Patricia Sumerling’s study begins by describing its subject as ‘unique in Australia with no known counterparts elsewhere in the world’. Unfortunately, visitors often fail to recognise this distinguishing green belt of parks, gardens, and sportsgrounds, which surrounds the city and North Adelaide. Local residents frequently take the Park Lands for granted.

Sumerling’s history is told in two parts: ‘Off to the Park’ and ‘Making and Shaping the Park Lands’. The first covers the story of its use and abuse, and the second its management by the Adelaide City Council. The uses have varied from small private pleasures to huge public events such as Grand Prix motor racing and Womadelaide. Walks through the Botanic Gardens and along the Torrens River can be glorious, although the Park Lands have also had their dark side as sites of grisly murders and public executions.

While the prominently displayed ‘Cows Only’ signs sometimes gave Adelaide an unfair reputation as a hick town until the middle of the twentieth century, the Council has generally sculpted an exquisite environment to serve a wide community. It has also needed to be vigilant to safeguard the Park Lands against the myopic politicians and greedy entrepreneurs who would ride roughshod over the needs of that same community.

The Adelaide Park Lands marries a lively and engaging text with rich illustrative material, old and new. There is always a danger with illustrated books that they will simply be flipped through, but these images should be pored over and related to the written story. This is a book to have and to hold.