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Aboriginal Missions

Christianity was first introduced to the Kaurna of the Adelaide plains by two German Lutheran missionaries, Clamor Schürmann and Christian…

Aboriginal people

1970s, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Adelaide Steamship Company

The Adelaide Steamship Company was Australia’s largest shipping company and one of South Australia’s most successful business ventures.

1870s, 1880s, 1890s, early twentieth century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century
Agriculture

South Australian agriculture began in 1837 with activity in Adelaide Plains, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Barossa Valley and Clare.

1830s, 1840s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
Ash Wednesday

The bushfires of 16 February 1983 had a devastating impact on many South Australians.

bushfire, community, disaster

1980s
Essington Lewis, CH

An outstanding work ethic drove Essington Lewis to devote his whole life to developing industry in Australia, in particular the…

early twentieth century, mid twentieth century
Eyre Peninsula

South Australia’s largest peninsula and best-defined region has a long history but to date no general historian.

early nineteenth century, early twentieth 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…

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
Floods

Paradoxically, the only parts of South Australia to experience occasional serious disruption of by flooding are the far distant sparsely…

1840s, 1860s, 1870s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 2010s
Historical Relics Collection

A collection of nearly 400 objects related to the foundation and settlement of the British colony of South Australia.

1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s
HMCS Protector

Built between 1882 and 1884, South Australia’s only colonial warship was a veteran of three major conflicts and still exists today as…

1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 2010s, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century
Milpara Migrant Hostel

Milpara provided a place to stay while migrants waited for their new homes to be ready.

1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Mines and mining

South Australia’s rich mineral wealth is reflected in the state’s long mining history

1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1940s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
National Parks

South Australia’s national parks preserve the state’s unique flora, fauna, cultural sites and scenic beauty, providing enjoyment to many.

early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century
Ngadlu Padninthi Kamangka (We Walk Together) mural

Narisha Cash’s mural acknowledges and celebrates the Kaurna people as the traditional owners and custodians of Adelaide and the Adelaide…

public art

2010s, Aboriginal Country pre-contact, early twenty–first century
Port Adelaide Lighthouse

Installed in the 1860s as Port Adelaide’s first fixed navigational beacon, and later used at South Neptune Island, the Port…

1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s
Prisons

Although South Australia was proclaimed a free settlement, colonial officials soon found they needed a gaol to house lawbreakers.

correction, crime, criminal, Gaol, prisoner, yatala

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Regions/Regionalism

Regions/Regionalism, meaning extensive and distinctive areas and human attachments to them, these are words to conjure with in the South Australian…

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Sylvia Birdseye

Sylvia Birdseye was born Sylvia Jessie Catherine Merrill near Port Augusta on 26 January 1902, the daughter of station-hand Charles…

Great Depression, mid twentieth century, Second World War
Tourism

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

1880s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010
William Ranson Mortlock

William Ranson Mortlock was born in about 1821 at Moat House, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, England, the son of William Mortlock and…

1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s

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‘Great Fires’ of Port Adelaide

‘Great Fires’ of Port Adelaide

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19th Century Childbirth

19th Century Childbirth

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Aboriginal Land Rights

Aboriginal Land Rights

Most popular Subjects

Afghans

Afghans

A transcontinental train, ‘The Ghan’, now commemorates the Afghan cameleers and their beasts who helped to pioneer the Outback

Bicycles

Bicycles

From ‘boneshakers’ to penny-farthings to mountain bikes, bicycles have certainly changed since the 1860s.

Copper Industry

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

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