# Little Para River

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River in South Australia, Australia

Little Para Little Para River, Carisbrooke Reserve, Salisbury Park Location of the river mouth in South Australia Etymology Kaurna language: Pari, meaning "a stream of flowing water" Location Country Australia State South Australia Region Adelaide Plains Physical characteristics Source Mount Lofty Range • location near Lower Hermitage • elevation 284 m (932 ft) Mouth Gulf St Vincent • location Globe Derby Park • coordinates 34°46′S 138°36′E / 34.767°S 138.600°E / -34.767; 138.600 • elevation 0 m (0 ft) Length 29 km (18 mi) Discharge • average 36 m3/s (1,300 cu ft/s) • minimum 0 m3/s (0 cu ft/s) • maximum 204 m3/s (7,200 cu ft/s) Basin features Reservoir Little Para Reservoir [1]

The **Little Para River** is a seasonal [creek](/source/Stream) running across the [Adelaide Plains](/source/Adelaide_Plains) in the Australian state of [South Australia](/source/South_Australia), whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide)’s northern suburbs.

## Course and features

It runs from its source near [Lower Hermitage](/source/Lower_Hermitage%2C_South_Australia) in the [Mount Lofty Ranges](/source/Mount_Lofty_Ranges), flows north westerly to the [Little Para Reservoir](/source/Little_Para_Reservoir) and then westerly to the [Barker Inlet](/source/Barker_Inlet) via Swan Creek and into [Gulf St Vincent](/source/Gulf_St_Vincent) at [Globe Derby Park](/source/Globe_Derby_Park%2C_South_Australia) . The lower portion of the river is badly affected by human activity and [stormwater](/source/Stormwater) runoff but the upper reaches have a good range of [biodiversity](/source/Biodiversity).[2] The river descends 279 metres (915 ft) over its 29-kilometre (18 mi) [course](/source/Watercourse).[1]

[Gawler Line](/source/Gawler_railway_line) [rail bridge](/source/Bridge#By_use) over the Little Para River in [Salisbury](/source/Salisbury%2C_South_Australia)

As the river flows down from the [Adelaide Hills](/source/Adelaide_Hills) over the Para [fault](/source/Geologic_fault) [escarpment](/source/Escarpment), it has formed a large [alluvial fan](/source/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 [levees](/source/Levee) added to reduce this flooding.[3]: 241 In the 19th century lack of consistent flow in the river and the absence of an organised [water supply](/source/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 61 metres (200 ft) deep. The [Little Para Reservoir](/source/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](/source/River_Murray). Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of [ground water](/source/Ground_water).[3]: 248–249

## Etymology

The river’s name is based directly on the [Kaurna](/source/Kaurna_language) word *pari* which means river.[4] The "little" descriptor is to distinguish it from the [North Para](/source/North_Para_River) and [South Para](/source/South_Para_River) rivers which converge into the [Gawler River](/source/Gawler_River_(South_Australia)) approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) to the north.

## History

In 1838 [John Barton Hack](/source/John_Barton_Hack) shared with Colonel [George Gawler](/source/George_Gawler) and Thomas Williams[5] in a 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) [Special Survey](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special_Survey&action=edit&redlink=1) nearby at £1 per acre. Hack established a dairy there and transported butter south to the city.[6]

The river attracted John Harvey to form his settlement at [Salisbury](/source/Salisbury%2C_South_Australia) in 1847 and was crucial to the development of the [citrus](/source/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](/source/City_of_Salisbury) began acquiring land for public space, and a belt of [parklands](/source/Park) with biking and walking trails now borders the river.[7]

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](/source/Freshwater_shrimp) and the occasional [rakali](/source/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.[8]

## See also

- [South Australia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:South_Australia)

- [List of rivers of Australia § South Australia](/source/List_of_rivers_of_Australia#South_Australia)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bonzle_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bonzle_1-1) ["Map of Little Para River, SA"](http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=198874&cmd=sp). *Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia*. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Goonan, Peter; Madden, Chris; McEvoy, Paul; Taylor, Daria (2003). [*River Health in the Mount Lofty Ranges*](https://web.archive.org/web/20060902072913/http://deh.gov.au/water/rivers/nrhp/health/mt-lofty-ranges.html). Department of Environment and Heritage, [Government of South Australia](/source/Government_of_South_Australia). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-642-54981-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-642-54981-8). Archived from [the original](http://www.deh.gov.au/water/rivers/nrhp/health/mt-lofty-ranges.html) on 2 September 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2006.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lewis_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lewis_3-1) Lewis, H. John (1980). *Salisbury South Australia, a history of town and district*. Hawthorndene, South Australia: Investigator Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85864-049-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85864-049-X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Manning, George (1990), ["Place Names of South Australia: Para"](http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/p/p1.htm#para), *Manning Index of South Australian History*, State Library of South Australia, retrieved 31 May 2017

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Early Settlement of South Australia —No. 5"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43818165). *[South Australian Register](/source/South_Australian_Register)*. Vol. XLIX, no. 11, 775. South Australia. 9 August 1884. p. 1 (Supplement to the South Australian Register.). Retrieved 3 September 2025 – via National Library of Australia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [*A Chequered Career - Reminiscences of a Pioneer II*](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43662328). 23 April 1884. p. 6. Retrieved 6 September 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Little Para Trails"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060825040248/http://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=10450&stypen=html). City of Salisbury, South Australia. Archived from [the original](http://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=10450&stypen=html) on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Tom Maddock (21 November 2015). ["Little Para River, City of Salisbury"](https://www.salisbury.sa.gov.au/activities/community-facilities-and-parks/parks-and-facilities/little-para-river).

## Further reading

- Boucaut, W. R. P.; Beal, J.C. (1984). *Engineering geology of Little Para Dam*. [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide): Dept. of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey of South Australia. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7243-6477-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7243-6477-3).

v t e Rivers of South Australia Rivers that flow towards the coast Acraman Broughton Crystal Hill Hutt Rocky Bungala Christies Dry Field Panalatinga Gawler North Para Jacobs South Para Glenelg Hindmarsh Inman Light Gilbert Little Para Myponga Onkaparinga Patawalonga Glen Osmond/Keswick Brown Hill Sturt Pirie–Torrens corridor Port Tod Torrens Wakefield Eyre Rivers of the Murray–Darling basin Angas Bremer Burra Currency Finniss Marne Murray Rivers of the Lake Eyre basin Alberga Cooper Diamantina Finke Frome Neales Strzelecki Warburton Eyre Kallakoopah Officer Macumba Rivers of Kangaroo Island Cygnet De Mole Eleanor Harriet Middle Rocky Stun Sail Boom Willson Rivers flowing into Lake Torrens Willochra Creek Calabrinda Creek Kanyaka Creek Wirreanda Creek

Authority control databases International VIAF WorldCat National United States Israel

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Little Para River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Para_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Para_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.