{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}} {{Infobox river | name = Little Para | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = [[Kaurna language]]: ''Pari'', meaning "a stream of flowing water" <!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP --> | image = Little Para River.JPG | image_size = | image_caption = Little Para River, Carisbrooke Reserve, [[Salisbury Park, South Australia|Salisbury Park]] | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Australia South Australia | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption= Location of the [[mouth (river)|river mouth]] in [[South Australia]] <!---------------------- LOCATION --> | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = [[Australia]] | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = [[South Australia]] | subdivision_type3 = Region | subdivision_name3 = [[Adelaide Plains]] | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = <!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS --> | length = {{convert|29|km|mi|abbr=on}} | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= | discharge1_min ={{convert|0|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} | discharge1_avg = {{convert|36|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} | discharge1_max = {{convert|204|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} | source1 = [[Mount Lofty Range]] | source1_location = near {{SAcity|Lower Hermitage}} | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = {{convert|284|m|abbr=on}} | mouth = [[Gulf St Vincent]] | mouth_location = {{SAcity|Globe Derby Park}} | mouth_coordinates = {{coord|34|46|S|138|36|E|display=title,inline|region:AU-SA_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki}} | mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}} | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = [[Reservoir]] | custom_data = [[Little Para Reservoir]] | extra = <ref name=bonzle>{{cite web |url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=198874&cmd=sp |title=Map of Little Para River, SA |work=Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia |access-date=25 March 2017 }}</ref> }} The '''Little Para River''' is a seasonal [[stream|creek]] running across the [[Adelaide Plains]] in the Australian state of [[South Australia]], whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of [[Adelaide]]’s northern suburbs.
==Course and features== It runs from its source near [[Lower Hermitage, South Australia|Lower Hermitage]] in the [[Mount Lofty Ranges]], flows north westerly to the [[Little Para Reservoir]] and then westerly to the [[Barker Inlet]] via Swan Creek and into [[Gulf St Vincent]] at [[Globe Derby Park, South Australia|Globe Derby Park]] . The lower portion of the river is badly affected by human activity and [[stormwater]] runoff but the upper reaches have a good range of [[biodiversity]].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.deh.gov.au/water/rivers/nrhp/health/mt-lofty-ranges.html |title=River Health in the Mount Lofty Ranges |access-date=2006-09-03 |publisher=Department of Environment and Heritage, [[Government of South Australia]] |isbn=0-642-54981-8 |year=2003 |last=Goonan |first=Peter |author2=Madden, Chris |author3=McEvoy, Paul |author4=Taylor, Daria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902072913/http://deh.gov.au/water/rivers/nrhp/health/mt-lofty-ranges.html |archive-date=2 September 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The river descends {{convert|279|m}} over its {{convert|29|km|adj=on}} [[watercourse|course]].<ref name=bonzle/> [[File:Bridge over little para.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gawler railway line|Gawler Line]] [[Bridge#By use|rail bridge]] over the Little Para River in [[Salisbury, South Australia|Salisbury]]]] As the river flows down from the [[Adelaide Hills]] over the Para [[geologic fault|fault]] [[escarpment]], it has formed a large [[alluvial fan]] on which Salisbury is built. The river is narrow and winding, formerly flooded in heavy rain and rarely reaches its sea outlet. Over time the river has been widened and [[levee]]s added to reduce this flooding.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite book |title=Salisbury South Australia, a history of town and district |last=Lewis |first=H. John |publisher=Investigator Press |location=Hawthorndene, South Australia |year=1980 |isbn=0-85864-049-X }}</ref>{{rp|241}} In the 19th century lack of consistent flow in the river and the absence of an organised [[water supply]] system led to the digging of wells. The Little Para refreshes the well's water, mostly held in clay, sand and gravel layers up to {{convert|200|ft|m|0|order=flip}} deep. The [[Little Para Reservoir]] is built in the path of the river for water storage and flood mitigation. As the river's catchment is insufficient to fill the reservoir, it is mainly used to store water pumped from the [[River Murray]]. Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of [[ground water]].<ref name=Lewis/>{{rp|248–249}}
==Etymology== The river’s name is based directly on the [[Kaurna language|Kaurna]] word ''pari'' which means river.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/p/p1.htm#para |title=Place Names of South Australia: Para |work=Manning Index of South Australian History |publisher=State Library of South Australia |first=George |last=Manning |date=1990 |access-date=31 May 2017}}</ref> The "little" descriptor is to distinguish it from the [[North Para River|North Para]] and [[South Para River|South Para]] rivers which converge into the [[Gawler River (South Australia)|Gawler River]] approximately {{convert|16|km|abbr=on}} to the north.
==History== In 1838 [[John Barton Hack]] shared with Colonel [[George Gawler]] and Thomas Williams<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43818165 |title=Early Settlement of South Australia —No. 5 |newspaper=[[South Australian Register]] |volume=XLIX |issue=11,775 |location=South Australia |date=9 August 1884 |accessdate=3 September 2025 |page=1 (Supplement to the South Australian Register.) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> in a {{convert|4000|acre|ha|adj=on}} [[Special Survey]] nearby at £1 per acre. Hack established a dairy there and transported butter south to the city.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43662328 |title=A Chequered Career - Reminiscences of a Pioneer II |date=23 April 1884 |page=6 |access-date=6 September 2011 }}</ref>
The river attracted John Harvey to form his settlement at [[Salisbury, South Australia|Salisbury]] in 1847 and was crucial to the development of the [[citrus]] industry from 1852. Orange groves and lemon and almond trees were spread along the banks; several of the growers' residences are still in existence. In the 1960s the [[City of Salisbury]] began acquiring land for public space, and a belt of [[park]]lands with biking and walking trails now borders the river.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=10450&stypen=html |title=Little Para Trails |publisher=City of Salisbury, South Australia |access-date=3 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825040248/http://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=10450&stypen=html |archive-date=25 August 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In recent decades, efforts by local councils and volunteer groups have focused on stabilising the riverbanks and re-establishing native vegetation, especially along stretches previously colonised by willows and pepper trees. These rehabilitation works have created a mosaic of habitats, where river red gums shelter [[freshwater shrimp]] and the occasional [[rakali]], and where boardwalks allow visitors to wander through wetlands less than a generation old. Although the Little Para remains a modest and often overlooked watercourse, its restored corridors now serve as ecological stepping stones across an increasingly urbanised landscape, linking the foothills to the tidal flats of the gulf.<ref>{{cite web|title=Little Para River, City of Salisbury|url=https://www.salisbury.sa.gov.au/activities/community-facilities-and-parks/parks-and-facilities/little-para-river|author=Tom Maddock|date=21 Nov 2015}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|South Australia}} *{{Section link|List of rivers of Australia|South Australia}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * {{cite book|title=Engineering geology of Little Para Dam|author1=Boucaut, W. R. P.|author2=Beal, J.C. |publisher=Dept. of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey of South Australia|location=[[Adelaide]]|year=1984|isbn=0-7243-6477-3}}
{{Rivers of South Australia|state=autocollapse}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Rivers of Adelaide|Little Para]] [[Category:Adelaide Plains]]