Para Hills, South Australia

Para Hills Adelaide, South Australia
A gully next to Para Hills primary school
Population	7,722 (2006 census)
• Density	2,406/km2 (6,230/sq mi)
Established	1959
Postcode(s)	5096
Area	3.21 km2 (1.2 sq mi)
Location	16 km (10 mi) from Adelaide
LGA(s)	City of Salisbury City of Tea Tree Gully
State electorate(s)	Playford
Federal Division(s)	Makin
Suburbs around Para Hills: Salisbury East Gulfview Heights Wynn Vale Para Hills West Para Hills Modbury Heights Ingle Farm Para Vista Modbury North

Para Hills is a residential suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. There is a light aircraft airport close to its boundary, and numerous sporting facilities, abundant parks and schools and two medium-sized shopping centres. Most of the suburb is in the City of Salisbury while some is in the City of Tea Tree Gully.

The prefix "Para" is derived from the Kaurna word "Pari" meaning a stream of flowing water, which could refer to either the Little Para River or Dry Creek. Para is used to name many places in the area including Parafield Airport, three seasonal creeks, and some suburbs. The flat land between Dry Creek and the Little Para River is sometimes called the Para Plains and the facing hills the Para Hills.

An early settler family were the Goodalls, who established a farm at the base of the hills in 1850. When Andrew Melville Goodall expanded the farm in 1853 he named the property Para Hills Farm, building a farmhouse near what is now the corner of St Clair Avenue and Goodall Road.

Para Hills Post Office opened on 28 June 1961.

Para Hills is built on an escarpment of the Para Fault Block at the edge of the Adelaide plains, rising 61 metres (200 ft) above the plains. The formation of this escarpment has led to short, steep-sided gullies which are characteristic of Para Hills. The gullies are usually dry, running only shortly after rain, and have mostly been left as public parks. Outcrops of exposed pre-Cambrian rocks have been quarried for use in roadmaking and construction since the late 19th century. The outcrops within Para Hills are not extensive and only one quarry operated in the suburb's residential area.

Prior to subdivision there is very little recorded about the vegetation of the hills. What records exist report that the plains where mostly covered in kangaroo grass, with the hills being lightly covered in Eucalyptus Porosa (Mallee box), Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo thorn wattle) and Acacia pyncantha (Golden Wattle). Public parks in para hills are now landscaped with Australian native vegetation. Most of the streets show Salisbury council’s practice of lining roadsides with Eucalypts, Acacias and other Australian native trees.