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‘Great Fires’ of Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide has been ravaged by fire several times in its history, but three blazes in particular, in 1847, 1857 and…

1840s, 1850s, 1880s
19th Century Childbirth

When men and women married in the 1830s they generally assumed that children would follow promptly and regularly.

childbirths

childbirth, infant mortality, midwifery, women

early nineteenth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century
Aboriginal Land Rights

The 1834 British statute authorising the establishment of the colony of South Australia described the region as ‘waste and unoccupied’,…

civil rights, land rights, land tenure, native title, settlement

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Aboriginal Languages of South Australia

More than 50 Aboriginal groups occupied what became known as South Australia in 1836, each having a distinctive language and defined…
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
Aboriginal Policy and Administration

South Australia’s Foundation Act, passed by the British parliament in 1834, made no reference to the Aboriginal peoples who owned…

civil rights, colonial government, colonization, settlement

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Aboriginal Ration Depots

The distribution of government rations to Aboriginal people, begun in the earliest days of European settlement, continued well into the…

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Adelaide Hospital Row

A long-running dispute over a senior nursing appointment culminated with a medical officers’ strike and the temporary loss of medical…

Disputes, Hospital, Strikes

1890s, 1900-1910
Afghans

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

African and Asian Algerians have immigrated to Australia since 1973.

1970s, late twentieth century
Americans in South Australia

The first Americans who arrived in South Australia were whalers and seal hunters.

1880s, late twentieth century, Second World War
Angas Family

George Fife Angas (1789–1879), described by his biographer Edwin Hodder, who was attracted to Angas’s nonconformist piety, as ‘one of…

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century
Arbor Day

School children were encouraged to plant trees in an early sign of environmental consciousness
Archaeology

Although originating with scientists and untrained laymen, archaeology has a distinguished record in South Australia.

Aboriginal people

1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Architecture

The distinctive architectural character of Adelaide and its suburbs has disappeared since 1980 – city high-rise offices and derivative styles…

early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Archives

Archives in South Australia have grown and changed in the years since Professor Henderson’s 1915 report to the South Australian government.

early twentieth century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century
Argentinians in South Australia

Argentinian immigration to South Australia began in the 1970s, and may be attributed to the decline of Argentina’s economy and…

1970s, late twentieth century
Armenians in South Australia

The Armenian Cultural Association of South Australia was founded in 1960.

1960s, mid twentieth century
Art Galleries

Adelaide’s art galleries contribute to its reputation as a city of the arts. The South Australian Society of Arts, established…

early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Auditor-General

Independent auditing of Government is established in the position of the colonies first auditor general

1830s, 1840s, 1930s
Australia’s Drive in Culture

Drive-ins, once popular across Australia, provided a more family-friendly form of entertainment than the traditional theatre offered.
Australian Colonies Government Act

Establishing representative government was a precursor to the federation of the Australian colonies
Australian Rules Football

The structure of local Aussie Rules football competitions has changed over time, just as the game itself has continued to…

early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Austrians in South Australia

The first Austrians to arrive in South Australia were two Jesuit priests, Fathers Aloysius Kranewitter and Maximilian Klinkowstroem on December 8,…

mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Bangladeshis in South Australia

The first Bengali immigrants came to South Australia to escape the 1971 civil war between West and East Pakistan.

1970s, late twentieth century
Barr Smith Family

Robert Barr Smith (1824–1915), the son of a Scottish clergyman and his wife Marjory, née Barr, migrated to Melbourne in…

early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century
Beaches

With their carnivals and regattas, bathing-beauty competitions, amusements, sea and sand, beaches were one of the key gathering places for South…

1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Belarusians in South Australia

The first significant wave of Belarusians arrived in South Australia as Displaced Persons (DPs) when Belarus anti-communist fighters, members of…

1940s, mid twentieth century
Belgians in South Australia

The first known Belgians arrived in South Australia after the Second World War as Displaced Persons (DPs) from refugee camps…

1960s, late twentieth century

Featured Subject

‘Great Fires’ of Port Adelaide

‘Great Fires’ of Port Adelaide

Featured Subject

19th Century Childbirth

19th Century Childbirth

Featured Subject

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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