Wattle Park, South Australia


Wattle Park is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside.

History

The suburb may have been named by George Scarfe for the property, sections 288 and 289 totalling around, that he purchased around 1880. His residence, renamed "Scarfe House", became in 1991 the centrepiece of "Wattle Grove" retirement village for Southern Cross Homes.

Olives

The Stonyfell Olive Company was founded by Joseph Crompton with William Mair and Sidney Clark in 1873, with planting continuing until 1882 across Stonyfell and adjoining areas. By the 1900 had a planted with about 10,000 olive trees, around Penfold Road. In 1901, the company employed 81 workers. This business became largely owned by the family of Owen Crompton after his marriage to Sarah Simpson, daughter of A. M. Simpson, who settled on her the whole of his considerable stake in the company. With the inexorable expansion of Adelaide's suburbs, the land was sold to developers. The olive crushing plant was actually in what is now Wattle Park, at the western end of Crompton Drive. In August 1932, the Stonyfell Olive Company was the largest producer of olive oil in South Australia, and it entered into an agreement with Bickford's to do the bottling of the oil.

Post office

Wattle Park Post Office opened on 8 April 1965 and closed in 1967.

Facilities

There are no schools in Wattle Park. The closest school to Wattle Park is St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School in Stonyfell. Other schools nearby are Norwood Morialta High School and Magill Primary School in Magill. Wattle Park Kindergarten is located on Yeltana Avenue.