The Adelaide Show turns activist in this episode, to ring the alarm bells over the the wanton, short-sighted, greed-driven move to carve up the UniSA Magill Campus site by rezoning it from community use to residential so that an already saturated urban infill zone can be further clogged with houses and cars while stripping animals and humans of the green zone critical for their physical and mental health.
The battle lines are drawn over UniSA’s Magill campus site, where a proposal to rezone from community use to residential threatens to replace a cherished green space with up to 400 dwellings. As urban infill pushes local infrastructure to its limits, Magill Matters representatives Denise MacGregor and Charlotte Reimer make their case for preserving this vital community asset, home to 350 trees (some predating colonial settlement), thriving wildlife corridors, and essential recreational spaces.
While there is no SA Drink of the Week in this episode, the thirst for preservation of community assets runs deep through every moment of the conversation, as does the sobering realisation that once green spaces are lost to development, they’re gone forever.
In a poignant Musical Pilgrimage, The Danger Dolphins’ “Blackfish Blues” serves as an unintentionally perfect soundtrack to the episode’s themes, its raw, blues-driven exploration of confinement resonating with both the threatened creek-dwelling creatures and future residents who might find themselves in an area stripped of its natural cooling canopy.
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Running Sheet: We Will Discover Destroying UniSA Magill Matters When The Green Has Gone And Temperatures And Tempers Rise
00:00:00 Intro
Introduction
00:00:00 SA Drink Of The Week
There is no South Australian Drinks Of The Week this week.
00:07:25 Denise Macgregor and Charlotte Reimer, Magill Matters
Standing at Third Creek on the UniSA site, one immediately understands what developers might miss in their spreadsheet calculations. The space serves as a vital community hub where the background hum of urban life fades away, creating what our guests describe as a “movie set” atmosphere of tranquility. From early morning Tai Chi practitioners to soccer-playing families and solitary readers, the campus grounds provide what Denise MacGregor poignantly describes as “dwelling spaces, not just dwellings” – a profound distinction in an era of shrinking private yards.
The land’s history deepens its significance, having been bequeathed by Sir George Murray in 1942 to the university for community and educational purposes. This legacy faces an uncertain future as plans emerge for potential medium to high-density residential development, which could see buildings up to six storeys high replacing the current green space.
Magill Matters advocates aren’t opposed to all development but propose creative alternatives that would maintain the site’s community focus while addressing housing needs. Their vision includes repurposing existing buildings for aged care facilities (addressing Minister Champion’s goal of freeing up family homes), maintaining recreational spaces, and preserving the vital green corridor that helps cool the suburb by up to 5 degrees Celsius.
Links:
Magill Matters, public Facebook group
Some extra notes about Murray House:
Murray House in Adelaide was originally owned by Alexander Borthwick Murray, who acquired the property in 1862 and expanded it significantly. The house, set on 22 acres of land, was later acquired by the South Australian government. It became the core of the Wattle Park Teachers’ College in 1957 and eventually a campus of the University of South Australia. While Alexander Borthwick Murray was the original owner, the house was not directly bequeathed by him. Instead, it was acquired by the government and repurposed for educational use. The last private owner of Murray House before it was acquired by the Department of Education in 1968 was Mrs Ellinor Doris Bush. It’s worth noting that Sir George John Robert Murray, while not the owner of Murray House, did make a significant bequest to the University of Adelaide. Upon his death in 1942, he left the residue of his estate, over £83,000, to the university. However, this bequest was not related to Murray House itself. This interview is about development of the grounds of the UniSA Magill Campus, which includes parks and open spaces that, once gone, will never be reclaimed again.
00:37:20 Musical Pilgrimage
In the Musical Pilgrimage, we feature Blackfish Blues by The Danger Dolphins.
For our Musical Pilgrimage this week, we’re diving into “Blackfish Blues” by Adelaide’s The Danger Dolphins, and the timing couldn’t be more poignant. As we’ve discussed the proposed rezoning of UniSA’s Magill campus, this raw, blues-driven track speaks to the confinement and constraints that echo through our main discussion.
When Zac sings “Nothing changes every day, another dolphin out of sea, just glass between you and me,” it’s hard not to think of both the threatened creek-dwelling creatures and future residents who might find themselves in an area stripped of its natural cooling canopy and breathing spaces.
The Danger Dolphins, born from late-night jam sessions between Zac Gerhardy and Nick Barone, have crafted a song that, while written about a different context, resonates deeply with the environmental concerns surrounding Third Creek’s ecosystem. Their sound, influenced by Led Zeppelin and The Black Keys, brings a powerful urgency to themes of restriction and environmental impact that mirror our concerns about urban development’s effect on both wildlife habitats and human wellbeing.
While “Blackfish Blues” is a few years old now, The Danger Dolphins have recently released an EP, Jam Factory Vol. II, which captures their raw energy in a stripped-back two-day recording session that feels worlds away from their meticulously produced Vol. I. For a chance to experience their evolution in the flesh – and witness what they’re cryptically calling “a sneaky lil on stage treat” – catch them at the High Fever Festival at Macclesfield’s Three Brothers Arms on Saturday, February 8. With free camping available, you can let loose without watching the clock.
Here’s this week’s preview video
This is a video of a stroll around the property in question.
SFX: Throughout the podcast we use free SFX from freesfx.co.uk for the harp, the visa stamp, the silent movie music, the stylus, the radio signal SFX, the wine pouring and cork pulling SFX, and the swooshes around Siri.
An AI generated transcript – there will be errors. Check quotes against the actual audio (if you would like to volunteer as an editor, let Steve know)
410-The Adelaide Show
[00:00:00] Steve Davis: Hello, Steve Davis here. Welcome to episode 410 of the Adelaide Show podcast, and we don’t do this very often, but we’re turning activist in this episode, and that’s because I think it’s important to ring the alarm bells over what I think is the wanton, short sighted, greed driven move to carve up the UniSA Magill campus site by rezoning it from community use to a residential in an area Saturated with urban infield to be further clogged with houses and cars while stripping away animals and humans of the green zone that’s critical for their physical and mental health.
[00:00:38] I will also acknowledge that there are many sides to any conversation and any decision, especially when it comes to government and developers eyeing off land against a backdrop of high demand for lower cost housing. I admit that. That is The scenario, however, at some point, I think we need to stare our leaders and our developers in the eye, and we demand that they stop a particular plan when it’s poised to rip away a precious area of green that will never be restored.
[00:01:14] ever be able to be reclaimed again. And why should the plans around redevelopment of the UniSA Magill campus be this line in the sand? You might be thinking, well, it’s because what a housing minister and a local council and developers win up front in fees and expenditure and ongoing rates. It’ll come at a stubborn and profound cost to our health system and our And in particular, our mental health system forever.
[00:01:48] See, that won’t be captured in their calculations. Our leaders, the hungry developers, they have a chance to be adult right now and be statespeople and lift their gaze above the spreadsheets, the new luxury cars they’ll get to drive around in, and just act deeply for the nourishment of humans and animals in an area.
[00:02:09] You know, all the, the sweet token, the, uh, the corporate speak, the butt covering activity of acting in the state’s interest. I think that needs to be called out. This is a rush of blood on the side of development, enabling more dwellings to be built at the cost of the quality of dwelling. in the community.
[00:02:30] You know, we’re on this planet for such a short time. This episode, I’m putting aside as a rally call to sense and to decency, and for our elected leaders and government authorities, staff, and developers to reflect on the highest level of smarts and nobility that we can achieve. And actually, to be honest, Take this moment to turn their minds to working frugally and creatively, and perhaps make use of the development footprint that is already on the site.
[00:03:02] It’s already gone. There’s place there, there’s sunk energy, there’s sunk resources there that could be modified and developed and leave the green areas and the corridors alone. I must say, this is across the political spectrum, because although Minister Champion really just wants development, he wants the number of houses there and get those KPIs met, Vincent Tarcy has been magnificent for Magill Matters, the grassroots group that is trying to get Get attention on this, which is hard when the media landscape is so impoverished.
[00:03:39] It’s just too hard to cover this. Let’s cover something about a scantily clad, uh, celeb who’s been caught out. Um, so Vincent Tice has been excellent with support and engagement. Also Katie McCaskill from the Greens have been involved. John Gardner, although he’s retiring, he’s been attending meetings and paying attention.
[00:04:00] I’m not sure how many people from Campbelltown Council have been. actively involved in this, um, which, it’d be nice to know, uh, those details, and If anyone from the Labour Party has been actively involved in hearing these concerns and taking them on, uh, seriously. So, look, this is a little bit different.
[00:04:21] This is still passion, this is still South Australians, uh, but we’re using this more as the spotlight, this particular episode, to get into this, so that we can raise awareness. Because once this is gone, it’s gone. And we need these refuges, so that of green throughout our living areas, so that we stay sane and we can enjoy life.
[00:04:42] And so that when all those articles are paraded that, ooh, Adelaide’s been named the most amazing place to live by the New York Times or some other publication that’s been paid a little A bit of money, or there have been some junkets for that to happen, that there’s actually some depth to it, that’s for real, and we’re not just coasting on the coattails of what people have done in the past, but we’re proactively working on making sure that we take responsibility, and we can earn that responsibility.
[00:05:12] Kudos and credit for having foresight now, even if it means going without some quick wins. So, whew, let’s jump. There is no essay drink of the week this week. I’m feeling like there should be one now. But also in the music, um, a band we haven’t played before, the Danger Dolphins, have a song which came out, what was a few years ago, it’s called Blackfish Blues.
[00:05:34] As you’ll hear when we get to it. It’s kind of pertinent now. They’ve got some new material out, of course, and, uh, at the time of recording, uh, the upcoming weekend, February the 8th, you’ll find them at Macclesfield at the Three Brothers Arms. There’s a bit of a music festival happening there, and they’re part of it, and you can, you know, catch some of their tunes in what they call a sneaky little on stage treat, because they’ve been off stage for just a little while, so that’s coming up.
[00:05:59] Until then, enjoy the show, and hopefully, you’re listening to this as you’re walking around. A little patch of green wherever you are across Adelaide, south Australia, or the web
[00:06:27] Caitlin Davis: refugees and.
[00:06:38] In the spirit of reconciliation, the Adelaide Show podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout South Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past, and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
[00:07:07] Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide,
[00:07:11] The Danger Dolphins: Adelaide, Adelaide,
[00:07:14] Caitlin Davis: Adelaide, ooh. Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, ooh.
[00:07:26] Steve Davis: Well, they took all the trees, and they put them in a tree museum, and they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them. Joni Mitchell’s words from 1970 echo hauntingly across Magill today, where residents are fighting to prevent their cherished UniSA campus from becoming another paradise paved.
[00:07:45] Our guests from Magill Matters understand that humans need dwelling spaces, Not just dwellings. It’s a profound distinction in an area where green space sits at just six percent, less than half the recommended minimum for suburban areas. With 350 odd trees, including specimens that are more than 200 years old, and a thriving koala habitat at stake, well, they’re here to share why this space matters for everyone who values the soul of our suburbs.
[00:08:18] So, welcome to the Adelaide Show, Denise McGregor.
[00:08:21] Charlotte Reimer: Hi, thanks for having us.
[00:08:23] Steve Davis: Oh, pleasure, and Charlotte Reimer.
[00:08:25] Charlotte Reimer: Hello, thanks for having us.
[00:08:27] Steve Davis: I would like to get the ball rolling on this conversation, because time is ticking. At the time of recording, we’ve got about eight days left to get a submission in, and there’ll be links in the show notes for people to hop to that.
[00:08:38] When you stand at Third Creek on the UniSA site, what do you see that developers might miss when they look? Uh,
[00:08:51] Denise MacGregor: we see it as a place that the community goes for rest and quiet and play. Uh, children, families, people walking their dogs. Uh, it’s just a beautiful space to be in.
[00:09:05] Steve Davis: Before we recorded this, we actually went to the space and we walked around.
[00:09:09] It’s very early on a Sunday morning, but I was struck by how it’s like someone’s clicked the switch and they’ve removed most of the background hum and energy of life. And it was, it really was, it was like a movie set.
[00:09:24] Denise MacGregor: It is. It’s a, it’s a beautiful place to be in and we’re finding more and more people are using it because they no longer have the space in their own backyards just to sit and, and be quiet, um, and so we’re finding there are lots of people who are coming there that don’t even live in the Magill area just because they see it as a beautiful space.
[00:09:44] Steve Davis: And we pointed out some majestic trees. There’s a bit of video that will be on the show notes as well for you to have a look at of this. Some of them more than 200 years old, 200, 300 years old. Which predates, uh, White Settlement in the area. There’s koalas. I often see koalas in that area. What does it tell I want to bring up this idea of the difference between dwelling, And a dwelling space.
[00:10:08] How does this add to what it is to live? To just be in a box, brush your teeth, comb your hair, go out, come back. Versus dwelling. Being. Let’s just wax lyrical on that for a moment. Talk to that, will you? Either of you.
[00:10:24] Denise MacGregor: Lots of people do use it as a space for walking, for exercise. We were there this morning as we were walking around, uh, people doing Pilates and running and just using the space for physical exercise.
[00:10:36] Um, there was once a swimming pool there that a lot of people used to use for swimming and, and obviously, you know, getting fit. There’s a gym on campus that is still being used, but is in risk of being demolished with the proposed development. There’s a swimming pool there, there’s an allied health centre that looks after people’s health as well.
[00:10:57] Um, so we’re, we’re so worried that we might lose
[00:11:00] Charlotte Reimer: all of that. There’s also the UniSA Soccer Club, which my son plays for, so we go over there most days and we play soccer. Um, our whole family has, um, uh, soccer boots now, even my two year old son has them and even I have some. Um, And so we all get in our soccer boots and go for a kick, and it’s our favourite thing to do on a weekend.
[00:11:17] It’s, uh, like, that’s where we get our fun out of, like, we’re all busy, we’re all doing things, and we’re like, okay, let’s make time now and go play some soccer. So it’s also important for kids as well to have that outlet, especially teenage boys who need to be running around and things, and we don’t have a big property at all.
[00:11:32] It’s very small and there’s not a lot of land, so this is our backyard for us.
[00:11:36] Steve Davis: We mentioned teenage boys, but the opposite end of that energy spectrum, some of the people there today, some are walking, doing Pilates. There was a woman who was just sitting there, as we walked past, just big smiles. Yes. A little bit of connective tissue.
[00:11:49] Yes, yes.
[00:11:50] Denise MacGregor: Oh, there’s a group of women, uh, who do Tai Chi there in the morning too. Um, and, and use the quietness of the space to do their Tai Chi and to centre their thinking, I guess, for the rest of the day.
[00:12:02] Steve Davis: I saw one woman, uh, planking. I was very envious because I’m going to the gym these days, three mornings a week, and planking, oh my goodness, it’s a hard exercise.
[00:12:12] The Danger Dolphins: I agree. It is, it is.
[00:12:14] Steve Davis: Now the land that we’re talking about in Magill was actually gifted to serve the community’s education and cultural needs. But Do we know more detail about that and how has it been serving Magill over the years?
[00:12:28] Denise MacGregor: It served Magill as a university campus, as most people would know it as, the Magill campus.
[00:12:36] It was part of the education department. And it’s always been used for educational or community purposes. As I said, the gym and the facilities, um, like the pool, um, have always been used by the community. The library can be accessed by the community. There’s a cafeteria there that the community can use as well.
[00:12:57] So it’s always been a community space. Hence it’s community zoning, community facility zoning. Um, and that’s what it’s always been used for, for the community. And that’s what we wanted. to be maintained as.
[00:13:11] Charlotte Reimer: Yeah, so it was in 1942, Sir George Murray passed away and he bequeathed it to the Adelaide University and then for community purposes to be used for educational purposes and then it was, then the university couldn’t look after it for a short time so they actually sold it off but then they decided to take it back so they, uh, compulsory acquired it from the person they hired.
[00:13:38] Yeah, took it from. And then, yeah, then it was to, to fulfill its purpose of being for the community. And that was in 1968, they took that back and, yeah, said we want, we, we want to, we need to fulfill this. We need to fulfill what it was purpose, what its purpose was.
[00:13:53] Steve Davis: So I suppose anything that’s just done on a handshake or a written agreement can be reversed, is what we’re learning.
[00:13:59] Yes, yes, yes. And we’ve
[00:14:01] Charlotte Reimer: brought this up to Renew USA, like this was, the purpose for this was for the community. Uh, so there, I, what they want to do is, they want to, uh, because at the moment it’s zoned community facilities, as we’re aware, but they want to change that zoning to, like, residential, and we’ve seen in newspaper articles and things like that, that they want to make that either medium to high density, uh, zoning as well, which, It’s a bit scary for us.
[00:14:25] Denise MacGregor: Which will mean over 400 dwellings, possibly five to six storey apartments. Um, which would mean the destruction of the habitat that’s currently there and the beautiful space and many of the trees, um, will have to be, um, destroyed. And the buildings that are already there, which are very usable and could be repurposed, they’ll be demolished.
[00:14:48] Steve Davis: And when you say habitat, we’re not just talking about the animals, we’re talking about the humans that live in the area. Exactly.
[00:14:52] Denise MacGregor: Yes, exactly. It is their habitat.
[00:14:55] Steve Davis: It’s almost like they should be renamed Reversal SA. Uh, just quietly, it’s just, it seems like a retrograde step. I know there’s pressure. on housing, but there’s smart ways to do it.
[00:15:06] There
[00:15:07] Denise MacGregor: are, definitely.
[00:15:08] Steve Davis: Heck, we’ve got a lot of universities in this place. There must be quite a few smart people around the area. But, wallets, Carry a wallop. Now Murray House, you mentioned Murray before Charlotte. I guess that’s the link that was must have been where Murray lived.
[00:15:24] The Danger Dolphins: Yes. I’m not
[00:15:25] Steve Davis: overly familiar with Murray House and and what it’s being used for.
[00:15:29] Fill in a little bit of that picture.
[00:15:31] Charlotte Reimer: Yes, so it was built by Alexander Murray, his father. Yeah and so George Murray lived there his whole life. I think there was five, five kids in the family. And but yeah, he never had children. So that’s why he instead wanted to, he was a man that was very valued education.
[00:15:47] So that’s why he wanted it, its purpose to The whole Murray Park lands to be, yep, used for education and community on, following his death.
[00:15:58] Steve Davis: And in that sort of dwellings being planned to be built, no one who owns them could sort of bequeath that land to the community because they’d be like the size of a matchbox.
[00:16:07] Whereas that was at a time where you had that. that generosity of space, uh, to, to, to zone, to bequeath in that way. So I guess Murray House is one thing that’s quarantined from direct development. So, um, Joanie doesn’t have to worry. It’s not going to be replaced by a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hotspot.
[00:16:26] Yeah, it’s, it’s
[00:16:27] Denise MacGregor: heritage listed, so it can’t be touched.
[00:16:29] Steve Davis: But those things could be encroaching. Right on its perimeter.
[00:16:32] Denise MacGregor: Exactly. We haven’t actually been told the amount of land that will exist around Murray House. We know the house itself has, has saved, uh, and there are several trees next to Murray House.
[00:16:43] The big bunya pine and the white mulberry, um, but other than that, every other tree, um, could go.
[00:16:49] Steve Davis: It’s up for grabs. Now there’s often talk, let’s get to this part of it, the, um, that thing of housing affordability versus green space, it’s, and it’s couched in a way that you can, it’s by the one. Can you see any way in which there’s some sort of middle ground that’s sustainable, even if it’s not directly middle, some sort of creative approach to balancing these needs?
[00:17:16] Denise MacGregor: We would like to see many of the buildings repurposed for an alternative use. We would like to see, as I said before, the gym and the area around there repurposed as a community hub or a recreational hub, that the ovals are kept for recreation for the soccer clubs that exist there. Perhaps hockey clubs, um, you know, lots of alternatives.
[00:17:39] We don’t have many playing fields or sporting fields around us. The actual buildings, such as the auditorium, could be a performing arts centre. The library could continue to be a public library. Um, There’s lots of ideas. I mean, even the idea of an aged care facility. Uh, so we could actually move people out of their houses to free up houses and they could, you know, move into that aged care or, or an over 50s type area.
[00:18:07] Um, or allied health, you know, there’s the facilities there for, you know, physiotherapists, for, um, podiatrists, you know, lots of
[00:18:16] Charlotte Reimer: community services could go there. Yes, yeah, because we’ve, we have actually met with Minister Champion as well to discuss it, and he, his, obviously his objective is to build houses, that’s what he wants, because that’s, that’s his job, uh, but so he, he has expressed that he wants to get, you know, like more older people out of homes so that we can free up homes for younger families and things like that, so having things like an aged care, residential living on, on that side.
[00:18:44] Steve Davis: Are you basically, basically saying your approach would be? Make use of the development footprint that’s there at the moment, rather than encroach further on green space.
[00:18:55] Denise MacGregor: Exactly. The damage that could be done to the tree roots, to the habitat of the animals that are there, um, all of those things need to be considered, um, in the space.
[00:19:08] Yeah, to use the existing footprint would be amazing. To use the existing buildings themselves would be even better, but to use the footprint that’s there, the car parks, the buildings, um, that would be a compromise. One of the biggest issues for us is the infrastructure. The roads around Magill, the original Magill village, were planned over a hundred years ago, so they’re incredibly narrow.
[00:19:32] So, to have an extra thousand Maybe even 2, 000 people living in that space. The roads are already so congested, and there’s the issue with, you know, the infrastructure around sewage and water. Our schools, the local schools, are already full. You know, where do these children go to school? There are lots of issues that really haven’t been considered in any detail.
[00:19:57] Steve Davis: They could just tip it into the creek. Oh,
[00:20:00] Charlotte Reimer: well, so, um, when, because we’ve got Hamilton Hill close by to us, which is a huge development, and that sort of sewerage must all sort of come in, down into our areas and things, and since, we’ve had so many issues since that. Development has happened with sewage and all sorts and, uh, um, like toilet bubbles a lot and, and then, yeah, there was one time that, uh, there was a blockage in our street and we had the street, like, sewage come up in our backyard.
[00:20:25] It was the worst thing ever. And then, uh, about a week ago, the toilet started bubbling and I got onto SA Water straight away. It just about came up in the yard and, but then we got there.
[00:20:36] Steve Davis: So you’ve got this, this overload on the system. Yeah, from the street,
[00:20:40] Charlotte Reimer: already from, yeah, from the street’s blockage. So we’re all the time, SA Waters on our street unblocking things.
[00:20:47] Denise MacGregor: And we live in a council area where if a block comes up for sale, the one house that’s there suddenly becomes two, four, even six. And so that puts pressure on our infrastructure so much, and as I was saying before, it means limited green space that people have around their houses now, so they need a space to go to.
[00:21:08] Steve Davis: Now Denise, there’ll be some people listening to this in renewal SA, saying, oh no, this is just NIMBY, this is not in my backyard going on. What do you say?
[00:21:18] Denise MacGregor: I would say If the area that we are talking about, the Magill campus, was not such a green space with heritage listed buildings with 300 year old gum trees, if it were, for example, like the brewery site, or if it was like Plant 4, or Ordinga’s proposed development, or at Point Stanvac, if it were just a space, I’d say go for it.
[00:21:47] But this is really different and it’s probably one of the only parcels of land that Renewal SA have that is community zoned. Most would be already identified as being residential. And this one’s not. This is community zoned, and that’s what we’re fighting to keep.
[00:22:08] Steve Davis: I’d love to know what’s going through the minds of, if the tree, if trees are salient, there’s trees there that are two or three hundred years old, what have they witnessed over their lifespan, and what are they thinking at the moment?
[00:22:19] Yeah,
[00:22:20] Charlotte Reimer: I know, they’d be so scared. Because I think Landcare as well, they touched on it at our community meeting the other week, and they said that, All of these trees are all connected underneath, they’re all, there’s all like roots and everything and they’re all talking to each other and if you start interrupting all those, you know, these hundreds and hundreds of years old roots, they’re not, the trees, they’re not going to survive either, they’re going to give up.
[00:22:42] Steve Davis: In a discussion on the Magill Matters Facebook group, which you two are both active in, who was, were either of you the founder of it? Charlotte. Charlotte, you were the one who spearheaded this. Yeah. Um. Third Creek is talked about with a great deal of significance beyond just being a waterway. Whether it’s garniculture or whether we’re just looking at the ecosystem in just a scientific way.
[00:23:08] How’s, what, what’s so important about Third Creek?
[00:23:12] Denise MacGregor: It’s actually connected from the hills to go out to sea. It’s actually acts as a filtration, um, system so that the water is purified on its way down. But what we are finding is because of the level of infill that’s happening, there’s a huge amount of runoff into that creek, which is causing a lot of erosion.
[00:23:34] of the banks. When we have a heavy rain, and let’s hope we do soon, but when we do have a heavy rain, uh, it does flood along the waterway. Um, so flood mitigation would be a huge issue that would need to be addressed if housing were to occur. Um, Landcare is keen to actually develop the area that the campus is sitting on, and many members of our community would like to be part of that.
[00:24:00] regeneration of the creek bed.
[00:24:02] Steve Davis: So when you say development, you don’t mean houses, you mean looking after the vegetation. Looking
[00:24:06] Denise MacGregor: after the vegetation and bringing it back to what it should actually be. It’s been allowed to degrade over the years to some extent, but it has the potential to be a beautiful space that people could go to.
[00:24:24] So yeah.
[00:24:25] Steve Davis: I’m forging an image in my mind of someone with a thread loose on a suit and you pull it and it just keeps taking more and more and more and then there’s another part of the suit now that’s under threat. If we look at the research that says having green spaces within 400 metres of home can triple residents physical activity levels, there’s a direct with physical well being and psychological well being.
[00:24:56] So while Minister Champion might get heaps of brownie points with reverse, sorry, renewal essay, you know, Changing this zoning, filling it up with houses. The poor old health minister is going to cop it with obese people clogging up our system and mental health demands that are already outstripping what we’re doing.
[00:25:19] This is the ridiculously linear short sighted thinking that makes my blood boil. These people should be smarter than this. Discuss,
[00:25:29] Denise MacGregor: we need people with vision. The, the vision for that site could be repurpose buildings that are community orientated, green spaces, open playing fields, recreation, social hubs that could be used by the community and wider.
[00:25:47] Um, if housing were to occur, it could be done in a sustainable, integrated way with the environment rather than building. on the environment, um, but embracing what is there and making it a really liveable, connected environment to live in. There’s, there’s opportunity that I think has been missed or overlooked or not even recognised, but there’s opportunity to build something that is quite different on that space.
[00:26:17] Um, and no one seems to have, um, We haven’t come up with that idea as yet.
[00:26:23] Steve Davis: And the other side of the coin, if we lose lots of trees, which is basically what’s going to happen, we know, research tells us very clearly, that urban trees can reduce summer temperatures by up to 5 degrees Celsius. Which is a lot.
[00:26:39] It means that whatever this new suburb is called, it might have to be called Sealy after the air conditioning manufacturer because the homes will be running air conditioners non stop because there’s nothing to moderate the extremes of our temperature.
[00:26:51] Denise MacGregor: Definitely, definitely. One of the members on our Facebook page has done some heat mapping of the area and he was looking at the The road, which was almost 20 degrees hotter than under some of the shady trees, um, and it was just amazing work.
[00:27:08] And if you go onto Magill Matters, our website, you’d be able to have a look at that. Um, we do need these green open spaces and we do need these trees to, um, moderate the effects of our climate, uh, which we know is hotter than it once was.
[00:27:26] Steve Davis: There just seem to be a lot of common sense things on the, on the table.
[00:27:29] Um, I can imagine any group like Magill Matters could be written off as just, you know, hippie, greenies, making their noise. Um, but when we look at the animals there, we’ve got, um, koalas. Well documented in the area. Birds, lots of birds. We had some beautiful magpies warbling this morning. Um, but also echidnas.
[00:27:51] Are you kidding me? No, there’s
[00:27:53] Denise MacGregor: a pair of echidnas that actually live in amongst the buildings and under the buildings. Um, and if those buildings go, we lose the echidnas that live there. Uh, we’ve got many nesting birds, uh, beautiful owls. Lots of frog species in the creek. Um, so one of the issues for us is there’s never been an environmental impact study, um, and which we’ve been pushing for.
[00:28:19] There doesn’t seem to be any interest in what wildlife there is there. And is it significant in some way? You know, do we have species there that are quite, quite unique?
[00:28:31] Steve Davis: Frogs, you mentioned frogs, of course. I mean, It’s well known that they are the barometers of the health of the place. And yeah, it’s easy to forget them, but um, we took our girls to Stradbroke Primary.
[00:28:46] There’s a creek, it’s not Third Creek, whatever the creek is there. My former co host Nigel Dobson would know every creek by name, but you’d often hear those, right? Never saw them very much, but you could hear them. Ducks, etc. Um, it just seems like a crime against, um, The minister and everyone else in government will shout these stories from the New York Times that says Adelaide’s the green, livable, lovely city and yet, on the other hand, it’s like putting a cookie holic in charge of the pantry.
[00:29:21] Charlotte Reimer: Definitely. I think that’s also, like, we see that with Hamilton Hill in a way. It’s like, what you see is not what you get. Like, developers, they put out these master plans and there’s still greenery and everything in there, but once they’re built, there’s not much greenery at all, and it’s very different to what they first intended.
[00:29:39] Steve Davis: Is there anything from around the world of campaigns like this that have been successful that give you any sense of hope that this can happen or is the the world history map pretty bleak when it comes to these actions succeeding?
[00:29:56] Charlotte Reimer: Well, I suppose there’s one to look at, which is Lockheel Park. It’s a little bit of a different situation to us because it wasn’t community zoned, but that’s definitely a development that is a benchmark to And it’s within the Campbelltown Council too.
[00:30:07] Yeah. It’s a sustainable development. Uh There’s community gardens there. I think there’s a lot of community input as well. It’s about that connected living. Um Yeah. And we have a very strong community passion here as well. So I think if there is Whatever happens here, if their community is able to be involved, right, we would all be willing to, you know, step up and do what we can as well to help, you know, protect the creek and look after it.
[00:30:35] Steve Davis: How much influence does Council have over this, or is this over their heads and it’s all?
[00:30:39] Denise MacGregor: I think because of the amount of money that’s been 64. 5 million that’s been spent on purchasing the land, I think that goes over Council’s head. Um, Council can be involved in the discussion, but the final discussion, um, decisions will come back to Nick Champion.
[00:30:58] Steve Davis: So, just in closing, what sort of message, uh, would you share with South Australians who might be listening to this and think it’s just a Magill issue? I mean, how does this affect anyone living in other suburbs of Adelaide?
[00:31:11] Denise MacGregor: I would hope that it would inspire others who are concerned about development in their regions to make a stand and Connect with your community and get the community on board to make the changes that you want to see happen.
[00:31:25] Um, that would be number one, but this is a space that is used by many more people than our particular, um, area. Many people come here. The students, they talk to their parents overseas and here and say how wonderful this space is to be. Those parents often come over and visit the university and the grounds that are there.
[00:31:49] It’s got a, it’s got a reputation that is far wider than this space. particular area. It’s like any beautiful park, Hazelwood Park or Fremont Park in Elizabeth. Any of those parks are central to that community’s wellbeing. And this one is very central to not just ours, but to the wider community and public.
[00:32:09] Steve Davis: Now, the time this is going out is the 2nd of February, 2025. And the 10th of February is the deadline, I believe, for putting submissions in for the expressions of interest from import. Um, can you talk us through that? We’ll put the link to the show notes, so people can jump straight to that. Because you’ve also done some research for people to develop a bit of a pro forma they can pick and choose from.
[00:32:32] Reweave in their own words, so it’s their voice, but to help them back up their claims with some research and some evidence.
[00:32:40] Charlotte Reimer: Yeah, so, uh, that’s right, Steve. So we’ve done a, uh, submission, a Magill Matters submission, where we’re looking at, we want the, uh, Land to stay as community zoned, so in that we’ve talked about what we propose for that.
[00:32:55] So we want to integrate a sports hub, we want a dual purpose, we want something like aged care or something where they can still, you know, make their money or still have a solution for housing in a way. And What else do we want in that? We want repurposed buildings, we want open space saved. We’ve prepared a document because the idea is we want as many people to put that in, so then they can’t just say, oh we’ve done consultation, we had a few hundred people, they, you know, we’ve taken it into consideration, but if we can get, you know, a thousand to two thousand people all, you know, supporting this, then they’re going to have to listen to us, because they know that there’s, you know, There’s a groundswell of people who are really concerned about the future of the site.
[00:33:36] We’re not going to just let them. No.
[00:33:37] Denise MacGregor: Yeah. So, so we’ve put this submission together and it’s become a very easy process for people just to scan the QR code and then they just put in their name and their email, click submit and it goes straight through to RenewLSA. You can open the document, which we’re encouraging people to do.
[00:33:54] Read it thoroughly. And read it. We’ve had some really positive feedback about the documentation. Um, read the documentation, click the link. That you are happy to submit and, um, that’s very easy. It takes no more than a few seconds. It’s a very easy, straightforward process. And
[00:34:11] Charlotte Reimer: we created this because we had a lot of feedback from our community saying that it was really hard to navigate there in USA.
[00:34:17] Oh, the Pinpoint. The Pinpoint that they’ve done for community consultations, so instead we’ve taken out the headings from that Pinpoint and then we’ve answered all the questions in that as well, so they can look at that and they can match it up to what was, yeah, what RenewSA is asking as well, and, uh, yeah, then they can submit it.
[00:34:33] We just
[00:34:33] Denise MacGregor: made it easy to navigate. It’s very difficult to actually find the website. Let alone to find the section where you have questions. To give feedback.
[00:34:42] The Danger Dolphins: Yes.
[00:34:42] Denise MacGregor: It’s not even drop down boxes. It’s a very complicated system. Yeah. Um, and for many of our people who are not older residents here who are not technolo technologically savvy, um, this is an easier way to support people in getting their applications and their submissions in.
[00:34:59] Steve Davis: Yeah. Well, let’s see what happens and when will we know if you’ve had any. Motocom of success.
[00:35:04] Charlotte Reimer: So the, so the plan is that the submissions finish, consultation finishes on the 10th of February. So this is our, this is our community’s biggest opportunity to have any sort of say, which hopefully they listen to us.
[00:35:17] And then from there, um, Around May, they should be releasing two sort of master plans, um, that then there’ll be like a little bit more consultation on, not as much. Uh, you can sort of vote for them or, um, that’s, that’s, that’s what they’ve told us. And then, uh, later this year, that’s when they’ll be bringing out a final master plan and there’ll only be minimal tweaks on that then.
[00:35:38] Yeah, once the master plan comes
[00:35:40] Denise MacGregor: out, even if the development doesn’t happen for the next four or five, six years, uh, once that Master Plan is signed off on, that’s what it will be, um, and could possibly be
[00:35:49] Charlotte Reimer: passed to, uh, private developers. Which we’re, we’re, yeah, sort of fighting for not that to be passed to private developers.
[00:35:55] Because then the thing is, what happens is that they, uh, they say, okay, we bought this land, you know, four or five years ago, we need to make more money now, costs have gone up, so now we need to increase. To double.
[00:36:06] Denise MacGregor: Yeah, that’s exactly
[00:36:07] Charlotte Reimer: what we’ve seen happen at Glenside. They, you know, it was 2000, I think, 17 or 16 maybe it was sold, and now it’s Up to
[00:36:15] Denise MacGregor: 20 storey.
[00:36:15] Yeah,
[00:36:16] Charlotte Reimer: yeah, because they’ve sort of come back sort of six, seven years later and said we need more money, like we want to make more, well we want to make more money, I don’t know if they need more money, but and then so we um, yeah. You know, now they’re trying to go for 20 stories, and we’ve got, we’ve got friends that we’ve become friends with from Glenside, and their, their hearts are breaking.
[00:36:32] Like, they bought into this development thinking it was six stories was going to be max, and now they’ve been told 20. Like, they’re, they’re older, they’re an older generation as well, so they, uh, it’s retirement living, so they have, like, they said parking is an absolute nightmare. They said if they have friends come visit, they have to park at the local food line, car park, and then walk over.
[00:36:51] To visit, yeah, it’s, it’s really, yeah, it’s been really sad for them, hasn’t it?
[00:36:57] Steve Davis: I bet Foodland’s loving that. Alright, well look, um, Denise McGregor and Charlotte Reimer, thank you for coming on The Adelaide Show to share your Magill Matters with people. There’ll be links to everything in the show notes, and let’s hope that foresighted common sense will win the day.
[00:37:16] Denise MacGregor: Vision. Vision for a better future.
[00:37:18] Charlotte Reimer: Yes. Thank you, Steve. Yeah, thank you so much, Steve.
[00:37:29] Brett Monten: And now it’s time for the Musical Pilgrimage.
[00:37:33] Steve Davis: In the Musical Pilgrimage, we’re featuring Blackfish Blues by the Danger Dolphins. Great song. In fact, the timing couldn’t be more poignant in stumbling across this track because we’ve been discussing the proposed rezoning of UniSA’s Magill campus. And I actually think this raw, blues driven track speaks to the confinement and the constraints that echo throughout our main discussion we just had when Zac sings Nothing Changes Every Day, Another Dolphin Out Of Sea, Just Glass Between You And Me.
[00:38:06] It’s hard not to think of both the threatened, creek dwelling creatures and the future residents who might find themselves in an area stripped of its natural cooling canopy and breathing spaces. I think this song is spot on for the moment. Not only that, the danger dolphins were born in a, in a Late Night Jam Session, or a number of them, between Zach and Nick, and they’ve crafted this song that, while it’s written in a different context, I think resonates with the environmental concerns around Third Creek’s ecosystem.
[00:38:35] Their sound also is influenced by Led Zeppelin and the Black Keys, and it brings a powerful urgency to themes of restriction and environmental impact that mirror our concerns about urban development’s effect on both wildlife habits and human well being. We’re part of the wildlife too. So it’s a few years old now, Blackfish Blues.
[00:38:55] Um, just so you know, they’ve got a recent released EP. It’s called Jam Factory Volume 2. It’s got that raw energy they’re trying to achieve. In fact, they say it’s a stripped back two day recording session that feels worlds away from their meticulously produced Volume 1. And you can experience them in the flesh, uh, in a sneaky little on stage treat, is what they’re calling it, at the High Fever Festival at Macclesfield’s, uh, Macclesfield’s Three Brothers Arms, Saturday, February the 8th, 2025, if you hear this in time.
[00:39:28] There’s also free camping available there, so you can let loose without watching the clock. But right now, let’s But listen to Blackfish Blues, and this is The Danger Dolphins. Like
[00:39:44] The Danger Dolphins: a blackfish in a tank, baby Swimming in circles round my world
[00:40:20] Keep me calm. I got them black fish blue.
[00:40:44] Like of Black fish, north End Giants every day.
[00:41:10] Another
[00:41:15] between you and me. Anzac Day, Neuhaus, Adelaide.
[00:42:21] This world is bad, bad, bad news. I got them, I got them black fish blues.
[00:43:28] Steve Davis: That’s the Blackfish Blues, the Danger Dolphins, and that’s it. There are links. I hope you’ve put the submission in, uh, to Renewal SA to have your say and to get attention to salvage this beautiful patch of green we have. There’s a lot of pressure on patches of green throughout our urban landscape. We need them.
[00:43:49] And the brainy people about us know that we need them. It’s not just hippies wanting to hug trees. It’s for our own sanity and survival. Especially when we lift our heads out of the little black screens that we have enslaved ourselves to. Let’s hope some noise is made and some true attention is paid to this.
[00:44:10] Back again later. Until then, it’s goodnight from me, Steve Davis. Goodnight, Don.
[00:44:17] AJ Davis: The Adelaide Show podcast is produced by my dad, Steve Davis. If you want to start a podcast or get some help producing creative content, talk to him. Visit stevedavis. com. au Thanks AJ. I’m Caitlin Davis and I agree with everything my sister said.
[00:44:37] But there’s one more thing to say. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, Please leave a rating or a review ’cause that will make my dad really happy. Oh, and one more thing. If you really, really liked it, please help a friend put the Adelaide Show on their phone. Thanks for listening.
[00:45:02] Buzz Buzz. I wanna be.
[00:45:15] Caitlin Davis: Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, who?