Captain Adam Robertson and his wife arrived in South Australia in September 1839, and settled in the area now known as Golden Grove. He donated an acre of land to people of the area in 1853, in order for them to build a school they were planning, and allowed it to be named Golden Grove, after the last ship he commanded. Freestone quarries in the area were used from early settlement days to provide building materials. In 1930, the Golden Grove house and farm were sold. Most of the estate was later purchased by a sand mining company, Boral, in 1972. In 1973 the South Australian Land Commission started to acquire land in Golden Grove and Wynn Vale for housing. In 1983 the South Australian Urban Land Trust contracted Lend Lease to develop the land. Construction started in 1985 and over 200 allotments sold in the first week, with the last being sold in 2002. Two wells located at what is now the intersection of Hancock Road and Golden Grove Road serviced farms and dairies in Golden Grove and Yatala Vale, and provided water for council work and firefighting. The last well was filled in during March 1995 after having been dry for many years. In 2007, further land was released at Golden Grove. This land was acquired by Fairmont Homes, as a new housing division. There is a small shopping complex, a nursing home, and a retirement village. 220 blocks of land were released. The land is known as 'The Settlement' estate, seeing as this was the land of Captain Adam Robertson, who named the suburb of Golden Grove. Captain Robertson's original homestead still stands, centered in the new development.
Geography
The boundary of Golden Grove is defined by Slate and Cobbler Creeks to the north, the Cobbler Creek Park to the west, Helicon Drive, Surrey Farm Drive and The Grove Way, Golden Grove and Hancock Roads and Yatala Vale Road tothe south, and Seaview Road and the quarries to the east. At the ABS2011 census, Golden Grove had a population of 9,664 people living in 3,464 dwellings.
Facilities
The three major high schools in the area are Gleeson College, Pedare Christian College and Golden Grove High School in the suburb's southwestern corner. They are linked together in a complex that also includes the Golden Grove Recreation Centre. Golden Grove Primary School and Pedare Primary Campus are also located in the suburb. The Grove Shopping Centre has a number of retailers, including Big W, Woolworths, Foodland as well as dining, specialty stores and banks. A police station was long called for in the area, due to many accidents and fights at the Village Tavern, a pubbistro located adjacent to the Golden Grove Village Shopping Centre. A petition with 16,000 signatures made its way to SA Police who finally built the station. Its grand opening was on 18 December 2006. 2010 saw the opening of the Harpers Field complex, adjacent to One Tree Hill Road & Crouch Road which is currently home to the Golden Grove Football Club, Golden Grove Cricket Club & Golden Grove Softball Club The 288ha Cobbler Creek Recreation Park is accessible from nearby Gulfview Heights.
