SAPlanned settlement
Largs Bay
A company resort built around a pier, a railway and a grand hotel.
1873Elders’ seaside township advertised
WHAT STARTED IT
Largs Bay lies on the gulf shore of Lefevre Peninsula, north of Semaphore and close to the mouth of the Port River. The Elder brothers subdivided land here in 1873, and the Largs Bay Company later built a jetty and railway to turn it into a resort and landing place.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The company’s railway and pier opened on 23 December 1882, and the £11,000 Largs Pier Hotel was hailed as the finest in the colony. A fort was armed nearby in 1883, and after the Government bought the railway and jetty in 1891 English mail steamers landed passengers and mail at Largs.
TURNING POINTS
1873George and Thomas Elder advertise a seaside township, first as Margate and then as Largs.
1882The Largs Bay Company opens its railway and pier on 23 December.
1883Guns are moved into the new Largs Bay Fort, and the Largs Pier Hotel is described as the finest in the colony.
1891The Government buys the Largs Bay railway and jetty.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A seaside suburb of about 4,100 people in 2021. The jetty and the Largs Pier Hotel still face each other at the foot of Jetty Road.