1910s

Torrens Building

Built in 1881, this heritage-listed building on Victoria Square has long captured the public's imagination with tales of secret tunnels.

Historical Place | By Alexander Parsons, History Trust of South Australia | Central Market | 1870s, 1880s

Torrens Lake Fountain

The Torrens Lake Fountain commemorates the first time South Australia was visited by a reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in 1954.

Historical Thing | By Madeleine Ryan, History Trust of South Australia | Parklands | 1950s

Torrens Title

The Torrens title system for land ownership was inaugurated in South Australia has led the world in the computerisation of real property title information.

Historical Subject | By Peter Moore | 1830s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s

Image: People walking and others fishing with hand rods from a wooden jetty

Tourism

The South Australian Tourism Commission, established in 1993, focuses on marketing South Australia as a tourist destination to interstate and overseas markets.

Historical Subject | By Lyn Leader-Elliot | North Terrace, Parklands | 1880s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010

Tricycle

Tricycle, painted red and white.

Collection Item | 1950s

Image: two people walking through underground brick-walled rooms

Tunnels of Adelaide

Adelaide tunnel tales are a perennial favourite in the popular press, and are cheerfully perpetuated by tour operators and publicans everywhere.

Historical Thing | By Deb Morgan | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: group stand in front of a tavern building with four women standing on a balcony in the tavern

United Trades and Labor Council

Carpenters, tailors, bakers, carriers, cordwainers and coachmakers had formed unions within ten years of European settlement of South Australia, and by the 1870s there were thousands of union members in the colony.

Historical Organisation | By Tom Sheridan | 1890s, 1910s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s

Venere di Canova

A startled Venus caused consternation as Adelaide’s first public statue in 1892

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s

Image: A simple line drawing of a man in cricket batsman attire swinging a cricket bat

Richardson, Mr. Victor

The term 'all-round sportsman' might have been coined for Victor York Richardson, who excelled at cricket, football, baseball, lacrosse, tennis and basketball.

Historical Person | By Dr Bernard Whimpress | North Terrace | 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s

Victoria Park Racecourse

The permanent establishment of what became popularly known as the 'Old Adelaide Racecourse' was exceptionally controversial

User Story | East Terrace | 1860s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Violet Day

Before the poppy became the recognised flower for war memorials the violet, in South Australia, was the 'symbol of perpetual remembrance'.

Historical Event | By Catherine Manning, History Trust of South Australia | 1910s, 1920s

Image: book cover in discoloured beige with purple writing

Violet Verses

The publication 'Violet Verses' was released on 29 June in 1917 as part of the third Adelaide Violet Day, organised by the Cheer-Up society as a fundraiser for the war effort.

Collection Item | 1910s

Voyagers

The lives and cultures of ‘Afghan’ cameleers are recognised in Whitmore Square

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Southwest corner | 1860s, 1870s, 2000-2010

Bagot , Walter

Bagot was an architect whose work, including Bonython Hall and the Barr Smith Library, displays his preference for classical and traditional designs.

Historical Person | By Dr David Jones | North Terrace | 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s

Image: carved grey granite horse trough memorial situated in the East parklands

War Horse Memorial

Remembering the role of horses in war.

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton & Bernard O'Neil, History Trust of South Australia | Parklands | 1910s, 1920s, 1960s, early twenty–first century

War Memorial

Architect Louis Laybourne-Smith and sculptor George Rayner Hoff created a memorial that conveys the impact of the First World War

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 2000-2010

Image: A small circular badge with painted wattle flowers with text above them which says for our own

Wattle Day

1 September in Australia is Wattle Day, though not widely known, some have argued it should replace Australia Day.

Historical Event | By Catherine Manning, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1900-1910, 1910s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: Man addresses crowd at rotunda on Wattle Day

Wattle Day League

The Wattle Day League was responsible for campaigning to establish 'Wattle Day', a national day of celebration, within Australia and helped raise funds on the home front to help support Australian soldiers fighting in the First World War.

Historical Organisation | By Jack Evans, History Trust of South Australia | 1900-1910, 1910s, First World War

West Parklands

A temporary camping ground for the early European settlers, the West Parklands developed to host most notably a cemetery and a school.

Historical Place | By Margaret Anderson, History Trust of South Australia | Northwest corner, Southwest corner | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s

West Terrace

A major cemetery, a palace and an observatory have graced West Terrace along with its parklands border

Historical Place | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 2000-2010, 2010s

Image: Photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a middle-aged Caucasian man in the uniform of a high-ranking Australian Army officer

Veale, Mr. William

Soldier, engineer and Adelaide Town Clerk William Veale is celebrated for revitalising the city's parklands.

Historical Person | By Robert Thornton | North Terrace | 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s

Image: A photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a young, moustachioed man dressed in Victorian attire. He is wearing a cravat with a large pin or pendant embedded within it

Gosse, Mr. William

Short-lived explorer and surveyor William Christie Gosse was the first European to set eyes on Uluru.

Historical Person | By Anthony Laube | North Terrace | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s

Hay, William

William Gosse Hay was the son of a wealthy pastoralist, and a writer. Author of six novels which are stirring tales of noble heroes struggling to maintain moral honour in convict-era Tasmania. His unfinished work, ‘The Return of Robert Wasterton’, is set in 1890s Victor Harbor.

Historical Person | By Anthony Laube | 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s