SAPlanned settlement
Henley Beach
Sold as the shortest way from Adelaide to the sea.
1860Seafront township offered for sale
WHAT STARTED IT
Henley Beach is the nearest stretch of coast to Adelaide, nearly two miles closer than Glenelg, beyond the Reedbeds west of the city. Its first owner subdivided seafront sections here in 1860 for townsfolk wanting sea air and bathing.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Growth was slow until 1877, when new owners relaunched the township with a seawall and a hotel; in 1883 a horse tramway from Hindmarsh reached the beach and the first pile of a jetty was driven. The jetty and its pavilion made Henley a summer resort, and in 1915 residents sought their own municipality apart from Woodville and West Torrens.
TURNING POINTS
1860William Bartley auctions seafront blocks of 2 to 4 acres as the Township of Henley Beach.
1877New owners Arthur Harvey, Henry Anthony and William Wicksteed relaunch the township, with a seawall and hotel under way.
1883The Hindmarsh tramway reaches Henley Beach and the first pile of the jetty is driven on 13 February.
1915Residents petition to form a Henley Beach and Grange municipality.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A beachside suburb of about 6,300 people in 2021, centred on Henley Square and the jetty. It is still one of Adelaide’s busiest summer beaches.