Outcry Grows as Sacred Adelaide Park Lands Cleared for Controversial Golf Redevelopment

The South Australian government is facing mounting anger after trees were cleared in Adelaide’s park lands to make way for a major golf course redevelopment a project Premier Peter Malinauskas announced last year with the promise of hosting future LIV Golf tournaments.

The plan has remained politically sensitive, especially after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing for LIV, raising doubts about the league’s future. Still, the SA government has repeatedly defended the redevelopment, insisting that environmental impacts are being minimised and that the upgraded course will also host future men’s and women’s Australian Open events.

But for many Indigenous community members and environmental advocates, the assurances ring hollow.

Kaurna woman Janette Milera, who joined protesters at the site, said she was “absolutely disgusted” by what had unfolded in the park lands. Ngarrindjeri and Narungga woman Caitlyn Walker described the clearing as an “injustice,” saying the area held deep cultural significance.

“This was a sacred place for mob, that has been taken away from them,” she said. “For me, I’ve grown up here, and you can feel the culture. It’s hard to explain to people who aren’t Indigenous… that land holds thousands of years of culture.”

Walker also questioned the project’s priorities. “The Labor government has failed us… we got fellas on the street, there’s housing issues,” she said. “They are thinking of people who have money. I don’t know anyone who plays golf.”

Environmental concerns were equally strong. Protester Astrid Myers, holding a sign reading “possum tragic,” said the removal of trees left her feeling “awful.”

“Raising a daughter in this world, it’s hard to have any kind of hope if this is the way government treats wildlife,” she said.

As pressure builds, the government continues to argue the redevelopment will bring economic and sporting benefits. But for many South Australians, the loss of culturally significant land and wildlife habitat has overshadowed any promised gains.