1. Image: A photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a white-haired man with goatee. He is wearing a suit and is standing with his arms crossed

    Kidman, Sir Sidney

    Abstemious but easy-going, Sir Sidney Kidman was a pastoralist and philanthropist who made friends easily.

    Historical Person | By Rob Linn | North Terrace | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century

  2. Image: Black and white photograph of man wearing formal clothes and livery collar

    Elder GCMG, Sir Thomas

    A pastoralist, philanthropist and businessman, Elder supported numerous outback expeditions and Adelaide institutions.

    Historical Person | By Rob Linn | North Terrace, Parklands | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s

  3. Image: A photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a middle-aged bearded man wearing a cravat and overcoat

    Hughes, Sir Walter

    A pastoralist and mine-owner once accused of fraud, Hughes stated shortly before his death: ‘I have been a sinner all my life’.

    Historical Person | By Patricia Sumerling | North Terrace | 1840s, mid nineteenth century

  4. Image: crowd of people around large bronze statue of seated man

    Sir Walter Watson Hughes statue

    The bronze figure of Sir Walter Watson Hughes by Francis Williamson stands on a massive block of red granite.

    Historical Thing | By Jude Elton and James Hunter, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1900-1910, 2000-2010

  5. Blue background with yellow green and blue blow and dashed lines spiraling across the blue.

    Slovaks in South Australia

    The first known Slovak to arrive in Australia was Brother Jakub Longa, a Jesuit, who was sent to Australia in 1888 to help found an Aboriginal mission at Daly Waters in the Northern Territory

    Historical Subject | By Migration Museum | 1880s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

  6. Image: Street sign

    Social structure

    Social structure and class are more than income and wealth and involve status, religion and ethnicity too

    Historical Subject | By Margaret Allen | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  7. Green Dragon Hotel, 1939

    South Terrace

    Mansions at one end and cottages at the other, with businesses, welfare, medical and educational institutions in between, all overlooking the parklands

    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, 1980s, 2000-2010

  8. Image: printing press

    Stanhope Press

    The Stanhope press brought to Holdfast Bay in 1836 was used to print the Proclamation of South Australia. 

    Collection Item | 1830s

  9. Image: a lithograph of a man in profile wearing a straw hat and smoking a cigar

    Street Naming Committee

    Colonial factions struggled over the names to bestow on Adelaide's streets

    Historical Organisation | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s

  10. Image: survey chain

    Survey Chain

    Survey chain used by Isaac Guley in surveying the City of Adelaide with Colonel Light.

    Collection Item | Central Market, East Terrace, Hindley Street, North Terrace, Northwest corner, Parklands, River Torrens, Rundle Mall, Rundle Street east, Southeast corner, Southwest corner | 1830s

  11. Image: people standing in front of buildings

    Synagogue Place

    Synagogue Place, named after the Synagogue built in 1850, has been the centre of the Jewish community in South Australia for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It has since grown, becoming increasingly commercialised with numerous businesses making it their home. 

    Historical Place | By Owen Hems | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  12. Image: photo of the members of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union

    Temperance

    The temperance movement saw the abolition of alcohol as a cure for society’s ills – and also believed it was an achievable goal.

    Historical Subject | By Judith Raftery | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  13. Image: Proclamation sign

    The first reading of the proclamation

    The December 1836 proclamation at Holdfast Bay is South Australia’s best known historical event, despite it often being misunderstood

    Historical Event | By Margaret Anderson, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s

  14. Image: two ships on still water

    The hulk 'Fitzjames'

    Between 1880 and 1891 the hulk Fitzjames, colloquially known as ‘Hell afloat’, served as a Reformatory for over 100 boys aged from 8 to 16 years of age. 

    Historical Thing | By Nikki Sullivan | 1880s, 1890s

  15. Image: Printed document headed ’Proclamation’

    The Proclamation

    South Australia’s first vice-regal proclamation was read at Holdfast Bay on 28 December 1836

    Historical Subject | By Margaret Anderson, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s

  16. Image: Front view of a theatre building with cars driving in the foreground and people on the street

    Theatre

    South Australia’s theatrical beginnings were commercial and entrepreneurial: trade as much as art drove public houses and performance together.

    Historical Subject | By Gus Worby | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  17. Image: Photographic portrait of a middle-aged Caucasian man in the clothing of a Christian minister. He is sitting in an high-backed chair and has his right hand resting on a book--possibly a bible

    Stow, Thomas

    Founder of the Congregational Church in South Australia, Thomas Stow was a strenuous minister and a dedicated opponent of state aid to religion.

    Historical Person | By Brian Jones | North Terrace | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s

  18. Image: A photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a young Caucasian man wearing a light-coloured, late-Victorian era suit and sporting a very large handlebar moustache

    Smith, Mr. Tom

    A proverbial chip off the old block, Tom Elder Barr Smith was an astute businessman and generous philanthropist.

    Historical Person | By Pamela Oborn | North Terrace | 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s

  19. Image: A photographic portrait of a middle-aged Caucasian man with a full beard and head of hair. He is wearing an Edwardian-era suit and tie

    Price, Mr. Thomas

    As the first Labor premier of South Australia, Tom Price established a minimum wage and electrified the tramways.

    Historical Person | By Nick Ganzis | North Terrace | 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910

  20. Image: Building front view

    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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. Venere di Canova, 2013

    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

  25. Image: trees in from of a building with tall tower

    Victoria Square/ Tarntanyangga

    Victoria Square, named after Princess Victoria (later Queen Victoria) in 1836, is the central and most significant of Adelaide’s squares.

    Historical Place | By Owen Hems | Central Market | Aboriginal Country pre-contact, early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  26. Image: People in a field picking grapes

    Viticulture

    The growing of grape vines dates from the earliest years of European settlement in South Australia.

    Historical Subject | By Dr Geoffrey Bishop | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  27. Image: Walter Gill

    Gill, Mr. Walter

    A conscientious and gifted forestry administrator, Walter Gill was also an enthusiastic nature photographer.

    Historical Person | By Dr David Jones | North Terrace | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century

  28. 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

  29. Sir John Langdon Bonython, 1926

    Wealth

    In South Australia, the prime key to wealth has been land. From its inception as a European colony, ownership (or control) of land meant access to agricultural and mineral resources. For the Aboriginal peoples, dispossession meant devastation.

    Historical Subject | By Martin P Shanahan | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

  30. Image: parklands

    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

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