Marion is a suburb in the City of Marion in Adelaide around 10 km south-west of the CBD. Founded as a rural village in 1838 on the banks of the Sturt River, Marion was found to have rich soil and the population expanded rapidly. Colonel William Light laid out the plan for the village, as he had done with the City of Adelaide itself.
Marion is bordered on the north by Oaklands Road, on the east by Marion Road, on the south by Sturt Road and on the west by a roughly straight line from Finniss Street in the south to The Parade.
History
The township of Marion was laid out by William Light and B. T. Finniss in 1838, and was (mis)named for Marianne Fisher (1827–1927), daughter of the Resident Commissioner, James Hurtle Fisher.
Vegetables, stone fruits, almonds and grapes were all produced in Marion. Richard Hamilton started the first vineyard in 1838 and his family continues its wine making tradition to this day. By the late 19th century Marion was also home to a number of industries such as a mining and brick making. However, the population at this time was still very small – around 350 people.Gradually the Adelaide sprawl crept up to Marion, and by the 1950s the suburb was well and truly enveloped.
Amenities
Marion is home to a number of parks and reserves. The large sporting complex off Sturt Road contains ovals and a basketball stadium. There are also parks on Norfolk Road, Tilley Crescent, Nicholas Road, Oakleigh Road, George Street and Alison Avenue.
Marion also shares the Oaklands Reserve with Oaklands Park. The City of Marion Swimming Centre is situated adjacent to the suburb of Marion, in Park Holme.
The Sturt River Linear Park is a trail which follows the Sturt River through the south-western metropolitan area from Marion to Glenelg.
Community facilities
The large private school, Westminster, is situated along Alison Avenue near the railway line. It caters to many families in the area for all grades from Reception to Year 12.
Marion High School, a public school in the area closing in 1996, was situated on York Avenue, in the suburb of Clovelly Park. The school serviced the youth of the area for over forty years until its closure. The area has now been redeveloped primarily for housing, with just the school hall remaining, Cosgrove Hall which was named after a long running headmaster of the school.
Churches of various denominations are located Marion.
The Marion Returned and Services League of Australia Club is located on Norfolk Road.
There are two bowling clubs in the suburb of Marion, one on Norfolk Road, near the RSL club and another on Sturt Road adjacent to Sturt Oval.
In April 2011 South Australian Premier Mike Rann opened the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre on Morphett Road in Oaklands Park, the most advanced swimming and diving facilities in Australia. He was joined at the opening by Marion Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis. Lewis and Rann had championed the project for some years to enable Olympic standard aquatic sports to occur in South Australia.
Governance
It is part of the City of Marion. The council offices for the whole city are located in nearby Sturt. Marion is split between the state electorates of Elder and Mitchell and is situated in the Federal Division of Boothby.