Aboriginal History

The Park lies within the boundaries of Kuarna lands. No sites of Aboriginal occupation have been found in the Park, although it is thought to have been occupied prior to European settlement. Many Aboriginal foodplants found in the Park provided settlers with food e.g. Native cranberry (Astroloma humifusum)..

Settlement did not occur within Tea Tree Gully until early 1839, which was nearly two years after the colony of South Australia was proclaimed. Despite much research being attempted, very little is documented about Aboriginal activity within the Anstey Hill site or the whole district of Tea Tree Gully for that matter. It is correct to assume however, that a considerable indigenous population moved freely throughout the entire area up until European invasion. The Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains often camped in the area during the seasonal migration, and later on, Aboriginal groups would pass through on their way into the city, often from the upper and lower Murray region.

Little is known of the environmental impact these groups had on the land, apart from speculated firing of the scrub and also the finding of stone tools and artefacts, in particular a kidney- shaped scraper made of slate used in the curing of possum skins.