SAPort & river
Glenelg
South Australia’s first colonists came ashore on this beach.
1836Colonists land at Holdfast Bay
WHAT STARTED IT
Holdfast Bay offered an anchorage and an open beach where the first emigrant ships could land people and stores in 1836. Camps went up behind the beach near the Sturt (Patawalonga) River, and the province was proclaimed there that December.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The Glenelg town site was sold in 1839, and a 381-metre jetty opened in 1859 for shipping and mail. The private railway from Adelaide in 1873 made the landing place the colony’s chief seaside resort, with hotels, baths and a jetty kiosk.
TURNING POINTS
1836Emigrants land at Holdfast Bay, and Governor Hindmarsh proclaims the province on 28 December.
1839The right to buy the Glenelg town acres is decided by ballot.
1859The first 381-metre jetty opens on 25 April.
1873The private Adelaide, Glenelg and Suburban Railway opens from Victoria Square to the Bay.
1948A storm on 11 April destroys most of the old jetty.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A beachside suburb and visitor centre at the end of the tram line, with Jetty Road shops and high-rise apartments. The Old Gum Tree in Glenelg North still marks the proclamation site.