Burnside is a small suburb that is part of the City of Burnside in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. It is primarily a residential suburb, and was one of the first suburbs of Adelaide. It was named Burnside, an amalgamation of the Scottish word for creek, "burn" and "side" because of the original property's location on the side of Second Creek. Burnside is 5 km east of the Adelaide city centre.
Burnside was established and named by Peter Anderson and his family who immigrated from Scotland in 1839. Anderson started a large farm on leased land near Second Creek. The farm had a large number of animals including pigs, poultry and cattle as well as barley and wheat crops. By the 1870s the area had developed into a small village. Burnside Post Office had opened on 21 July 1863.
There are a number of parks but most noticeably bordering several that are shared with other suburbs. The Burnside Swimming Centre is located in nearby Hazelwood Park. Langman Reserve is part of both Burnside and Waterfall Gully and the large Newland Park has several ovals. The Feathers Hotel, a Georgian style pub, is located within the suburb.
Burnside is home to Burnside Primary School, a State government school. A number of churches in various denominations including Baptist, Lutheran and Anglican also call the suburb home.
Burnside is a fairly upper-middle class suburb. Owing to being one of Adelaide's first suburbs, there are many grand historic homes located within the area. A significant number of its residents own houses that are situated on the hills which offer impressive views of the city.
Notable residents
- George Aiston (1879-1943), policeman and ethnographer
- Dorrit Black (1891-1951), artist
- Jimmy Melrose (1913-1936), aviator
- Christopher Pyne, federal MP and Liberal frontbencher, a former student of Burnside Primary
- Sydney Talbot Smith (1861-1948), solicitor, freelance journalist and civic worker