The original inhabitants of Marion, the Kaurna people, were supported by the Sturt River and surrounding bushland which provided food and shelter.

European settlers also found the banks of this river inviting and in 1838, just two years after the colony was founded, Colonel William Light laid out the Village of Marion.
The rich soil in the area produced vegetables, almonds, stonefruits and grapes. The first grapevines were planted in the winter of 1838 on the banks of the river by Richard Hamilton, forebear of the Hamilton family who were to become major wine producers in the district.

A primarily rural community, Marion nevertheless had a sprinkling of local industries including mining and brickmaking. The manufacture of cement at the Brighton Cement Works in Seacliff Park in 1882 was the beginning of a major Australian industry.
However progress was slow, the population at the turn of the century still being less than 350 people.
Development continued slowly over the next few decades. Road and rail links gradually improved, easing transportation difficulties between the plains of the north and the hills areas of the south. The First World War had little impact on this small farming community. Glenthorne, a former horse stud farm at O’Halloran Hill, did its duty for King and Country training horses for the Australian Army.

After the war, new suburbs such as Clovelly Park were opened and the bitumenising of roads began. Local industries now included Pengelley’s huge furniture factory, Furness Ltd (piano, caravan and door manufacturers) and Wunderlich’s, makers of terracotta roof tiles. The market gardens flourished, earning Marion the title of ‘the Garden of Adelaide’ with almond blossom tours being a highlight of winter.

Grape production also increased until as well as producing a wide variety of wines, Marion at one stage was supplying 85-90% of Adelaide’s table grapes. However, the Depression of the late 20s and early 30s caused much hardship in the small community of less than 6,000.

Whilst the Second World War had few immediate effects other than causing labour and materials shortages, the period after the war was to change the face of Marion forever. With the post war population boom, Australian cities expanded, increasing the demand for both housing and consumer goods.

In the early to mid 1950s the South Australian Housing Trust began buying up large tracts of land for industrial development and the provision of low-cost rental housing. Large companies such as Hills began to establish in Marion while existing companies expanded.

By 1954, the population had risen to over 31,000 from less that 11,000 only seven years before. The following year Chrysler purchased 71 hectares of land in Clovelly Park and established a car assembly plant, one of the largest such operations under one roof in the southern hemisphere.

Government land tax on large holdings and increased Council rates forced many horticulturists from their properties. The period from 1949 to 1960 saw the sale of the orchards in the Marion area, to the extent that by the 1960s only two large vineyards remained. In 1970 the fifty year old Marion branch of the South Australian Fruitgrowers’ and Market Gardens’ Association was disbanded. An era had passed.

With industrialization in the northern park of Marion and the growth in housing in the southern suburbs of Hallett Cove, Trott Park and Sheidow Park in the 60s and 70s, the modern Marion emerged. The opening of Marion Shopping Centre in 1968 firmly established Marion as a major retail force in southern Adelaide, a position it has enhanced with the recent expansion of Westfield Marion.

Marion has an exciting future in the new millenium. In November 2001 the innovative Marion Cultural Centre was opened in The Domain, an area immediately to the north of Westfield Marion. The Cultural Centre contains a modern library, multi-purpose theatrette, art gallery, meeting rooms, licensed cafe and an extensive plaza. Also in 2001 the State Government committed to an international -standard State Swimming Centre on the remainder of the Domain land.

Today Marion is a City offering a vibrant mix of industry, commerce and green open space with a relaxed, comfortable lifestyle.

Sources for further research:
The History of Marion on the Sturt, by Alison Dolling, 1981
MARION 1945 - 2000: A Suburban City, by R.J.R. Donley, 2001

Both are available for purchase from the City of Marion's Administration Centre, 245 Sturt Road, Sturt or can be borrowed from any of the Council's three libraries or Mobile Library Service.

The History of Marion on the Sturt is available in hardcover for $11.00. MARION 1945 - 2000: A Suburban City is available in hardcover for $39.95 and softcover for $24.95.

All prices are GST inclusive.