Renewal SA to mark Colonel Light's cottage in $4m Southwark park

A modern installation with three architecturally designed peaks will reinterpret the cottage roofline on the spot where the original stood. Three walking axes run through the peaks and link Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens, the Adelaide CBD and Gulf St Vincent.

The structure follows the footprint of the original brick footings, which were found in a 2023 excavation. The footings stay underground for protection, while an old well uncovered on the site will be visible.

Acting Executive Director of Property and Major Projects Matt Hogan said: “We want future residents and visitors to be immersed in the history of Southwark Grounds.”

The numbers

The park covers 2,460 sqm and sits next to the first retail and hospitality offerings on the ground floor of The Bond apartment building. Renewal SA is funding the $4 million project. The park and The Bond are both expected to finish in 2028/29.

Features include a big open lawn, paved seating and an English-style garden where the cottage garden once stood, planted with about 60 trees and over 3,000 plants and shrubs. The designer is ASPECT Studios, whose earlier work includes Bowden Park, alongside heritage specialist Mulloway Studio.

On Holland Street, a small red-brick transformer building of about six sqm from the early 1900s, which is Local Heritage-listed, will be repaired and folded into the park entrance. A tree-lined laneway will provide off-street access and front townhouses, including Founder’s Row.

What’s next

Renewal SA says it is talking with the City of West Torrens about future uses, such as displaying excavation artefacts or art, visible through new glass windows.

The park is the first of three large public spaces in the 8.4-hectare renewal project. Later stages include a revitalised riverbank on the northern edge, reflecting Kaurna history, and Brewery Green, a central park overlooked by the Walkerville Brew Tower.

For housing, the release says 17 townhouses at Founder’s Row, on the western edge facing Holland Street, are close to done after work began in late 2025, and the first residents are due to move in within months. Contour and Kolabb intend to start 66 more townhouses before the year ends.

Samaras plans to open sales of 120 apartments at The Bond, with construction expected next year. Catcon is building the ground infrastructure and roads, and Commercial & General will deliver more than 1,000 homes plus aged care, retail, hospitality and community services. In all, the project should deliver about 1,700 homes over the next decade.