Port Adelaide
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Port Adelaide is a port-side region of
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the
City of Port Adelaide Enfield The City of Port Adelaide Enfield, located across inner north and north-western suburbs of Adelaide, is one of the largest metropolitan councils within South Australia. It was established on 26 March 1996 by the amalgamation of the City of Por ...
council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
for the city of Adelaide. Port Adelaide played an important role in the formative decades of
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, with the port being early Adelaide's main supply and information link to the rest of the world. Its
Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...
name, although not officially adopted as a
dual name Dual naming is the adoption of an official place name that combines two earlier names, or uses both names, often to resolve a disagreement over which of the two individual names is more appropriate. In some cases, the reasons are political. Some ...
, is Yartapuulti.


History

Prior to European settlement Port Adelaide was covered with
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
swamps and tidal mud flats, and lay next to a narrow creek. At this time, it was inhabited by the
Kaurna people The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurna ...
, who occupied the Adelaide Plains, the
Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley ( Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destinati ...
, the western side of the
Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula () is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western side of the peninsula was occupied by the ...
, and northwards past Snowtown. The Kaurna people called the Port Adelaide area Yartapuulti,Another link to Ch. 10.
/ref> and the whole estuarine area of the
Port River The Port River (officially known as the Port Adelaide River) is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European ...
''Yertabulti'' (''Yerta Bulti''), meaning "land of sleep or death". The entrance to this creek, the Port River, was first reported by Europeans in 1831. It was explored by Europeans when Captain Henry Jones entered in 1834. The creek's main
channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
was then fed by numerous smaller creeks, and was deep. The navigable channel was narrow and the creek soon faded into swamps and sandhills. At low tide the channel was surrounded by mudbanks. Dry and solid land ended near present-day Alberton.


1836 – Deciding on Adelaide's Port

Colonel
William Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of ...
began closely exploring the area in late 1836 while deciding on a site for the colony of South Australia's port. After initial trepidation, he reported to the Colonisation Commissioners that the location was a suitable harbour. By this time it had acquired the name "the port creek". Light's choice of separating the port and
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
was strongly opposed by a few merchants, a newspaper and Governor John Hindmarsh. This opposition was largely based on the distance between them. The division of power in the colony meant that the final decision was Light's alone. He kept Adelaide and the port separate principally due to the lack of fresh water at the port.


1837 – Port Creek Settlement

The effective foundation day of Port Adelaide was 6 January 1837. On this day the first
harbourmaster A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct opera ...
, Captain Thomas Lipson (Royal Navy), took up residence with his family on the edge of Port Creek. The new port was used for shipping later that month, and passengers began disembarking the next. At this point the site was known as ''The Port Creek Settlement''. When founded, the port's land was just higher than the surrounding tidal flats; at
high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...
the port could be rowed around. The port had a significant problem—reported in letters from Light and complaints to the Governor from ship owners—of a lack of a fresh water supply. At first the river was not used for larger ships. They had to land at
Holdfast Bay The Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to Adelaide, South Australia. Along its shores lie the local government area of the City of Holdfast Bay and the suburbs of Glenelg and Glenelg North European settlement on Holdfast Bay ...
until the port was charted. This early port was plagued by
mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...
es, was a comparative long distance from Adelaide, had few amenities and had a risk of inundation when the tide was very high. By 1840 it had acquired the name "Port Misery"; the name was widely used in news reports. It was first coined in a book credited to T. Horton James, probably a pseudonym, and comes from a line stating: The original drawings of Adelaide City Plan by Light show that he envisaged a canal (sea communication) between Port Adelaide and the City of Adelaide. The canal was not built; it would have required a massive investment that was not available at the time. A plan of a proposed "Grand Junction Canal" between Adelaide and the North Arm, by engineer Edward Snell was produced in 1851, with an exhibition of his "A Bird's Eye View of the Country Between Adelaide and the North Arm", showing the proposed canal. By early 1838, large vessels could only get as far as the end of Gawler Reach (near the current Birkenhead Bridge). Arrivals had to use smaller boats, traverse the mangrove swamps at low tide and climb sandhills to reach the road to Adelaide. A
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
for the loading of sailing ships was constructed in 1838, and town acreages nearby
surveyed Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Two-dimensional space#In geometry, two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of ...
and sold. By the years end deficiencies of the canal were clear. The canal was dry for most of the day and cargo movement very slow. Seagoing ships had to stop some distance from the settlement due to the mudbanks. Cargo and passengers covered the remaining distance in ships' boats. All had to traverse 2–300 m of swamps after landing to reach sandhills, and eventually the road to Adelaide.Parsons (1986), p.33. The new port's first maritime casualty was the migrant ship ''Tam O'Shanter'' that ran aground on the outer sand bar. Later a small waterway in the port was named after the ship; the waterway later became the Port Adelaide Canal.


1840 – 1860 Finalisation of Wharf locations

The port's initial location was intended to be temporary. The location for a proper port was chosen by Governor
George Gawler Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, KH, (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 2 ...
, between the original settlement and the Governor's preferred location at the junction of the North Arm and the Port River. One reason for the chosen site was Gawler's instructions on leaving England to limit expenditure; the North Arm site would have required more transport infrastructure and
reclamation Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back". It may refer to: * Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds * Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...
work. Gawler awarded a tender allowing the
South Australian Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the S ...
to construct a private
wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...
, again partly to limit government expenditure. Along with the wharf they were to construct a warehouse and roadway. The roadway was to be a wide and run from the port to dry land, a distance of approximately . This first wharf was built near the end of the modern Commercial Road. The wharf, known as McLaren Wharf, was finished in 1840 and named after
David McLaren David McLaren may refer to: * David McLaren (colonial manager) (1785–1850), colonial manager (CEO) of the colony of South Australia (1837–1841) * David McLaren (politician) (1872–1939), mayor of Wellington and member of the New Zealand Parlia ...
, company manager of the South Australian Company. McLaren Wharf was long and deep at low tide.Parsons (1997), pp.40–41 Contrary to usual practice, it was allowed to be built at the low water mark, which made construction simpler. The wharf, warehouse and road were opened by Governor Gawler in October 1840. The opening procession from the old port to the new included over 1,000 people; then the largest assembly of colonists to date. The procession included 600 horsemen and 450 vehicles, almost all of the colony's wheeled transportation.Parsons (1986), p.39 At the opening a parcel was ceremonially landed from the
barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...
''Guiana''. Upon opening, the port could accommodate vessels up to . In May 1841
John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...
became the original holder of the land grant for all the land south of St Vincent Street, reaching to Tam O'Shanter Creek (later the Port Canal), comprising 134 acres and known as Section 2112. Much of this land was a tidal mangrove swamp, being reclaimed by successive owners over many decades. During reclamation work, the ground level was raised by approximately , with mud and silt from
dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
work. Early houses had their ground floors below the now raised ground level; some had steps built down from road level. The Port Admiral Hotel's original ground floor now forms part of its basement. The last major reclamation was of the Glanville Reserve in 1892.Parsons (1986), p.76. By the mid-1840s, with increasing trade, the wharves proved insufficient and some more private wharves were constructed. During the late 1850s the state of the dry and dusty plain, between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, led to the pejorative terms "Dustholia" and "Mudholia" in summer and winter.


1860 to 1970 – Port Adelaide's heyday

In 1874 the Port Adelaide Institute began construction of its new headquarters which opened to much fanfare two years later providing the organisation a place to house a library and provide a reading room, museum, lecture hall and classrooms for the area.
Gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution ...
ing was erected by the local council in 1881. The town received its first electric lighting in January 1889, lit with the colony's first town supply from a powerhouse in Nile Street.Reynolds (2002), p.17. By 1876 it was estimated that there were 5,000 living in 500 houses. More measured figures were 3,013 residents recorded in the 1881 census and 5005—living in approximately 1000 houses—recorded in the 1891 census.Parson (1986), p.83. By 1911 the port was the State's second largest city and had a population over half that of Adelaide city. Due to the presence of the Jewish community at the time the east side of Todd Street became known colloquially as "Jerusalem" or "Little Jerusalem". Beginning in the 1880s a strong Scandinavian community lived in Port Adelaide largely due to their affiliation with sea-fairing trades. In 1883 the Port Adelaide Caledonian Society was founded and continues to this day. In the 1880s during Christmas Chinese lanterns were hung around Port Adelaide. During the rest of the 1800s harbour facilities expanded and the town grew. It gained an impressive range of commercial and institutional buildings. Many have survived, resulting in Port Adelaide having one of the best concentrations of colonial buildings in South Australia. Their significance was recognised in May 1982, when a sizeable part of the town centre was declared a State Heritage Area. The construction of the Outer Harbor took place at the beginning of the 20th century, accommodating larger ships and reducing the time needed to sail up the Port River to the inner harbour. In the 1920s and 1930s the first wharf was removed or disappearedParsons (1997), p.38. and the Port Adelaide wharves underwent a significant reconstruction programme, changing the face of the inner harbour's waterfront.


1970–2010 – Economic slowdown

The introduction of
containerisation Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers and ISO containers). Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the p ...
in the 1960s had a major impact on the Port, changing cargo handling methods and significantly reducing the size of the local workforce. Compounding the effect of a declining workforce on business activity, competition for shoppers arrived in the form of regional shopping centres. Up until the 1960s the Port had been second only to Adelaide as a shopping and commercial precinct. The opening of shopping centres in nearby suburbs led to a general decline in retail turnover.Samuels (1987) Activity in the suburb has declined significantly from its heyday, leaving parts empty and derelict. Historic buildings are closed and sometimes vandalised, shops in the main streets are empty and boarded up. Redevelopment of the waterfront was first publicly discussed in 1975. Over the following years, plans and costs were proposed and discussed but most lapsed without action. By 2002, the "Newport Quays" consortium was the government's preferred bidder for a $1.2 billion project to cover of under used land. The development was unveiled in 2003 and land sales began two years later. This development was stated to be worth $1.5 billion and would comprise 2000 homes, construction of which would create 4000 jobs. In 2004 Premier Mike Rann announced that a dolphin sanctuary would be established in the Port River and Barker Inlet covering 118 square kilometres, the first "urban" dolphin sanctuary in the world. In 2005 the '' Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act'' was enacted. By 2006 Newport Quays was being criticised for its poor planning for a residential development, criticism that continued with each stage of the project. By early 2007, two stages of the now $2 billion development were under construction, or nearing completion, and the third's plans submitted; The plans included provision for a 100-berth
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
and one building built over the water. By 2008 reports showed the resale value of some properties in the developments were under the initial cost. The local council estimated that less than half of finished properties were occupied. In October 2009 it was named, by the
National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
, as one of the country's most at risk heritage sites. A lack of people living in, and travelling to, Port Adelaide is seen as the major cause of this decline.


2010 – present – Port Adelaide renaissance

In February 2010 Premier Mike Rann opened the $400 million Techport naval construction hub at
Osborne Osborne may refer to: * Osborne (name) Places Australia * Osborne, South Australia (disambiguation), places associated with the suburb in the Adelaide metropolitan area * Osborne, New South Wales, a rural community in the Riverina region Can ...
(next to the Australian Submarine Corporation's facility) to underpin the development of the Navy's $8 billion Air Warfare Destroyer program and other naval construction projects. Techport features the largest ship lift in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2015–16 Quest Hotel Consortium built a $25 million apartment building on the corner of McLaren Wharf and the Birkenhead Bridge.In 2016 it was announced that Starfish Developments and Cedar Woods had won tenders to develop 23ha of vacant waterfront land in the inner Port Adelaide harbour with total investment exceeding $1 billion. The development was later renamed Fletcher's Slip after a nearby historic landmark. In 2016 the Federal Government announced that DCNS had won the tender to build 12 submarines for the Royal Australian Navy in a $50 billion deal, with construction taking place in Port Adelaide. In 2016 the South Australian State Government indicated it is interested in re-establishing the tram network from the
City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
to Port Adelaide, with links to Outer Harbor and Semaphore. In 2017 developer EPC Pacific began construction of a $38 million office tower on Nelson Street in Port Adelaide that will house public servants. In 2021 this building was purchased by Centuria for $63 million. In 2017 the Port Admiral Hotel was reopened after a $1m redevelopment. It is one of the oldest buildings in Port Adelaide built in 1849. In 2017 Daniella Guevera from
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
opened La Popular Taqueria in Port Adelaide. In 2018, Pirate Life Breweries announced it would be relocating in Port Adelaide into a $15m refurbished warehouse. In 2018,
Precision Group Precision Group is an Australian private property investment and management company based in Sydney. Founded in the 1990s by Shaun Bonétt, it owns property in Australia and New Zealand. History Precision Group was founded in 1994 by Shaun ...
began the redevelopment of the Port Canal Shopping Centre as Port Adelaide Plaza. In 2019, The Banksia Tree Cafe and Corner Store opened on the site of the Brunswick Pier Hotel. In January 2020 the first instance of a house to selling for $1 million in the suburb of Port Adelaide was recorded. In 2020, the first residents moved in to new townhomes constructed as part of Starfish's Dock One development. Once completed, Dock One will comprise approximately 650 new homes. In 2020 the Port Adelaide Pirates Soccer Club moved to their new home on the Peninsula after $9.2 million in investments for the Taperoo sports complex. In 2021 the Newmarket Hotel in Port Adelaide was purchased for $4 million.


Heritage buildings

Port Adelaide is known for its well preserved 19th-century pubs and hotels, reflecting the area's maritime history in catering to the sailors of trading ships.


Streetscapes

During the rest of the 1800s harbour facilities expanded and the town grew. It gained an impressive range of commercial and institutional buildings. Many have survived, resulting in Port Adelaide having one of the best concentrations of colonial buildings in South Australia. Their significance was recognised in May 1982, when a sizeable part of the town centre was declared a State Heritage Area.


Town Hall

The Port Adelaide Enfield Council Offices building, designed by
Christopher Arthur Smith Christopher Arthur Smith (19 November 1892 – 2 March 1952), also known as Chris Smith and Chris A. Smith, was a South Australian architect. He was a prolific designer of picture theatres and public buildings in Adelaide and regional South Austr ...
and built as Port Adelaide Town Hall in 1939, was
heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
on the
South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...
on 24 July 1980.


Pubs and hotels

The earliest recorded was the Port Hotel. It opened in 1838, two years before the port was officially declared.Reynolds (2002), p.5. Three years later the First Commercial Inn opened. It has the longest licensing history in the suburb, though discontinuous. It did not trade for 12 years following a fire in 1857. The British hotel is the longest continually licensed. It opened 1847 as a single storey building, and was rebuilt with two further storeys in 1876 for then-owner
Henry Ayers Sir Henry Ayers (now pron. "airs") (1 May 1821 – 11 June 1897) was the eighth Premier of South Australia, serving a record five times between 1863 and 1873. His lasting memorial is in the name Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, which was en ...
. The
South Australian Brewing Company The South Australian Brewing Company, Limited is a brewery located in Thebarton, an inner-west suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is a subsidiary of Lion, which in turn is owned by Kirin, a Japan-based beverage company. It manufactures ...
acquired it in 1937. It was known from c. 1907–1952 as "McGraths British Hotel". Dockside Tavern is one of the few
Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...
style buildings remaining in the Port. It was opened as the Britannia Hotel in 1850 then was rebuilt on site in 1898, in contemporary style. It was renamed as the Dockside Tavern in 2002. The Golden Port Tavern is on the corner of Vincent and Robe Streets. On this site the Carpenters' Arms Tavern opened in late 1850. The Arms burned down in 1865 and was replaced with the current hotel, then known as The Globe. The hotel's name was changed to the current one in 1981. Black Diamond Square—named after the Black Diamond Hotel—is the main intersection of Port Adelaide, at the north end of Commercial Road. The hotel was designed by Adelaide architect William Wier. It opened as the White Horse Cellars Inn in 1851, with an integral 600 seat theatre. Parts of the building were used for an early
freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
hall, library and the Port Adelaide Institute. It was renamed as the Family Hotel in 1876, then as the Black Diamond Hotel c. 1878. This last name came from the Black Diamond Line shipping company. From 1866 to 1883 Cannon brand beer was brewed in the hotel. The building was converted to retail shops in 1884 and the Central Hotel erected on the south side. Port Dock Brewery hotel won business awards as best hotel and restaurant in 2001. It was built in 1855 and opened as the Dock Hotel. The current building structure results from an 1883 rebuild, with stone from Dry Creek near
Yatala Labour Prison Yatala Labour Prison is a high-security men's prison located in the north-eastern part of the northern Adelaide suburb Northfield, South Australia. It was built in 1854 to enable prisoners to work at Dry Creek, quarrying rock for roads and con ...
. The Hotel lost its licence in 1909, after a 1906 Opinion Vote. The building was renovated, part of it converted into a small brewery, and reopened as a hotel in 1986. Railway Hotel opened in 1856 opposite the new
Port Adelaide railway station Port Adelaide station is a railway station located on the Outer Harbor line. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Alberton, it is 11.7 kilometres from Adelaide station. History The line from Adelaide to Port Adelaide was the sec ...
, a month before the line to Adelaide was opened. The hotel retains many original features including
leadlight Leadlights, leaded lights or leaded windows are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came to be known as came glasswork. The term 'leadlight' could be ...
windows and an 1890s glass
fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. Th ...
. Two six-room houses were built on the corner of Cannon Street and Church Place in 1873. They were converted into a single building and opened as the Kent Hotel in 1875. The building's exterior was restyled in
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
fashion in the 1940s and the interior of the hotel completely renovated in the 1990s. It is now known as the Port Anchor Hotel.Brunswick Pier Hotel was on the corner of Vincent and Robe Streets. It opened in 1878 in what had been a
butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...
's shop. The hotel lost its licence in 1909, along with other hotels, after an opinion poll resulted in a reduction of the number of licences. After this the building was used as a furniture shop and a butcher's shop. During the 1920s it became a
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
specialising in photographic materials and "Kirby's Calcarea Teething Powders". Medical suites were leased upstairs. It was bought by Birks Chemists in 1946, and remained a pharmacy until 1996. From then to at least 2001 the building was vacant. On the corner of Dale street is a building that was opened by the Port Adelaide Market Company in 1879, divided into shops, offices and stalls. Part of the building was later adapted to make a 17-room hotel, the Newmarket. Colac Hotel, on Ocean Steamer's Road, opened in 1881. It was built opposite the then No. 1 Dock, alongside the 1879 extension to the South Australian Company basin. The hotel has had strong ties to both the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
and the union movement. Both former Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
and local Member of Parliament
Mick Young Michael Jerome Young (9 October 19368 April 1996) was an Australian politician. He rose through the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to become its National Secretary, before serving as a Labor member of the House of Representatives from the 1974 ...
used to talk to workers at the pub. Mick Young owned the pub from 1988 to 1990 and as of 2002 it was owned by the Labor Party. From 1838 to 1906, sixty differently named hotels had been run on 38 different sites within Port Adelaide. A local opinion poll was held in Port Adelaide and other Adelaide districts in February 1906, on the subject of liquor licensing. Port Adelaide voters supported the
Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
Party's platform, reducing the number of licences by a third. Fifteen hotels and three wine licences expired on 25 March 1909 and were not renewed.


Geography


Port River

The Port River, known officially as the Port Adelaide river, is home to a resident population of
bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...
s. The Port River's inner harbor near West Lakes and seaward from Lipson Reach feature dense stands of Grey mangroves which provide habitat for hundreds of species of marine, avian and insect life. The Port River is an important recruitment area for Blue swimmer crabs, Western king prawns and other commercially important species. The river also features established colonies of a wide variety of introduced marine organisms which originally arrived in South Australia in or on ships. Over 30 introduced marine species have so far been identified in the river. Port Adelaide is bound by the Port River and Inner Harbour to the north and west, and by Webb Street and
Grand Junction Road Grand Junction Road is the longest east–west thoroughfare in the Adelaide metropolitan area, traversing through Adelaide's northern suburbs approximately 8 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre. Route Travelling from the Port Adelaide r ...
to the south. The main strip of Port Adelaide is along St Vincent Street, with a residential area to the south of the train station along Commercial Road and Webb Street. Recent residential development has occurred along the waterfront promenade. Port Adelaide is a
tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
port, with several shipping berths along the length of the estuary.


Parks

Port Adelaide has many parks. The most recent is a $2 million refurbishment of the Hart's Mill precinct at Port Adelaide, opened in May 2014. Hart's Mill, Mundy Street, Port Adelaide SA 5015, Australia.


Markets

Port Adelaide is home to various markets including the Torrens Island Food Market and the
Fishermen's Wharf Market Fishermen's Wharf Market, also known as Wharf Shed 1, is a large enclosed building that used to host Sunday markets in Port Adelaide. It is located in the Inner Harbor of Port Adelaide adjacent to the Birkenhead Bridge. History In the 1930s ...
which is housed in Shed 1, the last remaining Wharf Shed in the inner Port Adelaide harbour. In December 2016 the Fisherman's Wharf Market building was scheduled to be demolished for the construction of apartments and a public plaza. The Markets where closed in August/September 2022.


Culture

Port Adelaide is traditionally a working class area which stemmed from the economic activity the wharves produced and the subsequent industry.


Progressive movements

Port Adelaide has a long-standing tradition of social reform and progressive movements. Early examples are religious leaders seeking to reduce prostitution and alcoholism amongst wharf workers in the mid-1800s. Later examples are union movements that fought for better working conditions on the wharf and surrounding industries. Recently Port Adelaide has had a strong tradition of helping support local indigenous populations with Kura Yerlo Community Centre and other indigenous programs. The Port Adelaide Football Club assists to advance the lives of disadvantaged and discriminated indigenous peoples and youth. Significant people involved in these movements are often recognised on the Port Adelaide Workers Memorial at Black Diamond Corner. In 2021 the South Australian May Day celebrations took place in Port Adelaide.


Art

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
painter
Mortimer Menpes Mortimer Luddington Menpes (22 February 1855 – 1 April 1938) was an Australian-born British painter, author, printmaker and illustrator. Life Menpes was born in Port Adelaide, South Australia, the second son of property developer James ...
was born, and grew up, in Port Adelaide where his father was a successful businessman. Modernist painter
Margaret Preston Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963) was an Australian painter and printmaker who is regarded as one of Australia's leading modernists of the early 20th century. In her quest to foster an Australian "national art", she was al ...
was born in Port Adelaide and spent the first 10 years of her life in the area whilst her father worked as a marine engineer. The diverse subject matter in the Port Adelaide region has proved attractive to painters and artists such as John Giles. During the 1940s John Giles would often be accompanied by friend and fellow artist
Jeffrey Smart Frank Jeffrey Edson Smart (26 July 1921 – 20 June 2013) was an expatriate Australian painter known for his precisionist depictions of urban landscapes that are "full of private jokes and playful allusions". Smart was born and educated ...
whilst working on Port Adelaide maritime paintings. The Port Adelaide Artists Forum organises events for local artists. Galleries in the area include the Black Diamond Gallery and Gallery Yampu. The Jackalope Studio Gallery serves as a working studio, a showcase for artists and photographers, framing studio and contains a large amount of purchasable art from Mexico. There are several public artworks in Port Adelaide, including Glow / ''Taltaityai'', at the western end of Walter Morris Drive. Sculpted in 2009 by Michelle Nikou and Jason Milanovic, the glow-in-the-dark sculptures of
ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
and
emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...
are representations of the
Tjilbruke Tjilbruke (also Tjirbruki, Tjilbruki, Tjirbruke, Tjirbuk or Tjirbuki,) is an important creation ancestor for the Kaurna of the Adelaide plains in the Australian state of South Australia. Tjilbruke was a Kaurna man, who appeared in Kaurna Drea ...
Kaurna Dreaming story. The Wonderwalls Festival, which involves international artists using the buildings in the area for
street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
, attracts around 30,000 visitors to Port Adelaide.


Music

The Hart's Mill precinct is home to various events and festivals such as
Adelaide Guitar Festival The Adelaide Guitar Festival (AGF), formerly the Adelaide International Guitar Festival (AGIF) is Australia's largest guitar festival, held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The AGF is the sister event to the New York Guitar ...
performances. The largest music festival in Port Adelaide is St Jerome's Laneway Festival. The Semaphore Music Festival also holds events in the flour shed at Hart's Mill. The Waterside Workers Hall is a venue used for concerts as well as performance art and comedy. It is currently occupied by Vitalstatistix. The
Largs Pier Hotel Largs Pier Hotel is located on the corner of The Esplanade and Jetty Road in Largs Bay, South Australia. Opening The Largs Pier Hotel opened in 1882 on the same day as the Largs Bay Railway and Pier. Believed to be 23 December according to The ...
had a history of hosting early Adelaide rock bands. Jimmy Barnes wrote a song after the pub and his experiences playing there. The Port Adelaide region is home to some notable vinyl record stores such as Porthole Records and Mr V Music.


Movies and Television

Port Adelaide's diverse subject matter, maritime backdrop, historic, modern and industrial architecture has made it an attractive location for movie and television productions. Examples of movies and television productions that have used Port Adelaide as a filming location include
Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
(2021),
Escape from Pretoria ''Escape from Pretoria'' is a 2020 Australian prison film co-written and directed by Francis Annan, based on the real-life prison escape by three political prisoners in South Africa in 1979, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Daniel Webber. It is ba ...
(2020), Wolf Creek (2005),
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
(1981),
Bad Boy Bubby ''Bad Boy Bubby'' is a 1993 black comedy film written and directed by Rolf de Heer, and starring Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill and Carmel Johnson. Hope stars as the titular character, a mentally challenged man who has been held ...
(1993), Never Too Late (2020),
December Boys ''December Boys'' is a 2007 Australian drama film directed by Rod Hardy and written by Marc Rosenberg and adapted from the 1963 novel of the same name by Michael Noonan. It was released on 14 September 2007 in the United Kingdom and the United ...
(2007),
Boys in the Trees ''Boys in the Trees'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, in April 1978. The lead single, " You Belong to Me", reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart, becoming Simon ...
(2016),
Anzac Girls The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comman ...
(2014),
Like Minds ''Like Minds'' is a 2006 Australian thriller film written and directed by Gregory J. Read. The film was produced by the South Australian Film Corporation. It debuted in Australia on 9 November 2006. The psychological thriller is the first Aus ...
(2006),
Oranges and Sunshine ''Oranges and Sunshine'' is a 2010 Australian drama film directed by Jim Loach as his directorial debut. It stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, with a screenplay by Rona Munro, based on the 1994 book ''Empty Cradles'' by Margaret Hu ...
(2010),
Cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...
(2000), Thunderstruck (2004), The Flip Side (2018), Heaven's Burning (1997),
The Time Guardian ''The Time Guardian'' is a 1987 Australian science fiction film directed by Brian Hannant, co-written by John Baxter and Hannant, and starring Tom Burlinson, Nikki Coghill, Dean Stockwell, and Carrie Fisher. ''The Time Guardian'' was released in ...
(1987),
Dance Me to My Song ''Dance Me to My Song'' is a 1998 Australian drama film directed by Rolf de Heer. It was entered into the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. The film grossed $175,138 at the box office in Australia. Heather Rose described her intention to make the scre ...
(1998), Black and White (2002), Look Both Ways (2005),
Playing Beatie Bow ''Playing Beatie Bow'' is a popular Australian children's novel, written by Ruth Park and first published on 31 January 1980. It features a time slip in Sydney, Australia. Plot summary Lynette Kirk has been a happy child, cheery about her paren ...
(1986),
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
(1982),
Golden Fiddles ''Golden Fiddles'' is a 1994 Australian mini series based on the novel by Mary Grant Bruce. It was shot from 23 July to 16 September 1991 and was re-edited into a TV movie in 1994.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxfo ...
(1991), Lust and Revence (1996),
In a Savage Land ''In a Savage Land'' is a 1999 Australian film set in New Guinea just prior to and during World War II. It won the 2000 ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack. Story The film opens in pre-1938 Adelaide, where Phillip Spence (Donovan) i ...
(1999), Deck Dogz (2005),
Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...
(1989),
Call Me Mr. Brown ''Call Me Mr. Brown'' is a 1986 Australian movie based on the 1971 Qantas bomb hoax,Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p22 written and directed by South Australian director Scott Hicks. In the ...
(1986), Working Class Boy (2018),
Wrong Side of the Road ''Wrong Side of the Road'' is a 1981 low-budget feature film made in South Australia. It is distinctive for being one of the first attempts to bring modern Australian Aboriginal music to a non-Indigenous audience, featuring all-Aboriginal rock r ...
(1981), Here I Am (2011),
The New Adventures of Black Beauty ''The New Adventures of Black Beauty'' was a television drama series produced in the early 1990s. The show was produced first in New Zealand, then in Australia. The two different productions had different characters and plotlines, un-related e ...
(1992),
Ebbtide ''Ebbtide'' is a 1994 Australian direct-to-video film Plot Lawyer Jeff Warren takes over a compensation case after the sudden death of one of his partners. Production Screenwriter Bob Ellis later claimed the original script "was a really terri ...
(1994),
Sebastian and the Sparrow ''Sebastian and the Sparrow'' is a 1988 Australian film directed by Scott Hicks.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p355-356 Hicks says he wanted to make the film one he c ...
(1988),
The Life of Harry Dare ''The Life of Harry Dare'' is a 1995 Australian film about an aboriginal detective.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p101 References External links *''The Life of Harry Dare''at Creative Spi ...
(1995).
Youth on the March ''Youth on the March'' is an American religious television program originally broadcast on ABC from October 1949 to May 1952, and by the DuMont Television Network from October 1952 to June 1953. The show was presented by the Young People's Churc ...
(2017),
Who Killed Jenny Langby? ''Who Killed Jenny Langby?'' is a 1974 Australian television documentary directed by Donald Crombie and starring Peter Cummins Peter Cummins (born 2 June 1931 in Melbourne) is an Australian retired character actor of stage and screen and cho ...
(1974), The Hunter (2008).


Sport

Port Adelaide's strong sporting tradition and culture extend into other sports with most clubs using black and white along with the magpie as their club symbols.


Sporting clubs

*Port Adelaide Athletics Club (est. 1870) *Port Adelaide Rowing Club (est. 1877) *Port Adelaide Sailing Club (est. 1897) *
Port Adelaide Cricket Club Port Adelaide Cricket Club is a cricket club in Adelaide, South Australia. Its home oval is the Port Reserve, Port Adelaide. The club was founded in 1893. Port Adelaide has played in the South Australian Grade Cricket League since 1897. Hist ...
(est. 1897) *Port Adelaide Cycling Club (est. 1897) * Port Adelaide Baseball Club (est. 1889) * Port Adelaide Pirates (Soccer) (est. 1903) *Port Adelaide Bowling Club (est. 1903) *Port Adelaide Rugby Union Club (est. 1933) *Port Adelaide District Hockey Club (est. 1934) *Port Adelaide Tennis Club (est. 1973)


Port Adelaide Football Club

Port Adelaide is home to the
Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
, an
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
team. Its headquarters and training facility and home ground for
South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...
(SANFL) games is
Alberton Oval Alberton Oval is located in Alberton, a north-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The ground is a public park and is exclusively leased to the Port Adelaide Football Club for Australian rules football. History With the nearby Queens ...
. Founded in 1870, the club has competed in the SANFL from 1877 until 1996, and in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
AFL since 1997. The club was awarded the second AFL licence in South Australia in doing so becoming the only pre-existing non-Victorian club to gain entry into the competition. It had won 34 SANFL Premierships before its move to the AFL. The club is still represented by its reserves team in the SANFL.


Governance and politics


Local governance

The office of the
City of Port Adelaide Enfield The City of Port Adelaide Enfield, located across inner north and north-western suburbs of Adelaide, is one of the largest metropolitan councils within South Australia. It was established on 26 March 1996 by the amalgamation of the City of Por ...
is in the Council Chambers in St Vincent Street. The Council area is divided into seven wards that span across 51 suburbs and the Mayor is Claire Boan.


State politics

Port Adelaide is the namesake of its state electorate and its current elected representative is
Susan Close Susan Elizabeth Close (born 12 November 1967) is an Australian politician, who is currently the Deputy Premier of South Australia since March 2022. She also holds the ministerial portfolios of Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minist ...
(Labor).


Federal politics

Up until 2019, Port Adelaide was the namesake of its federal electorate; however, the suburb of Port Adelaide is now under the electorate of Hindmarsh and the current elected representative is
Mark Butler Mark Christopher Butler (born 8 July 1970) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives since 2007. He was a minister in the Gillard and Rudd Governments and al ...
(Labor).


Educational facilities

Tauondi Aboriginal College is located at 1 Lipson Street.


Museums


National Railway Museum

A railway museum was created by rail preservationists, and opened in 1963 on Railway Terrace,
Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...
. The mostly outdoor exhibits remained on this site until 1988; during this period the
gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, ...
steam train known as Bub was built. Involvement of the
History Trust of South Australia The History Trust of South Australia, sometimes referred to as History SA, was created as a statutory corporation by the ''History Trust of South Australia Act 1981'', to safeguard South Australia’s heritage and to encourage research and public ...
and receipt of a $2 million Australian Bicentennial Commemorative Grant enabled the museum's relocation to Port Adelaide in 1988. On 10 December of that year the Port Dock Railway Museum was opened by State Premier
John Bannon John Charles Bannon (7 May 1943 – 13 December 2015) was an Australian politician and academic. He was the 39th Premier of South Australia, leading the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party from a single term in opposition ba ...
. The museum was sited in the former
Port Dock railway station Port Dock railway station – named Port Adelaide until 1916 – was located in the commercial centre of Port Adelaide, South Australia at the corner of St Vincent Street and Lipson Street. It was the original terminus of the railway betwe ...
, and retained the "Port Dock" name until 2001 when it was renamed the National Railway Museum. A significant change in 2001 was the opening of the
Commonwealth Railways The Commonwealth Railways were established in 1917 by the Government of Australia with the Commonwealth Railways Act to administer the Trans-Australia and Port Augusta to Darwin railways. It was absorbed into Australian National in 1975. O ...
display pavilion. It was built with the assistance of a grant received under the Federation Grant Scheme; a scheme that commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the
Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...
. The pavilion was officially opened in October by the Honorable Peter McGauran, then Federal Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation.Sampson and Offler (2003), p.3. Visitors can ride in historic railway and custom-built narrow gauge carriages. ''Bub'', a 457 mm steam locomotive, and Ken, a 457 mm diesel locomotive, take passengers on a loop track around the two main pavilions. Another 457 mm steam locomotive, ''Bill'', is used for some of the year on a seafront rail line between Semaphore and
Fort Glanville Conservation Park Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia located in Semaphore Park, a seaside suburb of Adelaide consisting of a functional 19th century fort listed on the South Australian Heritag ...
.Sampson and Offler (2003), p.20. ''Peronne'', a
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
steam locomotive, is used for further runs during special events. This locomotive was built in 1919 and used by Broken Hill Associated Smelters at
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
until 1964. The museum is an independent entity, run by
volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
s and a small paid staff. It has track and trains representing all three main rail gauges used in South Australia: broad (); standard (); and narrow (). Locomotives and rail stock fill two large display pavilions, and are accompanied by other historic railway related displays. On site is the
South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...
listed Port Dock Goods Shed, the last remaining building from the former railway station. It was built in the 1870s and showcases the wooden construction techniques used by the
South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Austr ...
in the 19th century. The museum has a railway-related retail shop, hosts special events including an Annual ''Friends of Thomas'' show. The 1947 cafeteria car, or the entire site, can be hired.


South Australian Maritime Museum

On Lipson Street, within a historic warehouse, is the South Australian Maritime Museum. The Maritime Museum builds on the legacy of previous organisations including the Port Adelaide Institute. The Museum holds in trust, a collection that the Institute founded in 1872 and is now the oldest nautical collection in Australia.


''City of Adelaide'' clipper

After a 14-year campaign the ''City of Adelaide'' Preservation Trust was successful in its bid to return the historic 1864 clipper ''City of Adelaide'' from Scotland to Port Adelaide, where she finally arrived in the inner harbour on 6 February 2014. The ''City of Adelaide'' has a strong connection with South Australia, to which she made 23 voyages between 1864 and 1886, bringing an estimated 889 passengers who came to settle in South Australia. The clipper's hull is being temporarily stored on a barge moored in Dock 1 of the port's inner harbour for the next 6–12 months, until a permanent location is selected and prepared. A major celebration was planned for the ship's 150th anniversary, on 17 May 2014.


South Australian Aviation Museum

The South Australian Aviation Museum is the State's official aviation museum. It is run by an independent non-profit voluntary organisation that is accredited by the History Trust of South Australia. The museum was formed in 1984 at Glenelg and relocated in 1986 to a former Port Adelaide
Flourmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
. It relocated again in 1996, to an aircraft
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
also in Port Adelaide, and in January 2006 opened on its present site in Lipson Street, adjacent to the railway museum. In 1991 the State Historical Aviation Collection became part of the museum. This collection was formerly held by the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. A collection of rockets from Woomera was received for display in 1996. Amongst the exhibits are a recently retired
Lockheed AP-3C Orion The Lockheed AP-3C Orion is a variant of the P-3 Orion used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for tasks such as naval fleet support, maritime surveillance, search and survivor supply and anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. The 18 AP ...
, a General Dynamics F-111C and a GAF Mirage IIID, which was formerly the gate guard at
RAAF Base Edinburgh RAAF Base Edinburgh is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located in Edinburgh approximately north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and forms part of the Edinburgh Defence Precinct. The base is primarily home to No 9 ...
. Older aircraft include a Spitfire Mark VC that was recovered after crashing in Papua New Guinea in 1943, a
de Havilland Sea Venom The de Havilland Sea Venom is a British postwar carrier-capable jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Venom. It served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and with the Royal Australian Navy. The French Navy operated the Aquilon, develo ...
and a Westland Wessex HAS.31B, formerly from the aircraft carrier and a
Douglas C-47B The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to su ...
(Dakota) that was used for Government VIP transportation.


Austbuilt Maritime Museum

The Austbuilt Maritime Museum, operated by the Port Adelaide Historical Society, is located on Fletcher Road, Peterhead. It houses an extensive collection of maritime memorabilia accumulated by the late Keith Le Leu, who famously bought the steam tug ''Fearless'' for $1 in Brisbane in 1972 and steamed it to Adelaide. This vessel, currently owned by the South Australian Maritime Museum, remains on hardstand at Cruickshanks Corner near the Birkenhead Bridge, while its fate is still to be determined. During his lifetime, Keith Le Leu also donated other maritime artefacts for public display around Port Adelaide. These include two large anchors that sit outside the Birkenhead Tavern and another outside Le Fevre High School. The museum and these anchors form nodes along the Port Adelaide Anchor Trail, which was created in 2020.


Australian Museum of Childhood

The Australian Museum of Childhood displays a collection of toys that were manufactured in Australia from the 1890s onwards. The toys were collected by Alan Griffiths over a 30-year period.


Transport and bridges

The first
transport infrastructure Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
in the suburb was the construction of a long road from the port to near the present Alberton Hotel. The road was opened in October 1840. The cost of this road, and the
causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
upon which it ran proved so large that Governor Gawler allowed the constructing company to charge a
toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow toll, ...
. Later investigations showed the company was making excessive profits and a compromise was reached where the colony leased the roadway. Ownership of the roadway was later moved to the government, in exchange for land at Dry Creek. The river was first crossed with a wooden bridge in the 1850s. This was replaced with the iron
Jervois Bridge The Jervois Bridge is a bridge in Greater Adelaide, Australia that crosses the Port River. Construction of the original Jervois Bridge from Port Adelaide to Ethelton commenced in July 1875, using components manufactured in England by Westwood ...
in 1878; It was named by Sir
William Jervois Lieutenant General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois (10 September 1821 – 17 August 1897) was a British military engineer and diplomat. After joining the British Army in 1839, he saw service, as a second captain, in South Africa. In 18 ...
after himself. Jervois Bridge was an opening bridge first operated by horse power, and later by mechanical means. It was replaced with a fixed bridge in the same position in 1969, when there was no longer a need for small boats to pass. Birkenhead Bridge, the first
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
in Australia, opened in 1940. In 2004 Premier Mike Rann said the State government would build new rail and road bridges over the Port River at a cost of $178 million. On 3 April 2005 he announced that the 'opening and closing' bridges would be toll-free and would be opened twice a day to minimise disruptions to road traffic. It was opened for traffic on 3 August 2008. It is between Docks 1 and 2 at Port Adelaide and links with Francis Street to the east and Victoria Road to the west.
Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridge The Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridge, commonly referred to as the 'Diver' Derrick Bridge, is an opening single-leaf bascule road bridge over the Port River, Port Adelaide, in South Australia. It opened on 1 August 2008. It is located between Docks ...
, commonly referred to as the 'Diver' Derrick Bridge, is an opening, single-leaf bascule bridge over the
Port River The Port River (officially known as the Port Adelaide River) is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European ...
. It was built at the same time as an adjacent rail crossing, the
Mary MacKillop Bridge The Mary MacKillop Bridge is a bascule bridge in Adelaide, Australia that carries the Dry Creek-Port Adelaide railway line over the Port River. In July 2005, Abigroup was awarded a contract to build a railway bridge and the adjoining Tom 'Diver' ...
. At the opening of both bridges Rann unveiled a plaque dedicated to Mary Mackillop blessed by Pope Benedict during his recent visit to Sydney. The Port Adelaide and Le Fevre Peninsula Ferry Co began operations in 1877,
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
ing passengers from the end of Commercial Road to the other side of the river. The ferry stopped operating in 1943, consequent to opening of the Birkenhead Bridge. In April 1856 a
rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...
line reached the port, crossing the almost empty plain from Adelaide. By 1876 it was a thriving seaport and the principal artery from South Australia, to the rest of the country and to the World. To service the numerous stores and warehouses, many railway lines were built around the wharf areas, along streets, and connecting with the main lines from Adelaide. A
horse tram A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...
line was constructed from Port Adelaide to Albert Park in 1879. This line was built in broad gauge to accommodate
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s. Some of the line was raised on
embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...
s to avoid swampy ground and flooding. The line used horse trams until 1914, when conversion to electric operation began. It reopened on 3 April 1917. From 1917 until its closure in 1935, the Port Adelaide tram system was not connected to the rest of Adelaide's light rail network. Rail transport in the 21st century uses the
Port Adelaide railway station Port Adelaide station is a railway station located on the Outer Harbor line. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Alberton, it is 11.7 kilometres from Adelaide station. History The line from Adelaide to Port Adelaide was the sec ...
which has two elevated platforms located on a
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
, built in 1919. Trains connect to Adelaide and Outer Harbor. The line was closed in November 2009 to enable upgrade work on the line, station and viaduct. The line and station re-opened in 2010. Scheduled bus services directly connect Port Adelaide to much of metropolitan Adelaide. The Labor State Government promised that the
Glenelg tram line The Glenelg tram line is a tram/ light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic. The service is free in the city centre and a ...
would be extended down Port Road as far as Port Adelaide by 2018. However, during that year, the newly elected Liberal Party government scrapped the tram network expansion. In 2005 the road portion of the
Port River Expressway Port River Expressway is a freeway-grade road. The expressway links Port Adelaide and the LeFevre Peninsula across the north-western suburbs of Adelaide to major interstate routes via North-South Motorway. The expressway is only grade-separate ...
was completed. It is a
freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
-grade road, which links Port Adelaide and the
Lefevre Peninsula The Lefevre Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Australian state of South Australia located about northwest of the Adelaide city centre. It is a narrow sand spit of about running north from its connection to the mainland. The name given ...
to the northern suburbs of
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, and major interstate routes via
Salisbury Highway Salisbury Highway (and its northern section as John Rice Avenue) is a 15 kilometre major connecting road in the northern suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area. It is designated part of route A9. Route Salisbury Highway starts at the interch ...
.


Famous Portonians

People who have lived around the Port Adelaide area include: * Bryan Dawe * John Hart *Kancho Bill Fenton *
Mortimer Menpes Mortimer Luddington Menpes (22 February 1855 – 1 April 1938) was an Australian-born British painter, author, printmaker and illustrator. Life Menpes was born in Port Adelaide, South Australia, the second son of property developer James ...
*
John Menadue John Laurence Menadue (born 8 February 1935) is an Australian businessman and public commentator, and formerly a senior public servant and diplomat. He served as Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1975 to 1976, work ...
* Bob Quinn


See also

* Naval Base Adelaide


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* *


External links


South Australian Aviation Museum


Accessed 30 March 2012.

– Flinders Ports.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council


* ttp://mapco.net/port1852/port.htm Map Of Port Adelaide, Section 2112 B. 25 November 1852.* ttp://www.adelaidefounder.blogspot.com/ Review of Founding History {{City of Port Adelaide Enfield suburbs Adelaide, Port Suburbs of Adelaide