Torrensville, South Australia


Torrensville is a suburb two kilometres west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens.
Torrensville has a predominantly Greek Australian population, and a lesser number of Italian Australians residents, following mass migration in the middle of the 20th century.
Torrensville is in the City of West Torrens local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of West Torrens and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Hindmarsh.
Both the state and federal MPs, representing the electoral districts that include Torrensville, are notable Greek Australians: Tom Koutsantonis and Steve Georganas of the Australian Labor Party. Their success in winning office is partly due to the high population of Greek Australians in their electoral districts, mostly from Torrensville, neighbouring Thebarton, and neighbouring Mile End which contains St. George, Adelaide's largest Greek Orthodox church.
Revitalisation of the Adelaide's inner suburbs in the 2000s has made Henley Beach Road a vibrant shopping area with many cafes and restaurants.

History

According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, the suburb was named after Robert Torrens senior, who was chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, which was responsible for setting up and running the colony in its early years.
New Thebarton Post Office opened on 1 November 1879 and was renamed Torrensville in 1909. Torrensille was part of the then largely rural District of West Torrens until 1883, when the residents of the more urban suburbs of Thebarton, Mile End and Torrensville successfully petitioned to become the Corporation of the Town of Thebarton. In 1997 the Town of Thebarton re-amalgamated with the City of West Torrens.

Places of interest

Torrensville contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including: