Walkerville SA - past & present

Walkerville SA - past & present Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Walkerville SA - past & present, Landmark & historical place, Walkerville.

Aim is to share memories & photos past & present of Walkerville SA, Medindie, Gilberton and Vale Park - this site maintained by Walkerville's local historian Lyn O'Grady.

16/08/2026

🌧️ After the heavy rain over the weekend, sections of the Linear Torrens have overflowed. Our Field Services Team is already out and about assessing and will be cleaning up the affected areas over the coming week. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we tidy things up - and thank you to residents who've reached out to let us know.

The Jefferis family lived in Tyne Street, their house is still there at 5. They lived briefly at 128 Stephen Tce in the ...
16/08/2026

The Jefferis family lived in Tyne Street, their house is still there at 5. They lived briefly at 128 Stephen Tce in the two storey house while their house was being built. Thanks to Rita for her research.

Thomas Ragless built this for rental income in 1881 - a house of 9 rooms at no. 12 Edwin Tce. By 1898 it was home to Mrs...
05/08/2026

Thomas Ragless built this for rental income in 1881 - a house of 9 rooms at no. 12 Edwin Tce. By 1898 it was home to Mrs Elsie Minchin and her three spinster daughters (Miss Minchin school operated for a short time either in this house or in Buckingham Street) Mrs Elsie Minchin was the widow of Richard Minchin who was behind the relocation of the Zoo to Botanic Park and was its first director. When he died, she had to move out of the zoo director's residence. Living nearby at 13 Walkerville Tce (the block is now units and houses) was a son, Alfred Corker Minchin who operated the snake farm in North Adelaide.
There is a later connection between the Minchin and the Roach families - where the Roach family gave the money to redesign a lion enclosure at the Zoo.
A later owner was Ian Geoffrey Hannaford, architect and footballer, noted in both. He played for the Port Adelaide Football Club. His noted involvement in architectural projects include the conversion of rundle Street to a Mall, and worked on the never-realised satellite city Monarto, adaptive reuse of Old Lion Brewery, and some mid-century modern private homes, plus resorts and apartment complexes around Australia, to name a few examples.

This 12-room house at 16 EDWIN TCE from 1887 was home to Otto Brandt, a wealthy businessman. He was behind the openin...
29/07/2026

This 12-room house at 16 EDWIN TCE from 1887 was home to Otto Brandt, a wealthy businessman. He was behind the opening up of sugar cane and to***co plantations in the Northern Territory in 1880s but after troubles with obtaining workers, (he wanted to bring in islanders to work) and the expense of equipment, he resigned to the fact that the site wasn’t suitable. He had spent 40,000 pounds of his own money. He and Frau Brandt I believe returned to Germany.
Next to live in this house was Thomas Bright (1850-1924) , a city solicitor and special magistrate. By this time living across the road at no. 3 was George Brookman who we will hear about later. Thomas Bright once said 'I was offered by William Brookman, (George’s brother) an original two shares in the celebrated Coolgardie syndicate, for which he wanted £30; the capital of the syndicate being £300. I remarked to him, 'What is the good of a £300 syndicate to start mining in Western Australia? You might as well get a bucket and a teaspoon and start emptying the ocean at Glenelg.' Mr. Brookman replied, 'Well Bright, you might give me a helping hand,' to which I replied. 'I won't take your shares. Brookman, but here is £30 if that is any good to you.' Had he taken those shares and disposed of them at the top of the market they would have been worth two million pounds.
He went on to say that ‘When I was [living] in Clare, Mr. Christisen was going to Broken Hill and asked if I would join him in anything he might take up, and on his return he told me he had been offered for £50 an original seventh in what afterwards turned out to be the Broken Hill Proprietary. Bright took out his chequebook to write a cheque. The ink bottle upset blackening his fingers and the paper. 'That means I must have nothing to do with it,' he exclaimed, and he closed the book. So for the second time he missed the chance of becoming a millionaire.
Another owner of no.16 was Ian Somerville Dudley Hayward MBE CMG, brother to Sir Edward Hayward of Carrick Hill, and 3rd generation involved in John Martin’s – he unfortunately died in a car accident in 1979. (Not the only lord mayor to live in the street).

One of the earliest families to live in Edwin tce was Thomas Benjamin Ragless (1849-1938) who was a speculative build...
22/07/2026

One of the earliest families to live in Edwin tce was Thomas Benjamin Ragless (1849-1938) who was a speculative builder. 1. He purchased 6 building blocks on the eastern side and on lots 6 & 8 EDWIN TCE he built a house and stables. He then built no. 14 and moved into that, adding a workshop and renting the other house. He also built the houses at 10, and 12 as well according to Maggie Ragless.
Thomas Ragless was born to a farmer in Gawler. His father died when he was 3 years old and his sister, Emily only a babe in arms, so the family moved to North Adelaide. In 1894 Emily and her husband, William Frederick de Rose became owner/occupier of 6-8 Edwin Tce and it remained in the family for a long time.
William Frederick de Rose was quartermaster and Lieutenant of Army Ordinance Department with the rank of Sergeant-Major Armourer. He followed his father’s profession. His father, Captain George de Rose was engaged in England to come to SA to take up a position as the Colony’s Principal Armourer, to manufacture and repair arms. It is reported that when he inspected our armoury, he found only 20 out of 200 rifles were useable.
2. Thomas Ragless was a prolific builder and won government contracts to build schools and post offices around the State and continued to speculate, buying land in Gilberton - building most of the houses on both sides of Torrens St and some in Tyne St, before building another for himself on the banks of the Torrens calling it Riverside, with a driveway at no. 18 Torrens St. He also built most of the houses in Tennyson St Medindie, and you will see the similar style in architecture.
3. With all these houses under construction, you can imagine he must have quite a team working for him. Especially if you knew that his hobby was photography - people commented that he spent more time in the darkroom than on the building site. Another quirk of his was his love of the horse and buggy, ‘a much more reliable transport’ he would say, than the automobile.
4. However, when the Gilberton Swimming Pool opened in 1915 in the vicinity of his Riverside house, he was not too happy. He tried to have it closed down and when he failed, he moved to Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills.
9. His original house at 6-8 Edwin Tce has been demolished and this mansion of 5 bedrooms 5 bathrooms and 4 car garage on this large block sold in 2025 for the huge sum of $11m.

Thomas Benjamin Ragless 1849-1938 was a speculative builder who purchased 6 building blocks on the eastern side, on lots...
19/07/2026

Thomas Benjamin Ragless 1849-1938 was a speculative builder who purchased 6 building blocks on the eastern side, on lots 6 & 8 EDWIN TCE, he built a house and stables to become one of the first residents of the street. He then built no. 14 and moved into that, adding a workshop and renting the other house. He also built the houses at 10, and 12 as well.
Ragless was born to a farmer in Gawler. His father died when he was 3 years old and his sister, Emily a babe in arms, so the family moved to North Adelaide. In 1894 Emily and her husband William Frederick de Rose ( ) purchased 8 Edwin Tce and it remained in the family for a long time.
William de Rose was quartermaster and Lieutenant of Army Ordinance Department with the rank of Sergeant-Major Armourer. He followed his father’s profession. Captain George de Rose was engaged in England to come to SA to take up a position as the Colony’s Principal Armourer, to manufacture and repair arms. It is reported that when he inspected our armoury, he found only 20 out of 200 rifles were useable.
The original house at 6-8 Edwin Tce has been demolished and this mansion of 5 bedrooms 5 bathrooms and 4 car garage on this large block sold in 2025 for the huge sum of $11m.

Thomas Ragless was a prolific builder and won government contracts to build schools and post offices around the State an...
19/07/2026

Thomas Ragless was a prolific builder and won government contracts to build schools and post offices around the State and continued to speculate, buying land in Gilberton - building most of the houses on both sides of Torrens St and some in Tyne St, before building another for himself on the banks of the Torrens calling it Riverside, with a driveway at no. 18 Torrens St. He also built most of the houses in Tennyson St Medindie, and you will see the similar style in architecture.

With all these houses being constructed, you can imagine he must have quite a team working for him. Especially if you knew that his hobby was photography - people commented that he spent more time in the darkroom than on the building site. Another quirk of his was his love of the horse and buggy, ‘a much more reliable transport’ he would say, than the automobile.

However, when the Gilberton Swimming Pool opened in 1915 in the vicinity of his Riverside house, he was not too happy. He tried to have it closed and when he failed, he moved to Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills. However most of the residents in the vicinity embraced the new club and got involved.

Gilberton was slower to develop because it, Section 475, was owned by Joseph Gilbert (1800-1881) of Pewsey Vale. He lea...
18/07/2026

Gilberton was slower to develop because it, Section 475, was owned by Joseph Gilbert (1800-1881) of Pewsey Vale. He leased the land until the 1870s when he started selling, he was by then in his 70s. Some blocks were over 600 feet deep (185 metres). Once established though, Edwin Tce became a sought-after address. It became known as Draper’s Alley - or Grocer’s Alley - the reason will soon be revealed.

EDWIN TERRACE and the connections between the households was the subject of my talk during History Festival and will sha...
18/07/2026

EDWIN TERRACE and the connections between the households was the subject of my talk during History Festival and will share some of my findings here. This oblique image is from Google Maps.

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