West Lakes, South Australia

Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Property developer Delfin, now Lendlease Communities, spearheaded the masterplanned development as a joint venture with the Government of South Australia. Development earthworks commenced in September 1970, with approximately 10 million tonnes of earth shifted to form the tidal lake and create developable land. Housing design during the initial development phase of West Lakes was controlled by land title encumbrances, with Delfin having guidelines in place to dictate acceptable architectural design and external finishes in accordance with their vision for individual neighbourhoods, as well as for the wider suburb. Notably, West Lakes was also one of the first urban developments in South Australia to feature underground power and telephone lines. Encumbrances also placed restrictions on the positioning and appearance of external fixtures (such as clotheslines, outbuildings, and TV aerials) as well as a total ban on front boundary fencing. West Lakes was officially opened on 18 March 1977 by the Hon Des Corcoran, MP, Deputy Premier and Minister of Marine. West Lakes Post Office opened in August 1975. In 1992, the wider West Lakes project was awarded the inaugural Prix D’Excellence award by FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation. Upon being announced the winner, West Lakes was described as:
text=the project that produced the greatest synergy from all the real estate disciplines – quality of counselling, appraising, finance, marketing, management, maintenance and community benefits – without losing sight of the project’s impact on its environment and the quality of life of its occupants and neighbours. A sign announcing the award was displayed at the corner of West Lakes Boulevard and Frederick Road until the 2010s. It was removed around the time earthworks commenced for the WEST subdivision, with its current whereabouts unknown. The development phase of the West Lakes scheme spanned from 1970 to 2001, for a total duration of 31 years.

In 2000, the City of Charles Sturt undertook soil testing in the area of West Lakes surrounding the former Port Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant adjacent Frederick Road. Test results indicated cadmium present in the soil, affecting 200 homes. This was largely due to the dispersal of sludge over the land during initial development earthworks in the 1970s. In the following years, the state government recommended various measures to reduce and prevent exposure to cadmium, with funding allocated to implement these on a property specific basis. In 2020, the South Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was notified of the presence of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater, soils and sewage sludge in the same vicinity. The EPA notified owners of the affected properties that measures taken to reduce and prevent cadmium exposure will also work to mitigate PFAS exposure. Due to polluted stormwater runoff into the lake, it's recommended to avoid prolonged contact with the water (e. g. swimming) for 2 3 days after rain.

The boating lake was constructed with an international standard rowing course in mind, and the largely straight and wide southern portion of the lake was reserved for a 2 kilometre rowing course. Today, it's known as the A. M. Ramsay Regatta Course and is host to the annual Head of the River race.

Officially opened on 17 March, 1978 and named after the company that developed West Lakes, Delfin Island is a 106 hectare artificial residential island and remains unique in the context of South Australian urban developments — although man made residential islands appear in places such as the Gold Coast. Early concept drawings of West Lakes didn't explicitly include a residential island. After initial earthworks and construction formed the island, two additional peninsulas were created through further excavation at the northern and southern tips of the island, resulting in more waterfront allotments. McDonald Grove and Martin Court service the peninsulas at the north and south of Delfin Island, respectively. Delfin Island is linked to the mainland by a singular road — West Lakes Boulevard – in addition to two pedestrian bridges. One on the west of the island links Bartley Terrace with Keppel Grove, and one on the east links Lochside Drive to Kerr Grove and Corcoran Drive. The Island Point apartment complex, completed in 1990, is prominently situated at the southern end of the island, and was an early pioneer of high rise suburban apartment living in South Australia. Freshwater Lake, commonly known as the Delfin Island duck ponds, is also located on the island and occupies about
The island is comprised primarily of quieter cul de sacs within distinct "neighbourhoods", where real estate is generally valued higher than in most other areas of West Lakes. The majority of roadways on the island are named after countries in the Caribbean and Polynesia, as well as other exotic islands such as Corfu and Bali.

West Lakes Boulevard is the primary linking thoroughfare through the development, extending from Port Road in the east through to Military Road in the west. The thoroughfare was initially planned to cut north east through the established adjoining suburb Albert Park, however, protests from residents and the local parish resulted in an altered route that utilised (and renamed) part of Clark Terrace parallel to the Grange railway line. A spur of the Grange railway line was planned to run parallel to West Lakes Boulevard, likely terminating near the shopping centre (currently Westfield West Lakes). This, however, didn't proceed due to financial constraints, and the reserved land was converted into Magarey Grove — a linear tree grove containing 100 spotted gum trees, each dedicated to the first 100 Magarey Medallists.

In 2015, property developer Commercial & General commenced work on a masterplanned, mixed use subdivision on the former Football Park precinct named "WEST". The area bounded by Frederick Road, West Lakes Boulevard, Brebner Drive and Football Park/AAMI Stadium — formerly home to the Crows Shed, a large grass oval, and a grandstand — forms the development site. Housing typology largely consists of townhouses and apartments, deviating from the detached, single family character of the original West Lakes development. In contrast, it is a much denser urban environment that reflects contemporary urban planning practices — namely, smaller block sizes, functional public reserves, and a dominant presence of attached housing. The subdivision also features a City of Charles Sturt library, retail and hospitality precinct, a childcare centre, and an aged care facility. A small ornamental lake was also constructed as part of the subdivision. Not connected to the aforementioned tidal lake, it relies on mechanical surface aerators for water flow and oxygenation. To make way for a linear walking trail parallel to the Grange Golf Club, Brebner Drive was rerouted through the subdivision via the newly formed Troubridge Drive. Doing so retained a largely direct link between Frederick Road and Westfield West Lakes.

In March 2024, property developer Potentia announced a new housing development on the 17 hectare former Port Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant, adjacent Frederick Road. The area bounded by Frederick Road, the northern boundary of Lochside Drive, the tidal lake, and existing homes on Mariners Crescent, forms the development site. Almost 500 new homes, in the form of townhouses and apartments, will comprise the development. One of the two heritage buildings on the site will be converted into a pub, forming part of a broader retail and hospitality "high street" within the development. The development came about as the result of a major metropolitan land release and rezoning announcement by the state government in January 2024. The former wastewater treatment site was of particular interest for housing due to its relative proxmity to the Osborne Naval Shipyard, where submarines for the AUKUS are slated to be built for the Royal Australian Navy. Delivery of the first submarine is expected in the early 2040s.

In addition to Westfield West Lakes, the suburb is also home to the Lakes Resort Hotel (established in 1985) and the West Lakes Golf Club — one of several within the coastal western suburbs. West Lakes was home to Football Park (also known by its sponsored name AAMI Stadium), which functioned as a 51,240 seat sports stadium where AFL and SANFL games were played. Demolition of the grandstands and light towers were completed in 2019. The oval itself was left intact, and currently serves as the home training ground for the Adelaide Football Club (similar to Waverley Park in Melbourne). A Douglas C 47 Skytrain military transport aircraft was owned by the McDonald's adjacent Westfield West Lakes, used as part of a play area for children's parties. The plane was removed in the late 1990s, and is now being restored privately.

According to the 2021 Census, the population of the West Lakes census area was
Approximately 47% of the population was male, and 53% female. West Lakes has a median age of 54, which is 13 years older than the median South Australian age. Median household weekly income sat at $1,548, and 27% of West Lakes residents had completed tertiary education. 71% of residents were born in Australia, with England (6%), Italy (2%), China (1.7%) and Germany (1.2%) rounding out the top five. 0.9% of West Lakes residents identified as Indigenous Australians.