[COM] Victoria Square Upgrade - $24m

[Matt]

Good stuff... that's exactly the sort of thing we need around the square if it's to become a people hub.

[AtD]

Is the RBA building still empty?

[Will]

Is the RBA building still empty?

The refurbishment is complete, and I think some office space has been leased. However I am just basing that on observing that the lights are left on some floors after hours. Presumably to clean them.

[Omicron]

The transformation of Victoria Square should also involve the areas around it, particularly the building's fronting the square.

As such I am pleased to find, that an application has been lodged with the ACC to convert the ground floor of the Reserve Bank Building into a restaurant/bar.

I like the sound of that. Bring back the '60s and fit it out like the original configuration of the QE2 or the SS France!





That, or recreate the delightful SS Normandie:

[rhino]

they associated enough with the area to bother to give the places names.

A good post George, however some of the names being given to public parks around Adelaide have very little to do with heritage at all - Tarndanyangga being one. The Kaurna people would have been far more likely to have congregated along the banks of the Torrens, that being where the water source is/was. Colonel Light designed Adelaide and set North Terrace a certain distance from the river. The rest of the grid was surveyed south from that baseline, I believe. Therefore, Victoria Square is in it's current location by pure coincidence. I don't believe for one minute that it was a named traditional meeting place before that time.

Having said that, I would rather see more dual-naming for places of more natural significance, such as Yurebilla / Mt Lofty; Weetunga / West Lakes; there were probably Kaurna names for the Port River and Torrens Island too, and the Torrens River itself. Giving Aboriginal names to surveyed parks seems of little value to me.

A bit of trivia: The Piccadilly Valley behind Mount Lofty is actually an Aboriginal name. The Peramangk people of the hills called the area Piccodlah, and this was anglicised to become Piccadilly.

[Prince George]

... however some of the names being given to public parks around Adelaide have very little to do with heritage at all - Tarndanyangga being one. The Kaurna people would have been far more likely to have congregated along the banks of the Torrens, that being where the water source is/was. Colonel Light designed Adelaide and set North Terrace a certain distance from the river. The rest of the grid was surveyed south from that baseline, I believe. Therefore, Victoria Square is in it's current location by pure coincidence. I don't believe for one minute that it was a named traditional meeting place before that time.

That is likely true, but Tardanyangga has better credentials than most. The name literally means "Red kangaroo rock" that was a specific outcrop somewhere in or around Elder park, but was also used to refer to the whole of the area around there (ie most of the CBD). So since we're not going to rename the city, this seems like a reasonable alternative. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarndanyangga

[rogue]

A bit of trivia: The Piccadilly Valley behind Mount Lofty is actually an Aboriginal name. The Peramangk people of the hills called the area Piccodlah, and this was anglicised to become Piccadilly.

That may be true, but I would think that Piccadilly in this case would have been an English name. As in Piccadilly Circus.

[SRW]

Posts missing?

[rhino]

A bit of trivia: The Piccadilly Valley behind Mount Lofty is actually an Aboriginal name. The Peramangk people of the hills called the area Piccodlah, and this was anglicised to become Piccadilly.

That may be true, but I would think that Piccadilly in this case would have been an English name. As in Piccadilly Circus.

Yes, that's what anglicising is - taking a traditional name and making it sound like an English name.

[Shuz]

A bit of trivia: The Piccadilly Valley behind Mount Lofty is actually an Aboriginal name. The Peramangk people of the hills called the area Piccodlah, and this was anglicised to become Piccadilly.

That may be true, but I would think that Piccadilly in this case would have been an English name. As in Piccadilly Circus.

Yes, that's what anglicising is - taking a traditional name and making it sound like an English name.

So Tarndanyagga may as well become... Trafalgar?

[rhino]

Trafalgar Square - yes, that's got a certain ring to it, hasn't it? Let's make a petition!

[rogue]

A bit of trivia: The Piccadilly Valley behind Mount Lofty is actually an Aboriginal name. The Peramangk people of the hills called the area Piccodlah, and this was anglicised to become Piccadilly.

That may be true, but I would think that Piccadilly in this case would have been an English name. As in Piccadilly Circus.

Yes, that's what anglicising is - taking a traditional name and making it sound like an English name.

The point being that Piccadilly in an English sense was around long before white man had an understanding of Aboriginal culture.

[rhino]

White guy says to black guy "Where are we?"
Black guy says "Piccodlah"
White guy says "Oh, Piccadilly? OK" and writes it in his journal

[skyliner]

Been away for some time and now catching up. Just returning to the ferris wheel - love the idea if it is surrounded with other public attractions (not a circus or cheap show) but resturants etc. NOTE - the Brisbane one on Southbank (directly across the river by footbridge from the central CBD), failed economically. VERY few use it, despite Southbank 'beaches', restuarants, coffee shops etc nearby. Too expensive to use also. Interesting....

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[harryjotter]

There are several flags flying in Grote st just off Victoria Sq. Does anyone know what the blue/green one is? Its got a sort of horseshoe design on it with a star inside.