Elizabeth That Was Part 1: Before Elizabeth (Smithfield & the Davoren Road Railway)

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you for watching. If you would like to support my work on this channel, please hit the Like button, leave a comment and Subscribe. Warmest, Will 🙏🍷❤️

[@gardeningdianne]

Thank you Will for keeping the history alive. I can't wait to watch the rest of your videos. Well done!

[@elizabeththatwas]

It has been my pleasure, and honour, mate. Thank you for watching. Much appreciated :-) Will

[@markstone7142]

Thank you Will, for presenting this irreplaceable history... someone should, and you did! It is a fascinating, amazing, journey that you took me on. Thank you again :)

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure, Mark. I appreciated you watching :-) Will

[@daveoz2445]

Used to ride our bikes to Southfield quite often in the early 70s...thanks for another bunch of great memories.

[@daveoz2445]

Sorry, Smithfield...

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure mate 🙏

[@ferglesnerk]

Ha. What a great little video that is! I've known about Smithfield's history for quite a while now but I didn't know how Tommy spent time at the Cremorne and Gepps Cross pubs, I thought he was a Smithfield resident all his (short) life. Thanks for posting, very interesting.

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure mate, glad you enjoyed it! There are more cool stories involving Tommy - he left quite an impact on the area. Trouble is finding imagery to make a longer video. Otherwise, I would give him his own video - poor thing deserves at least that much. Cheers for watching, much appreciated 🙏🍷

[@JannetteRoadsStevens]

🤣Jumbo!!!

[@mrsfluffyduck26]

i was born in Elizabeth in 1980 43 years ago and i have great memories of Elizabeth in the 80's. back then i couldnt believe it that so many people knew my father, Donald .L. Whitney-Smith because he could fix anything and lots of people use to ask him to fix a car and this was all done at home.he also worked in many places he was a jack of all trades. we use to live in a trust home at 66 Sampson rd, Elizabeth grove but was knocked down to build smaller homes on. sadly my dad passed away in 2010 aged 65 yrs old. this video brought back many happy and some sad memories but i must say thankyou for making it.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. Sounds like your Dad was loved and appreciated by many. 65 is way too young. Condolences on losing your Dad so young. Most of my childhood friend's homes have been knocked down also (I grew up in Smithfield Plains). It's strange to see the history of people you loved just swept aside like that, as if they were never there or mattered. A visit to the old hood in 2018, only to discover that had happened, is what prompted this channel. Thank you for watching. That's what it's all about. Will :-)

[@mrsfluffyduck26]

@@elizabeththatwas it is sad to see so many of these shops and homes and land just to be thrown away. Do you remember the old shops on Fairfield Rd ? Where it had a chemist, butcher, a deli a fish and chip shop, a hair dresser and a op shop and the doctor medical clinic ( dr Cheong) .I use to love going to that fish and chip shop when I was about 5 yrs old. My mum use to buy the meat at that butcher and me and my younger sister use to play outside on the round cement garden beds. I was very sad when they knocked it down.now they put up the new shops but it's not the same anymore.

[@andrewpowell5475]

I landed in Elizabeth in 1958 all this stuff I can relate to thank you

[@elizabeththatwas]

Awesome Andrew. That is much appreciated. This channel is very much a celebration of you, and all Elizabeth "Originals", as I like to call you - thank you for watching and saying hi 🙏🍷

[@Rhys4AUFC]

Good work. Sad that the Smithfield railway station building (plus others in the area) was removed, no doubt another example of demolition by neglect

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you Rhys, glad you enjoyed it. It's sad buildings can be listed as heritage yet remain unprotected. Kind of invalidates that whole process really. Thank you for watching mate, much appreciated 🙏🍷

[@MysticOblong]

Thanks for the video. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed watching it.

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure. Thank you for watching :-)

[@gerryorourke7122]

thankyou this brought back memories

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure, Gerry. Thank you for watching. Much appreciated :-) Will

[@Outdoorstype]

Loved it. Another great video. Thank you. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure. I have a new mini-doc on the way - again, focused on Smithfield, this time life for Elizabeth's Originals in the Smithfield Hostel.

[@williambourke6620]

Well done. The old Smithfield Hotel

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you William. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for watching, much appreciated :-) Will

[@flamingstag2381]

thank you !

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure :-)

[@moyarobinson4354]

Yet another interesting and job-well-done.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thanks beautiful. I hope all is well in your world. It's been a while :-)

[@royphillips4751]

I travelled by train from Salisbury North to Gawler High School in the years 1957-1960 where I completed my Leaving before Matric at Enfield High. My best school friend then lived in Smithfield and I have great memories of days spent at his home and in the local area. It appears to have changed somewhat!!! Great video/story. Thanks

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Roy. Glad it brought back some fond memories for you :-)

[@helenbachari6372]

Thank you for another fascinating video. When I was in Grade 6 or 7 I used to go riding at "Kerry's Riding School' at MacDonald Park. I'd save my pocket money so that I could go riding for half an hour (75 cents) or an hour ($1.25).

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Helen. Thank you for watching, and sharing some of your history with us. Much valued and appreciated :-)

[@aussiefarmer8741]

ditto.

[@chrismillard8222]

This is excellent. Well done

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you very much, Chris, much appreciated, mate. The eighth and final part in this series drops one week from tomorrow, Friday the 12th. The series will then cover life in the Elizabeth area before, during and immediately after its rise and fall as an independent city its own right. I'm hoping the series will be promoted in local schools at some point to educate students about who and what came before them. Thank you for watching

[@paulformaioni37]

im loving this channels content

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you Paul. This year is light on for new content as I started a new business in Dec. I do plan on returning to more consistency as soon as I am able, however. Thanks for watching, much appreciated

[@deidreevans1791]

Very interesting as always

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you Deidre. Glad you enjoyed it. New episode coming in a week or two :-)

[@aussiefarmer8741]

I was a 60's kid grew up in the west. We could ride our dirt bikes from the eliz town centre to smithfied along the creek.

[@elizabeththatwas]

I remember those days. Good times :-)

[@garyearth8265]

Adams road was the original main track to Gawler from the Little Para river crossing near Salisbury's Old Spot Hotel, following along the foothills. This is why many of the areas oldest homesteads were built on or near it. Pretty much at each creek crossing a homestead was built, in the late 60's there were about 5 still standing from memory. The suburb of Hillbank was the first to chop it up and slowly it was cut up further until only the northern part is still used. An old farm house still exists on (the now) Blackburn/Bogan road cnr Hillbank (next to the old Drive-in). There was a farm on Adams rd/Kinkaid/Willison road cnr Elizabeth East, who managed the old horse riding paddocks for many years. The Adams homestead Whytebanks is now Jubilee Park on Adams creek, located between Elizabeth Park and Craigmore, the last traces of the ruins only disappearing in the 1980's. The Hogarths homestead was last operated by the Watson family and its yards are now part of the Smith Creek walking trail. Craigmore's Estia aged care center is built upon it now. Their was another still working homestead in the early 70's on Adams rd/Craigmore rd corner behind the big water tank.

[@philzolth4710]

I used to know the funeral director of Smithfield and Salisbury Funerals and he went to Taylor and Forgie in Gawler, I think Salisbury and Elizabeth funerals was owned by Taylor and Forgie the original building was home to the Gawler Bake and Brew shop for a while and i used to shop in there for my brew supplies, my parents bought an 1800s table from the building in the 80s I bought a brand new motorcycle from Yamaha dealership in 1986 that was in the grain store at smithfield and I used to hang out and do quite a bit of beer drinking in the 1980s with the Smith brothers of Smithfield who were descendants of John Smith Great video I love the photos

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you for sharing Phil, love it - I bet the Smith brothers had a few stories to tell. Thank you for your continued support of this channel mate. Much appreciated 🙏🍷

[@ShaneMullan666]

That was great

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you Shane. Much appreciated my friend 🙏🍷

[@thelostboys1968]

Another well to do little video on the history north of adelaide, well done to all who put this together, looks like alot of research and work went into it .. well done, i remember alot of these places and buildings...

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thanks again for watching Lost Boys - much appreciated. A lot of work went into it, but its a privilege to be able to put it together and honour those who came before us. We have a huge timeline video for you next month - Elizabeth City Timeline 1955 - 1970. Now that was a lot of work...haha. I think you will like it though, lots of great vintage photos and obscure film footage. 🙏🍷

[@MrCaptiv8]

that was very interesting

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you captiv3 - glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching 🙏🍷

[@Adam.deVries]

Very great doco..

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you fro the kind words Adam. Much appreciated, glad you enjoyed my friend 🙏🍷

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Im in Elizabeth Park, have lived in Elizabeth for 40 years, this stuff is right under my nose

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey buddy - thank you for watching and welcome to the channel

[@lisacurnow1453]

L😍VE this! Thankyou 🙏

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Lisa 🙏

[@JannetteRoadsStevens]

very interesting

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hope you enjoyed the video Jannette. Thank you for watching :-)

[@downtoearth1950]

Our family were the first residents of Elizabeth North residing on Dauntsey Road Near the now Womma Railway station. The origionsl train station was actually on the northern side of Womma Road and consisted of a few raised Planks to make boarding easier. The present station was built a few years later. All the roads were red dirt and clay with a gravel strip down the middle.Mud was a way of life for us kids, there were no footpaths Elizabeth North Primary was not yet built so my eldest Sister and myself travelled by bus from Womma Road near the rwilwsy line to the very New Elizabeth South Primary School. Elizabeth Town Centre was just a paddock with a Hotel being constructed. My father George, used to drink at the Smithfield hotel occasionally. He was a butcher and first worked at the Truscot Street shops.

[@elizabeththatwas]

What a great share. Thank you. If you haven't seen this Elizabeth under construction timeline video, it may be of interest. Focusing primarily on the town centre area, beginning with the construction of Elizabeth South and concluding with the construction of the Elizabeth Clock Tower, with everything in between. There's some cool images of the town centre just as you described - a paddock with the newly constructed Hotel Elizabeth looking like it exists in the middle of nowhere back in 1957. Thank you for watching and, again, for sharing with us. Much appreciated :-) Will

[@elizabeththatwas]

Apologies. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnPTiJaNqdCHnJI

[@LordEriolTolkien]

It was a sad day when i returned home from school to Smithfield to find that old station demolished. The place was never the same and is now a generic public transport interchange. sad...

[@elizabeththatwas]

Yes, it's a real shame buildings like the old station and community hall weren't preserved. Smithfield still has a small town charm for me though, even today it can still be felt. It's subtle admittedly, but you can still feel those roots to her agricultural past.

[@LordEriolTolkien]

@@elizabeththatwas pretty sure my initials can still be found in several places in the concrete of Smithfield footpaths ...

[@FTY13]

I was always told the Tube Mills made ammunitions during the war and painted the roof like a farm with cows grazing so when you flew over you wouldn't see it

[@elizabeththatwas]

That's very funny, if it's true. You never know. People have done far stranger things.

[@FTY13]

@@elizabeththatwas My Grandparents lived across the road from the place . It had paddocks around it so apparently that's what they did .

[@elizabeththatwas]

@@FTY13 Great info. Thank you :-)

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

I always wondered why its called the elephant walk, Is it true Tommy was kept in the old empty building by the servo on main north road? I've always known that as "the elephant house"

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

John smiths barn...I didnt wait till the end

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey mate. I haven't been able to verify that, there are some conflicting accounts. I called it John Smith's Barn for that reason, and to be honest I would be surprised if it was used solely for Tommy. More likely it was used to store crops, farm equipment or something of that nature and he was allowed to use it during rough weather, but more often staying outside. I am guessing though.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

I live by the old Adams farm that was demolished in the 70s can you tell me a anything sbout that, I walk there everyday across the old bridge just off turner drive, aparently it was an important creek crossing

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Wait up, I think its blair place, next to a beautiful creek

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey mate - yes, I would say it is Blair Place. I will do some digging and see what I can find for you

[@karengayehammat4199]

My friend Linda Ruddock and I went for a stroll , I think it was my idea, to look thru the dilapidated farm when we were in primary school. She came from a not well off family , didn't have any shoes on and got a rusty nail in her foot. She survived . I'm worried about the alterations at the new estate on top of Eliz park next to craigmore As we know in winter that turns into quite a wide deep billabong and I wonder if the new rocks and road will endure natural erosion .

[@kellysouter4381]

You didn't mention the old church in Samuel street.

[@elizabeththatwas]

It's difficult finding detailed history on the Northern area. Much of it seems to have never been recorded. Sadly, there's much I can't cover as a result. I hope you enjoyed, all the same. Thank you for watching, it's much appreciated :-) Will

[@tb-yz1ti]

I got my first motorbike from that lawers building across the road of Smithfield train st in 70 I think it was sandy an lived at the Mac Donald park, alplace back on to the ammunitision dump ,wow talk about nightmare ally anyhow cheers

[@elizabeththatwas]

That's very cool t b - yeah the old Barn has had many incarnations now. Great that it's still there and being looked after. Cheers for watching and dropping a line mate, much appreciated 🙏🍷

[@ktothebeesknees]

The poor elephant 😔

[@elizabeththatwas]

I know. He lived a short, and I imagine, pretty miserable life - but lived long in legend. We're still talking about him today. But. yes, a pity he wasn't left alone, where he was found, to live a normal elephant's life. Thank you for watching. Much appreciated :-) Will

[@vincentthao3497]

Hey mate, just letting you know that the LAST original family owned business remaining in Elizabeth is closing it's doors next week , ELIZABETH STAR CYCLES

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey buddy. Thank you for letting me know - I will look into giving them a little plug on the FB page. Another end of an era

[@brickpaver1]

It’s ’RAILWAY station,…… NOT TRAIN Station..😡