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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
Alexander Tolmer

By any account, Alexander Tolmer was a colourful character whose thirst for action and adventure was matched only by his…

1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s
Ash Wednesday

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

bushfire, community, disaster

1980s
Chinese

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

early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
David Unaipon

David Unaipon was born on 28th September 1872 at Point McLeay Mission, South Australia, the son of evangelist James Ngunaitponi,…

1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
Flexmore Hudson

Flexmore Hudson (1913-1988) was a poet who sacrificed much of his own creativity to promote the work of fellow writers.…

1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
Gas

Domestic oil and gas exploration and discoveries have been vital for South Australia’s development

early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
George French Angas

George French Angas was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 25th April 1822, the eldest son of George Fife…

1840s, 1850s, 1860s
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
Joachim Matthias Wendt

Joachim Matthias Wendt was Danish, born in Dägeling, Holstein, on 26th June 1830, the son of Joachim Matthias Wendt, a…

1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s
Julian Edmund Tenison Woods

This creative priest who has left an enduring legacy to education, to science and to the history of the Catholic…

1850s, 1860s, 1870s
Kerosene Lantern

This kerosene lantern gave the only light on Steph’s farm.

1980s
Labour Settlements

Labour settlements were created during the 1890s to trial collective ownership, new farming technology and the high unemployment created by…

1850s, 1890s
Lawrence Allen Wells, OBE

Lawrence Allen Wells was born on 30th April 1860 at Yallum Station, near Penola, South Australia, the son of squatter…

1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s
Mary MacKillop

Mary Helen MacKillop was born at Fitzroy, Victoria, on 15th January 1842, the first of eight children of Scottish immigrants,…

1900-1910, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century
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
Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church has a long history in South Australia, owing much to the early Scotish community.

1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 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
Sir Robert Helpmann, CBE

Robert Helpmann was comprehensively described by Ninette de Valois, the head of the Vic-Wells Ballet, as ‘talented, enthusiastic, extremely intelligent,…

early twentieth century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century
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
Walter Gill

When Walter Gill retired in 1923 after thirty-three years as South Australia’s third Conservator of Forests, he encapsulated his life…

early twentieth century, late nineteenth century
Wool

Wool has been a mainstay of the agricultural and pastoral sectors locally and internationally

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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

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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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