Port Adelaide has been ravaged by fire several times in its history, but three blazes in particular, in 1847, 1857 and 1885, were particularly devastating and are known as the Port's 'Great Fires'
The historic toll house at the base of the South Eastern Freeway was constructed in 1841 as a means for funding road construction from Adelaide to Mount Barker. As the only toll road in the colony of South Australia, this system generated significant public hostility and did not even come close to covering construction and maintenance expenses. The building’s use as a toll house was therefore stopped in 1847 to great public relief.
Installed in the 1860s as Port Adelaide's first fixed navigational beacon, and later used at South Neptune Island, the Port Adelaide Lighthouse today functions as an iconic museum display in the heart of the Port.
Topic suggestion
Unable to find what you're looking for? Know of a piece of history we're missing? Suggest a new topic below for inclusion in SA History Hub.
Horseracing
Horseracing
Chinese