the Adventure Park – the fun didn’t stop when the park closed, he stayed on as the Grounds Maintenance Manager of the Greenhills development.

‘I worked as a staff supervisor while at university and travelling and then full time as one of the managers of the park so you could say I’ve been enjoying the fun at Greenhills for more than 25 years,’ Craig says. ‘During the mid nineties, I was even part of the stunt team in the school holiday jet ski show and dressed up as the Paddle Pop Lion on many occasions. Greenhills Adventure Park gave so many young locals a great start with a first job – a place to learn life skills and how to work hard.’

Craig says the Greenhills development has embraced the legacy of fun embedded in the old parklands and he can still picture the tractor-drawn train slowly making its way around the lake on a path that is now a walking trail. ‘My favourite memories include seeing the same families coming back summer after summer having such a great time, the hundreds of staff members I worked with and the mere fact that I managed and maintained an adventure park as my job for all those years,’ Craig says. ‘To now still be involved in maintaining the grounds, bringing enjoyment to new families and sharing some stories from the past as they embrace the gorgeous natural surroundings, is a privilege.’ Greenhills Land Management Group Director, Dean Kyros, knows how important location is for people wanting to purchase property and says the hidden location of Greenhills ensures it’s well protected from the coastal elements and any noise from passing traffic. ‘Greenhills has the beautiful Hindmarsh River running along a border and is adjacent to the McCracken Golf Course – a four-minute drive from Victor Harbor in one direction and the Expressway in the other – most people don’t even know this secret little haven even exists,’ Dean says.

‘Preserving the natural beauty of the Greenhills site has been a priority and we have worked hard with the Council to develop activation plans for the seven-hectare reserve where nature walking trails and jogging paths will feature along with a long lunching table for family feasts. Play equipment and a playing field with a basketball hoop court, soccer and footy goals will ensure there is always a friendly game to watch or join when not enjoying the peace and stillness of just walking through the gum trees lining the meandering paths,’ Dean continues. >

Above: The developers are determined to retain the fun recreational aspects of the original development.

While Victor Harbor has an older population, City of Victor Harbor CEO, Victoria MacKirdy, says more families are choosing to live and raise their children on the Fleurieu Peninsula with great schools, affordable housing options, an enviable lifestyle, and the close proximity to Adelaide. ‘One of the key challenges we have faced is keeping young people here in our community as we often see students finish school and then move outside of the district for higher education or employment opportunities,’ Victoria says. ‘Our aim is to see young people access these opportunities here within our region so the Council has been working with Regional Development Australia advocating for a regional study hub in Victor Harbor. Add this to our largest capital works program yet, worth $11.2 million, and investments by the SA Government of $20 million for the Granite Island Causeway and $6 million to create the Great Southern Ocean Walk and we are working hard to build a strong foundation for our future.’

And the future is looking bright. Greenhills will soon be home to around seventy new residents and if the turnout to the Stage Two Launch Open Day in November was any indication, there are many more families planning on joining the twelve homeowners currently walking down memory lane. These homeowners include former Greenhills Adventure Park employee and now resident Chris Sedunary. Having lived on a farm in Hindmarsh Valley for all his life Chris was looking for an affordable home with a rural feel and so signed on his property at Greenhills in late 2017, moving in last May.

‘I actually worked at Greenhills Adventure Park for two seasons and so have heaps of memories of the fun times we all had but I was really attracted to how quiet it is and how it has such a rural feel with so many trees,’ Chris says. ‘The location is great for getting out to the main road to go to Adelaide easily, along the coast or into Victor and it is also close to the CFS Brigade where I volunteer.’

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