mid nineteenth century

Image: bearded man poses for portrait photograph

Finniss, Boyle

South Australia’s first premier was born at sea off the Cape of Good Hope and educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Historical Person | By Carol Fort | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1880s

West End Brewery fronting the south side of Hindley Street, Adelaide, 1925

Breweries and beer

How did Lion and Coopers come to be South Australia’s only major brewers of beer today?

Historical Subject | By Alison Painter | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Image: A painted portrait of a middle-aged Caucasian man in mid-nineteenth century attire. He is clean-shaven and wearing a dark neck cravat

Sturt, Captain Charles

A soldier and explorer, Captain Charles Sturt was first to chart the River Murray.

Historical Person | By Valerie Sitters | North Terrace | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s

Spence, Catherine Helen

Writer and social reformer Catherine Helen Spence was also the first woman to write a novel about Australia.

Historical Person | By Susan Magarey | 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910

Chinese

A small presence for much of the time, but growing in number and contribution to the community

Historical Subject | By Yen Ching-hwang | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Christian Churches

Its small number of independent evangelical congregations has dwindled to only the one remaining in rural South Australia.

Historical Organisation | By David Hilliard | 1840s, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Closer Settlement

Settlers believed that using land intensively maximised its value and civilised its occupants, and that holdings should be small to allow people to hold land

Historical Subject | By Bill Gammage | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Coopers Brewery

Coopers Brewery has survived where many others have failed; it is now the only Australian-owned major brewing company.

Historical Organisation | By Alison Painter | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Image: Several large brick chimneys are flanked by a number of buildings. A vague coastline is visible in the background

Copper Industry

Copper brought unexpected wealth to the new colony and was an economic mainstay for 70 years, with a resurgence since the 1980s at Olympic Dam

Historical Subject | By Peter Bell | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century

Cornish

South Australian mineral discoveries of the 1840s (especially at Kapunda and Burra in the Mid North) and extension of the farming frontier, were a magnet to the Cornish.

Historical Subject | By Mel Davies | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Image: A colour lithograph of a nineteenth-century sailing ship moored in a river surrounded by mangroves. Two arched buildings can be seen on the water line to the right of the composition, and manned row boats and sailboats are visible on the water.

Customs Houses of Port Adelaide

From its earliest days, the South Australian government applied customs duty (charges levied on all foreign and domestic imported goods) as a means of raising money to keep the colony financially s

Historical Subject | By James Hunter, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s

Image: A young Caucasian man rides a camel in the Australian outback. He is dressed in 1930s attire, including a fedora hat

Distance

Geographical position and distance have strongly shaped the European history of South Australia.

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

Image: Black and white photograph of the Anlaby house front lawn. House features mullioned windows, and deep set veranda supported by doric columns

Dutton Family

Founders of 'Anlaby' station, featured in McLeod's Daughters, the Dutton brothers contributed to early mining ventures and pastoralism in the states Mid North

Historical Subject | By Carol Fort & Wilfred Prest | 1820s, 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1990s

Edward Bates Scott migrated to New South Wales in 1838 from England, he later settled in the Murray Region, establishing a cattle station, becoming a magistrate, protector of Aboriginals, and finally a superintendent of a labour prison.

Historical Person | By Robert Foster | early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century

Image: Edward John Eyre, seated, looking off to the side, with a notebook

Eyre, Edward

Edward John Eyre (1815–1901) was English-born and educated for a military career but decided to travel to Australia instead. Arriving in Sydney in March 1833, Eyre soon displayed his flair for self-reliant leadership and adventure.

Historical Person | By Carol Fort | early nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century

Image: A group of women sit on either side of a long table arranging paper documents, a man walks by with a trolley stacked with papers.

Elections

Elections to select members of parliament or local councillors are an important part of the democratic system. Who is allowed to vote is determined by the franchise, and who may stand for election by other provisions of electoral law.

Historical Subject | By Jenny Tilby Stock | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Electricity

Although amateur scientists had tinkered with it, electricity was not put to public use in South Australia until the arrival in 1855 of Charles Todd, who pioneered electrical telegraphic communications and introduced the notion of using electricity for street lighting.

Historical Subject | By Rob Linn | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Image: R.T. Maurice’s expedition party. Three Aboriginal men standing, two white men sitting, one dog on the floor. All the men wear suits.

Exploration

The early heroic phase of South Australia’s exploration by Europeans was plagued by difficulties.

Historical Subject | By Philip Jones | early nineteenth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century

Image: window display with range of chemist products

FH Faulding & Co.

From a humble origin to major international status within the pharmaceutical industry

Historical Organisation | By Peter Donovan | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Fishing

Especially in coastal and riverine areas, fishing has always played an important role in the cultural, material and social lives of Aboriginal peoples.During the early years of European colonisation a cutter fleet supplied much-needed food for the settlers, while other fishers, operating small sailing boats or using lines or nets from the shore, hawked their catch door-to-door.

Historical Subject | By Evelyn Wallace-Carter | 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

Image: A tall gum tree stands near the bank of a river, which is visible in the distant background. The trunk of the tree is adorned with several small signs showing the year in which a major flood occurred and its water level height

Floods

Paradoxically, the only parts of South Australia to experience occasional serious disruption of by flooding are the far distant sparsely populated deserts around Lake Eyre

Historical Subject | By CR Twidale, University of Adelaide | River Torrens | 1840s, 1860s, 1870s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 2010s

Franchise

The franchise has proved a lively issue in South Australia’s political history. Before representative government, wealthy men of property claimed that parliament should represent only those with a stake in the country, whereas many colonists sought popular representation.

Historical Subject | By Dr Helen Jones | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century