Light's Vision
Encyclopedia
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Colonel William Light
William Light
Colonel William Light was a British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia...
designed a layout and development programme for the city. This plan is now known as "Light's Vision". Notable aspects of Light's plan are that the city centre is laid out in a grid-like pattern, with squares in the centre of the city and in the centres of the four quarters of the city, and the city is surrounded by Parklands
Adelaide Park Lands
The Adelaide Park Lands are the parks that surround the centre of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. They measure approximately 7.6 square kilometres in a green belt encircling the city centre....
.
Legend has it that William Light stood on Montefiore Hill
Montefiore Hill
Montefiore Hill is a small hill in North Adelaide, South Australia, named after Jacob Montefiore, a Jewish Colonising Commissioner who was a cousin of the British philanthropist, Moses Montefiore. It offers a vantage point over Adelaide Oval, Memorial Drive Tennis Courts, the northern sections of...
(in North Adelaide) in 1837, pointed at what would one day become the Adelaide city centre
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
, and began planning the city. This moment is commemorated by a statue by Glaswegian sculptor Birnie Rhind on Montefiore Hill (moved from its original Victoria Square
Victoria Square, Adelaide
Victoria Square is a public square in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The square is in the centre of the city's grid of one square mile, and was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after Princess Victoria, heir presumptive of the British throne. Less than a month later the...
position in 1938), pointing at the City of Adelaide
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, , North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.Established in 1840, the organisation now...
below. With the passage of time, both the commemorative statue and the piece of land on which it stands have also come to be referred to as "Light's Vision", rather than its official full name "Light's Vision commemoration".
Light's decision on Adelaide's location was initially unpopular among the settlers, including with South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's first governor, John Hindmarsh
John Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH RN was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.-Early life:...
, but Light persisted and eventually managed to convince Hindmarsh.
Behind this statue (north and north-east) is Aquinas College, which is affiliated with the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. To the north-west is Carclew. In front of the statue are parklands which include the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
and Memorial Drive
Memorial Drive Park
Memorial Drive Park, more generally referred to as "Memorial Drive", is a tennis venue, located adjacent to the Adelaide Oval, in the park lands surrounding the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
, and, of course, a view over the Adelaide city centre
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
which is the realisation of "Light's Vision".