Traditional Owners

The original inhabitants of the Prospect area were the Kaurna Aboriginal people.

Settlement history

European settlement dates from 1838 when the first land grants were made. Prospect developed as a village, serving a mainly agricultural area, characterised by wheat fields, dairies, orchards and open paddocks. There were also flour mills, breweries and lime kilns. Population grew slowly, although the western section benefited from the opening of the SA Railways workshops at Islington in 1856, as many of the workers lived near to their jobs. By 1876 there were 900 people living in the area. Several prestigious homes were constructed, with the population growing to over 1,800 by 1881. The area was mildly touched by the speculative land boom of the 1880s when a few farms were bought up and subdivided, but in most cases it took several years for residential development to occur. In the late 1800s there were still farms at the northern end of the municipality and a few in the centre, with the primary agricultural pursuits being hay and chaff. Significant population growth occurred from the 1880s with the population growing to 3,800 by 1891 and to over 5,000 by 1901. In the early 1900s there were still some wheat fields and orchards in the area, particularly in the eastern section. Population growth continued in the 1910s and 1920s, fuelled by two large subdivisions in 1914. The population grew from 6,800 in 1910 to over 13,000 in 1921. The boom building years were between 1922 and 1927, with the population growing to over 20,000 by 1932. From the late 1930s population growth began to slow, reaching a peak of 24,000 in 1950. Between the 1950s and the 1990s the population declined as household sizes fell and children grew up and moved out of the area. The population was relatively stable during the 1990s at about 18,400, then increased slightly from 2001 to 19,700 in 2011. The municipality is fully developed, with minimal housing construction. New dwellings are usually redevelopment or urban infill.

Land use

The City of Prospect is a predominantly residential area with some parklands, reserves and retail/commercial land use. The City of Prospect encompasses a total land area of about 8 square kilometres.

Transport

The City of Prospect is served by Main North Road and the Gawler railway line.

Major features

• Major features of the City include Northpark Shopping Centre,
• Prospect Estate Park,
• St Helens Park,
• Prospect Oval (home of the North Adelaide Football Club) and Broadview Oval.

Included areas