Port Adelaide Historic Precinct, home to the state’s most substantial and continuous group of colonial buildings

Port Adelaide is the first area in South Australia to be declared an historic precinct. It is home to the state’s most substantial and continuous group of colonial buildings. There are some wonderful picture opportunities.

Take your camera and stroll around this nineteenth century port with its once-grand customs house, telegraph office, shipping offices, chandlery and the Maritime Museum’s bond stores and lighthouse.

“The effective foundation day of Port Adelaide was 6 January 1837. On this day the first harbourmaster, 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 the port could be rowed around.”  Parsons, Ronald (1997). Port Misery and the new port. Lobethal, South Australia: Ronald Parsons. ISBN 0-909418-53-5.

In some ways it could be described as Fremantle on steroids!  It’s well worth the visit.

You will find a large collection of early South Australian photographs at the State Library of South Australia… here