Tonsley Innovation District

Tonsley Innovation District, located on the 61-hectare site formerly occupied by Chrysler and Mitsubishi Motors, has redefined South Australia’s industrial landscape.

Since its establishment in 2012, Tonsley has emerged as Australia’s most awarded innovation district, setting a global standard for excellence in advanced manufacturing and innovation.

The district is strategically focused on four high-growth sectors:

• Automation, software and simulation
• Mining and energy services
• Health, medical devices and assistive technologies
• Cleantech and renewable energy.

Tonsley has played a pivotal role in transitioning Adelaide from traditional manufacturing to a high-value, knowledge-based economy.

It now supports more than 2,000 workers across 150 organisations and hosts 8,500 students annually through partnerships with Flinders University and TAFE SA.

Its residential precinct, Tonsley Village, developed by PEET, is home to more than 660 residents.

A key differentiator is Tonsley’s Tenant Suitability Matrix, a strategic framework that ensures incoming businesses align with the district’s innovation agenda. This curated approach fosters purposeful collaboration and maximises the collective impact of its ecosystem.

Tonsley is home to a suite of globally recognised companies including SAGE Automation, AZZO, Micro-X, Zeiss, Link Assistive, BAE Systems and Ziptrak, which are all contributing to a culture of innovation and commercialisation.

Sustainability is at the core of Tonsley’s design and operations. It is a Six Star Green Star – Communities certified precinct, powered by 13,000 solar panels that generate up to 80% of its energy needs.

Looking ahead, the state government’s Innovation Places Framework positions Tonsley to expand its influence and attract further investment. This framework aims to strengthen connections with other strategic precincts including Lot Fourteen, Adelaide BioMed City, Osborne Naval Shipyard, Edinburgh Defence Precinct, Waite Research Institute and the future Australian Space Park.

This coordinated approach is designed to accelerate economic growth, enhance international collaboration and unlock new job opportunities.

• Tonsley Innovation District launched in 2012 on the former Mitsubishi Motors site.

• Tonsley was formally recognised as a suburb in 2017, with early tenants including Flinders University and TAFE SA.
• SAGE Automation, Zeiss, Phoenix Contact and Smith Brothers Group became tenants in 2018, and the Global Centre for Modern Ageing opened its facility.
• Chrysos Corporation relocated from Urrbrae across 2022–2023, expanded to a second facility, and began collaborating with SAGE Automation on automation systems.
• One World LED and Sportal secured a 2,000m² site for research and development during 2022–2023. Attard Engineering acquired a 4,238m² site for a new complex in the same period, aiming to grow its workforce and export capacity.
• The sale of the Tonsley Administration Building was finalised in June 2025.
• Junction Australia announced 63 additional apartments in 2025 as part of stage two of its Thrive Tonsley development, bringing its total to 113 homes.
• The Flinders University Factory of the Future reached Practical Completion in July 2025, with the first students expected in January 2026.
• PEET Limited sold out all townhouses in the precinct, with built form completion expected by late 2028.

For thousands of years, Tonsley and its surrounding areas were home to the Kaurna people. The land was traversed by the Wattiparinga Creek, which flows into into Sturt River to the north-west of the Tonsley. The Sturt River (Warri-Pari) served as a transport route for First Nations peoples moving between the hills and the coast. Plants and animals near the river provided food sources; the Kaurna took fish and yabbies from the river and hunted other animals such as ducks and other wild fowl, possums, kangaroos, wallabies and small marsupials.

The river was a special meeting place for celebrations and rituals. Gatherings sometimes included other clans, as well as the Kaurna. The First Nations peoples gathered at nearby Warriparinga (bounded by present-day Stuart Road, South Road and Diagonal Road), which is now home to the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre.

The land to the north of Warriparinga was a ‘law ground’ for the Kaurna people. Traditionally Aboriginal law was determined by councils of men who met on law grounds that were usually within the boundaries of a tribes’ country. Law grounds were also used to put young Aboriginal men and women through traditional law. The Kaurna law ground may have encompassed present-day Tonsley, although this is not definitely known.

Post settlement, in 1839, the land now known as Tonsley was purchased by Henry Watts as his country estate and in 1868, Richard Ragless took possession of the property and, after purchasing a number of neighbouring sections, he renamed the area Tonsley, after Tonsley Hall in England.

In the years that followed, the land was primarily used for farming, market gardens and vineyards until in 1955, Chrysler purchased 73 hectares for its motor parts and accessories division and the construction of an engine plant. In 1979, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan purchased a share of Chrysler Australia and the following year they purchased the remaining share, changing the company’s name to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited. In 2008, Mitsubishi closed its assembly plant and the site was purchased by the state government in 2010.