Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tarndanya Adelaide over the weekend, calling for an end to plans to clear trees for a proposed MotoGP circuit.
The major “Stop the Chop” rally was held in the city, with protesters marching against plans to remove almost 600 trees from the North Adelaide Golf Course and Victoria Park.
The South Australian Government says around 585 trees will be removed, and that more than 1,700 new trees will be planted as part of the project.
Protesters say the Adelaide parklands belong to the community and should be protected.
For Kaurna woman Janette Milera, the rally was an important moment to stand up for Country.
“This one was special because I wanted to be a part of the conversation as a Kaurna person to protect parklands on Kaurna Country.”
She says seeing thousands of people and allies supporting the campaign was overwhelming.
“It was an overwhelming feeling seeing the many people and allies from end to end at Tarndanyangga come and support the importance of protecting Country, Kaurna Country.”
Ms Milera says she wants to see even more people involved in future rallies.
“I would like next time to see more people come, like they do for other marches like the deaths in custody.”
She says the parklands are an important part of Adelaide’s heritage and need to be protected for future generations.
“It’s a privilege to stand here with our young people and older people, who know these parklands and the destruction of them impacts their future.”
The dispute is also now before the Federal Court.
A legal challenge is questioning whether the proposed project requires approval under federal environmental laws.
Protesters say the court case could uncover further concerns about the development.
For Ms Milera, protecting the parklands is about more than just the trees.
“For me it is all connected, the land, the animals, the vegetation and even the weather.”
Protesters say they will continue their campaign against the development and keep fighting to protect Country.
