established at Magill. The first council chamber was designed by chairman George Soward and built in 1869 by Thomas Hill and William Yateman. Geography and environment Burnside has an area of and is located from the east to the south-east of the Adelaide city centre and parklands, extending east to the Cleland National Park in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Two creeks of the River Torrens run through a gradually sloping plain from the ranges; there is much variation in land use and topography. Before European Settlement in South Australia, much of the Adelaide Plains were swamps and woodland. In what became Burnside, plains leading out to Unley hosted the large Black Forest of Grey Box woodland. To the north and the floodplains of First and Second Creeks, there were Blue Gums and River Red Gums. Nearer to the foothills, in Mount Osmond and Waterfall Gully, a more diverse range of plant species existed, however Manna Gums and Blue Gums were predominant. With colonisation, much of the native foliage was cut down to enable crops and grazing. Market Gardens in the Adelaide Hills lowered the amount of water flowing down the creeks and some of the Hills Face was used for quarrying. Early crops included olives, grapes for winemaking, wheat and barley. Over the years agriculture greatly declined and only vineyards survive today in Magill and Waterfall Gully. With new suburbs being gazetted in the 20th century, the Burnside Council undertook ambitious tree-planting, beautification and conservation schemes to slow and then reverse the negative impact on the natural environment. of the council area is held in reserves and parks and some 35,000 trees line the streets. A "Second Generation Tree Planting Program" started in 1993. The council launched its Urban Tree Strategy in 2014, with a strategic plan covering the period to 2025. In February 2020, it won a Tree Cities of the World designation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Arbor Day Foundation. It was one of three suburban Adelaide councils to be awarded the designation, along with the City of Mitcham and the City of Unley, which are the only three in Australia. Notable parks and reserves include Chambers Gully, Langman Reserve and Hazelwood Park. Governance Wards The Burnside city council is divided into the following wards: Kensington Park (Beulah Park, Hazelwood Park, Kensington Park and Leabrook) Kensington Gardens & Magill (Auldana, Kensington Gardens,