City of Elizabeth

History

Prior to the 1950s, most of the area surrounding today's suburb of Elizabeth was farming estates. After the end of the Second World War and the accompanying shortage of materials, the state government decided that South Australia needed to grow and become an industrialised state.

A "satellite city" was planned for the Elizabeth area, and the South Australian Housing Trust initiated a housing development program in the area, with a purchase of 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of rural land between the older "country towns" (now Adelaide suburbs) of Salisbury and Smithfield.

The City of Elizabeth was formed on 16 November 1955, being named after Queen Elizabeth II, who visited the city in 1963.

As well as the Town Centre, originally with open air shopping malls and theatre (named "The Octagon"), Elizabeth had residential suburbs (the earliest being Elizabeth South and Elizabeth North) each configured as a local community around a small shopping centre - each originally contained a supermarket, bank, hotel and service station along with other shops. Major employers such as Holden and the Long Range Weapons Establishment (later Weapons Research Establishment (WRE), now Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO)) moved into the area, and migrants were encouraged to settle in Elizabeth and its suburbs.

Elizabeth had large areas of open space, with the most prominent being Fremont Park, on Main North Road. Elizabeth was the sister city of Fremont, California; Lake Elizabeth in Fremont Central Park is named for the city.

Elizabeth also had a strong music scene, providing homes for many including Jimmy Barnes, John Swan, Glenn Shorrock and others.

The City of Elizabeth was amalgamated with the City of Munno Para in 1997 to form the City of Playford.

Mayors of Elizabeth