VICTORIA PARK / BAKKABAKKANDI

'trotting' - Alternative: Wotpawotpandi ‘galloping’

This park is so named because of the presence of the racetrack.

Margaret (Connie) Roberts identified the northwest corner of this park as the place where native police camped to watch the activities of Aboriginal people in the East Park Lands.

Aboriginal people have attended race meetings at Victoria Park Racecourse from early times. The ‘Protector’ of Aborigines, in his 1854 Quarterly Report notes that:

"During the period, five families visited Adelaide to be present at the races in May, they remained five days and then returned to their districts."
The Poonindie Eleven, an all Aboriginal cricket team, played the SA Association team in 1872 at the Racecourse.

In 1980, senior Anangu people from the Pitjantjatjara-Yankunytjatjara Land in the northwest of SA camped here whilst in Adelaide whilst they were negotiating for their land rights.

Pronunciation Tips:

• stress the first syllable;
• a is pronounced as in father and data or like the u in but.