The large homes in the suburb's northern section give it a historic character that is protected by government planning regulations.

[4] The suburb is largely flat from the river north to Walkerville Terrace, then slopes upwards to its northern extent.

Sand washing was replaced by a dump in 1961, leading to complaints from the neighbouring suburb of St Peters about fumes from the burning rubbish.

[8] The nearby pedestrian suspension "swing" bridge linking Severn Street, Gilberton with Swing Bridge Lane, St Peters, was erected by Charles Francis Muller for Frank Woolley (1861–1941), a large landholder, in 1920.

In 2017, it was rebuilt to modern safety standards as a joint project of the Town of Walkerville and the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, and opened in February 2018.