Located at the foot of the Adelaide Hills, it is bordered on the east by the South Eastern Freeway, and the Old Toll House, which marked the traditional entrance to the city of Adelaide in the 19th century.
History
In the early 1850s, Robert Forsyth Macgeorge bought land in the area and built a house, naming the estate Urrbrae after the village Haugh of Urr in Scotland; the word brae refers to a hillside, especially near a river or creek.[6][7] One notable son was the architect James Macgeorge (1832–1918).
Demographics
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2020)
The 2016 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 966 persons in Urrbrae on census night. Of these, 47.3% were male and 52.7% were female.[4]
The majority of residents (68.5%) were of Australian birth, with other common census responses being China (5.3%) and England (5.2%).[4]
The age distribution of Urrbrae residents was comparable to that of the greater Australian population. 71.1% of residents were over 25 years in 2016, compared to the Australian average of 68.5%; and 28.9% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 31.5%.[4]
Attractions
Urrbrae House Historic Precinct
Urrbrae House is a two-storey, bluestone mansion located on Walter Young Avenue, on the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide.[6] Not the suburb's namesake, the current house was actually completed in 1891 by the philanthropist Peter Waite, replacing the original single-storey home of Robert MacGeorge, which was for many years rented by Edward Stirling Snr.[8] It was probably Waite, a Scot like MacGeorge, who opted to carry on the name Urrbrae.[7]
For many years, Urrbrae House was the family home of Waite, his wife Matilda and their family. After Peter and Matilda's death, the house was bequeathed to the University of Adelaide, being handed over in February 1923 by the couple's two daughters.[6]
Urrbrae House was the first home in Adelaide to be electrified.[9][7]
The house and its surrounds now constitute the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct within the university campus.[10]
St Paul's Retreat Monastery
On Cross Road, in the suburb's north, lies the Roman Catholicmonastery of St Paul's Retreat. Formerly an oriental-style mansion named The Glen, the house was occupied for several years by a retired Indian judge. Later, the house passed to the Boothby family before being sold in 1896 to the Passionist Catholic order.[9]
As well as the monastery, St Paul's Retreat includes a convent and other facilities lying outside the suburb.
Waite Research Precinct
As well as the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus, the precinct contains:
^ abc"Urrbrae House". University of Adelaide official website. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
^ abc"Place Names of South Australia". The Manning Index of South Australian History. State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
^"Stately Homes". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 June 1928. p. 13. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^ ab"Urrbrae". City of Mitcham official website. City of Mitcham. Retrieved 14 April 2011. The page also contains information about:
Urrbrae House
Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, which includes Urrbrae House, the Coach House and Stables, Waite Arboretum and the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide
Birksgate, built 1851, demolished in 1971 to establish Miramonte
The Glen, built in the 1840s, sold to the Passionist Catholic order in 1896, is now the monastery of St Paul's Retreat
Hartly Bank, which became Claremont in the mid-1860s
^ abcd"The Waite Campus". University of Adelaide official website. University of Adelaide. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011. The page also contains links to:
Urrbrae House Historic Precinct
Waite Research Institute
Waite Arboretum
Waite Conservation Reserve
as well as information about the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics.