Council History
Located just five minutes drive from Adelaide's Central Business District, Norwood Payneham & St Peters enjoys a reputation as one of Adelaide's most desirable places to live, work and visit.
The City's urban form, between the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Adelaide Plains, contributes greatly to a unique sense of place and identity. Located on the Adelaide Plains; originally home to the Kaurna People who have lived in the area for more than 40,000 years, our City has a rich cultural heritage.
Spanning twenty-one suburbs, the City incorporates 15.1 square kilometres of land and is home to more than 34,000 South Australians with approximately 6,000 businesses. Among our natural assets are four meandering creeks, which have played a significant role in shaping our City's destiny.
Our City has a rich and distinctive history which draws on the histories of three uniquely South Australian communities.
The first of these is Kensington and Norwood - the first township (outside of the City of Adelaide) to be granted municipal govenrment in Australia. The second is the prestigious residential town of St Peters with its distinctive villas and cottages amid tree-lined streets. The third is the beautiful meandering River Torrens Valley to the north known as the Garden City of Payneham. The amalgamation of the three council areas in 1997, has unified a rich multi-cultural community.
Successive waves of migrants have exerted significant influence over the development of the City. This has imbued Norwood Payneham & St Peters with an identity and character distinct from anywhere else in South Australia.
As the oldest South Australian local government municipality, history has given us beautiful residential, public and commercial buildings that contribute to the heritage character of the City.
Notable individuals who have all lived in the melting pot of our diverse and tolerant City include campaigner for women's rights, Catherine Helen Spence; former Premier, Don Dunstan; educator, the Blessed Mary MacKillop; poet, 'The Sentimental Bloke' C. J. Dennis; and writer, May Gibbs.
For more information about our City, visit the Cultural Heritage section of this website and the Community Profile information.
