History - Overview

The Adelaide Gowrie was established in 1940 by the Commonwealth Government and, along with centres in other capital cities, was named after Lady Gowrie, Zara Hore-Ruthven, wife of the Governor General in honour of her work in establishing the services.

"The purpose was to establish a Demonstration Pre-School centre at which methods for care and instruction of the young child could be tested and demonstrated, and the problems of physical growth, nutrition and development could be studied." (1958 Pamphlet Lady Gowrie Child Centre Adelaide)

The Adelaide Gowrie in the original inner western suburb site at Thebarton has been described as an oasis. Nestled within a mixed industrial and residential area, and not visible from the road, the long narrow driveway leads to the children' s gardens and heritage building. The building was built to a specific and well researched design, with high quality materials and equipment and functional spaces. In recognition of the significance of the building it has been heritage listed.

The Centre has grown and developed since 1940 with the addition of an under two section in 1990, the opening of the Gowrie Training Centre (Pauline Wark Building) in 1993, and the Resource Centre (Beth Mellor Building) in 1994.  There has also been the addition of a younger toddlers room (taking the number of children's rooms to five) and recent renovations to the Training Centre, including the building of a new Resource Centre and training room in 2006/2007.