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Colonel Light Gardens ( 34°59′01″S, 138°35′41″E) is a model garden suburb, featuring wide, tree-lined streets, rounded street corners, and lots of open space, located within the City of Mitcham in the greater City of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. The area is 1.58 km².

It contains Colonel Light Gardens Primary School, the Colonel Light Gardens RSL, a number of sporting clubs using the name Reade Park, and a multitude of historical parks and gardens. It also contains many paved and unpaved laneways, alleyways and bike tracks, most of which do not appear on maps.

Contents 1 Unusual facts 2 Naming 3 History 4 Transport 5 Politics 6 See also 7 External links

Many Adelaide residents are confused by the unusual layout of Colonel Light Gardens, and its maze of laneways and cul-de-sacs. Part of the suburb is said to significantly resemble a rising sun (the symbol of the Australian military) or a Union Flag when viewed from the air. However it was not designed this way. The Colonel Light Gardens Historical Society website suburb myths section explains in more detail.

Until the 1970s the suburb was administered under the Garden Suburb Act and controlled by a South Australian government appointed Garden Suburb Commissioner, who carried out the functions of local government until it was eventually absorbed by the Mitcham Council.

Named after the surveyor of Adelaide, Colonel William Light.

For many years residents in the northern section of the suburb adopted Reade Park as their address to distinguish themselves from the Thousand Homes Scheme area.

An area of 1.2 km² was purchased in June 1915 by the Vaughan Labor government from the estate of William Tennant Mortlock. It was formerly known as Grange Farm. During World War I it was the site of the Mitcham army camp.

The Government decided to establish it as a 'model garden suburb' following New Zealand town planner Charles Reade's 1914 Australian Town Planning Tour.

Placed on the Register of The National Estate in October 1999. In 2000, the suburb was declared a State Heritage Area. For the heritage significance of Colonel Light Gardens see the State Heritage Branch web page on Colonel Light Gardens.

Served by the Adelaide Metro buses 210, 214, 216, 217, 218, which travel along Goodwood Road, and 203, which travels along East Parkway.

Local government: City of Mitcham, Gault Ward

State government: Electoral district of Waite in the SA House of Assembly

Federal government: Seat of Boothby in the SA House of Representatives

• List of Adelaide suburbs

• Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia is at coordinates 34°58′55″S 138°35′31″E / -34.982, 138.592Coordinates: 34°58′55″S 138°35′31″E / -34.982, 138.592
• Entry in Australian Heritage database
• Mitcham Council's information page
• Colonel Light Gardens Historical Society
• Register of the National Estate
• South Australian State Heritage Area-Colonel Light Gardens

v • d • e Suburbs of the City of Mitcham

Bedford Park  · Belair  · Bellevue Heights  · Blackwood  · Brown Hill Creek  · Clapham  · Clarence Gardens  · Colonel Light Gardens  · Coromandel Valley  · Crafers West  · Craigburn Farm  · Cumberland Park  · Daw Park  · Eden Hills  · Glenalta  · Hawthorn  · Hawthorndene  · Kingswood  · Leawood Gardens  · Lower Mitcham  · Lynton  · Melrose Park  · Mitcham  · Netherby  · Panorama  · Pasadena  · Springfield  · St. Marys  · Torrens Park  · Upper Sturt  · Urrbrae  · Westbourne Park