Clovelly Park

Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion.

Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion. Before becoming an 'advanced' suburb, it was a farm and vineyard. The suburb is bordered by Daws Road to the north, South Road to the east, Sturt Road to the south, and a combination of Percy Avenue and the Flinders railway line to the west. It is situated approximately 20 minutes from the Adelaide city centre, and about 2 minutes from Flinders University, Flinders Medical Centre and Westfield Marion.

The original inhabitants of the area, the Kaurna, lived mainly along the Sturt River which passes several hundred metres to the south of the suburb's southern boundary. Richard Hamilton, whose family became major wine producers in the state, planted the first vineyard in the area in 1838, just two years after the colony of South Australia was founded. Settlers followed, planting vineyards, market gardens and almond orchards around the banks of the Sturt River and the creeks further to the north in what later became Clovelly Park.

Clovelly Park is situated on former Viaduct and Watts Creek. Following World War II, Clovelly Park was opened up for limited housing and the bitumising of roads began. Prior to widespread development in the mid 1950s, Clovelly Park remained a farming and agricultural region with a large number of vineyards and almond orchards. In 1955, Chrysler Australia purchased 71 hectares (180 acres) of land in Clovelly Park and built a car assembly plant which was opened in 1964, and was, at the time, the largest such operation under one roof in the southern hemisphere. For several years following the establishment of the Chrysler plant, Clovelly Park was also often referred to as Chrysler Park, due to misprints in street directories incorrectly labeling the Clovelly Park railway station as Chrysler Park railway station.The Clovelly Park Post Office opened on 15 November 1950 and was renamed St Marys in 1967.During the 1960s, urban encroachment by the city of Adelaide enabled developers to build on the remaining farms, many bankrupted by rising land taxes and council rates. Created was a small semi-town very similar to that of modern-day Sellicks Beach or McLaren Vale. The late 1960s saw Clovelly Park and most other suburbs of Marion turn into a 'family friendly' establishment due to the introduction of parks, reserves, and in the 1970s, playgrounds. This establishment although toned down, stands today.During the 1980s, Clovelly Park shifted to a more retail scene, with the opening or upgrading of a few major shopping centres in surrounding suburbs. Clovelly Park has now lost most of its "countryside" feel, but is still regarded as a safe family friendly neighbourhood.The southern part of Clovelly Park was often called Tonsley Park. Chrysler, and later on Mitsubishi, referred to their 'Tonsley Park' plant This part of Clovelly Park (including the former Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) plant) was separated and renamed Tonsley on 27 January 2017.