Adelaide | Short History |
This is a timeline of Adelaide history.
Prior to 1800s
The Kaurna peoples traditional lands stretched from Port Broughton to Cape Jervis, encompassing the Adelaide Plains.
1830s
1836
The site for Adelaide is chosen by Colonel William Light beside the River Torrens as Australias first free colony. Governor John Hindmarsh on the HMS Buffalo lands at Holdfast Bay and proclaims the new colony of South Australia on 28 December.
1837
Colonel Light completes the survey of Adelaide and designs the citys grid layout. Single-acre allotments are made, first to holders of land orders and then by auction. The citys first hospital is opened on North Terrace.
1838
The South Australia Police, the first police force in Australia, is formed in Adelaide under Henry Inman. The first German immigrants arrive and settle in Adelaide and its surrounds.
1839
Colonel Light dies at Thebarton and is interred in Light Square - a memorial will be built over the grave. Port Road opens as the first road built in South Australia.
Late 1830s
The first stone house in Adelaide is built by William Austin Barnes on the corner of Morphet and Grote streets
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1840s
1840
The first portion of Government House is completed, becoming the first in Australia. The Corporation of Adelaide is founded as the first municipal authority in Australia, and James Hurtle Fisher is elected mayor. An agricultural show, which will become the Royal Adelaide Show, is first held in the yard of Fordhams Hotel in Grenfell Street.
1841
Construction begins of Adelaide Gaol, and the first section is completed. The Adelaide Hospital (later Royal) is opened.
1843
The first Legislative Council building is opened on North Terrace.
1844
The colonial Government takes control of the Corporation of Adelaide.
1847
St Peters College is established.
1848
Pulteney Grammar School is established. The Savings Bank of South Australia begins trading from a room in Gawler Place.
1849
City Commissioners are nominated to manage Adelaide.
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1850s
1850
G. P. Harris and J. C. Lanyon, the forerunner to Harris Scarfe, opens on Hindley Street.
1851
Responsible Government is introduced to South Australia, enfranchising wealthy male colonists.
1852
The Corporation of Adelaide is reconstituted and James Hurtle Fisher again becomes mayor. The first overland transport of gold arrives in Adelaide.
1855
Central Adelaide Mosque
1856
The South Australian Institute is founded, from which will derive the State Library, State Museum and Art Galllery. The first telegraph line and steam railway between Adelaide and Port Adelaide are opened.
1857
Adelaide Botanic Gardens opens at todays site in the Parklands off North Terrace. Railway between Adelaide and Gawler was opened.
1858
The Melbourne-Adelaide telegraph line is opened.
1859
A jetty more than 350 metres in length is constructed at Glenelg. It has a wooden lighthouse at its end, which will later be destroyed by fire.
1859
The Norwood Town Hall was built on the Parade at Norwood. It was the first Town Hall in South Australia.
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1860s
1860
Thorndon Park Reservoir supplied water through new reticulation system.
1861
East Terrace markets opened.
1863
First gas supplied to city.
1865
Bank of Adelaide founded.
1866
The Italianate Adelaide Town Hall opened.
1867
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, made first royal visit to Adelaide. Gas Street Lights first appear on Adelaide streets.
1869
The City Market (later Central) opened on Grote Street.
1869
The Brighton Town Hall was built on Brighton Road, Hove.
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1870s
1870
Port Adelaide Football Club established.
1872
The General Post Office opened. Adelaide became first Australian capital linked to Imperial London with completion of the Overland Telegraph.
1873
First cricket match played at Adelaide Oval.
1874
The Adelaide Oval officially opened. The University of Adelaide founded.
1876
Adelaide Childrens Hospital founded.
1877
The Adelaide Bridge across the Torrens completed.
1878
First horse-drawn trams in Australia commenced operations in the city. Port Adelaide railway extended to Semaphore.
1879
Foundation stone of the University of Adelaide laid.
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1880s
1880
Telephone introduced.
1881
The Art Gallery of South Australia opened by Prince Albert Victor. Ornamental Torrens Lake created following construction of weir.
1882
First water-borne sewerage service in Australia commenced. The City Baths opened on King William Street.
1883
Adelaide Zoological Gardens opened.
1884
Adelaide Trades and Labor Council inaugurated. Largs Bay Fort opened.
1885
The Adelaide Arcade opened. Flinders Column erected at the Mount Lofty Summit.
1887
The Intercolonial Express starts running between Adelaide and Melbourne. Stock Exchange of Adelaide formed.
1889
School of Mines and Industries opened on North Terrace.
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1890s
1890
Adelaides first public statue, Venus, is unveiled on North Terrace.
1893
The Australian Association for the Advancement of Science meets in Adelaide - credit is universally accorded to Colonel Light for his selection of the site and for the design of Adelaide.
1894
The worlds second Act granting women suffrage is passed in Parliament House on North Terrace.
1896
Moving pictures are shown for first time in South Australia at Theatre Royal on Hindley Street. Happy Valley Reservoir is opened.
1899
The South Australian contingent left Adelaide for the Second Boer War.
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1900s
1900s
1900
First electricity station opened in South Australia at Grenfell Street. Electric street lights first appear.
1901
Adelaide became a state capital upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January. The Duke and Duchess of York visited.
1904
Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange opened in the East End.
1908
Outer Harbor opened. Adelaide High School established.
1909
Electric tram services began.
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1910s
1912
The Verco Building, an early skyscraper, is built on North Terrace.
1913
The first metropolitan abattoir opens.
1915
Liquor bars close at 6 pm following a referendum.
1917
German private schools are closed. The first trains travel to Perth following completion of the East-West continental railway.
1919
Adelaide is awarded official city status and Mayor Charles Richmond Glover becomes the first Lord Mayor.
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1920s
1924
Radio broadcasting begins.
1925
The Wayville Showgrounds open.
1927
The North-South railway is extended. The Duke and Duchess of York visit.
1929
The electric tram service to Glenelg commences.
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1930s
1931
The Beef Riot: 17 people are injured when unemployed men clash with police while protesting the decision to remove beef from the dole ration.
1932
Local government is overhauled when Government redifines boundaries and names and abolishes others.
1933
First John Martins Christmas Pageant.
1935
Many German place names, which had been changed during the Great War, are restored.
1936
Centennial Park Cemetery opens. Grand celebrations are held to celebrate South Australias Centenary.
1937
First trolley bus services commence. First permanent traffic signals are installed. Mount Bold Reservoir is opened. Outbreak of poliomyelitis.
1938
South Australian Housing Trust completes first dwelling.
1939
Worst heat wave is recorded with disastrous bushfires and highest Adelaide temperature of 46.1° Celsius. New Parliament House is opened on North Terrace by Governor-General Lord Gowrie. Carrick Hill, home to Edward (later Sir Edward) and Ursula Hayward, is completed.
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1940s
1940
Birkenhead Bridge opened. Second industry rapidly expanded throughout Adelaide region and South Australia at large as the war-effort intensified.
1942
Rationing of tea and clothing introduced. Racesport and bookmaking banned.
1943
Rationing of butter introduced. Racing re-allowed.
1944
Rationing of meat introduced.
1945
Gas and electricity restrictions imposed.
1947
Orchards ripped up following discovery of fruit fly in the metropolitan area.
1948
Glenelg jetty destroyed and widespread damage caused by severe storms. Clothing and meat rationing abolished. Holden began production.
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1950s
1950
Petrol, butter and tea rationing abolished.
1954
Adelaide was hit by a severe earthquake on 1 March. Queen Elizabeth II made first sovereign visit to Adelaide. Mannum-Adelaide pipeline completed, pumping water from the River Murray to metropolitan reservoirs.
1955
Adelaide Airport at West Beach opened. Satelitte city of Elizabeth officially proclaimed. Redhen railcars make their first appearance on Adelaides suburban rail network.
1958
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, visited Adelaide. First parking meters installed. South Para Reservoir opened and connected to Adelaide water supply. Last street tram removed, leaving only the Glenelg Tram.
1959
Television broadcasting commenced, with NWS-9.
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1960s
1960
First Adelaide Festival of Arts held.
1962
Myponga Reservoir opened and connected to Happy Valley Reservoir.
1963
Port Stanvac oil refinery began operations. Queen Elizabeth II visited.
1964
Record wind gust of 148 kilometres per hour noted in Adelaide.
1966
Flinders University opened at Bedford Park by the Queen Mother. Happy Valley Reservoir pipelines extended.
1967
Wowserism goes into decline. Lotteries commenced in South Australia. Liquor trading hours extended. Torrens Island power station began operations. First stage of the South Eastern Freeway is opened.
1969
Natural gas pumped from Moomba to Adelaide through 832-kilometre pipeline. Glenelg Jetty rebuilt.
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1970s
1970
South Australia becomes first state to reform abortion laws.
1971
Fluoridisation of water supply commenced. Age of majority reduced to 18 from 21.
1973
New hospital opened at Modbury. Dunstan Labor Government returned to Government and commenced extensive social reforms. Adelaide Festival Theatre opened.
1974
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, visited Adelaide. First match of the new South Australian National Football League held at West Lakes. South Australian Railways split into two new entities, Australian National and State Transport Authority.
1975
The Internation Equestrian Exposition was held in Adelaide, attended by Princess Anne, The Princess Royal. The City of Adelaide Plan adopted by the City Council.
1976
Five AA began broadcasting. The Liberal Movement is founded in Adelaide. Rundle Mall, Australias first pedestrian mall, opened between King William and Pulteney streets.
1977
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Adelaide, with the Queen opening the Adelaide Festival Centre. Late night shopping commenced. First of 307 Volvo B59 buses enters service with State Transport Authority.
1978
Suburban rail network extended south to Noarlunga Centre while the Semaphore line is closed.
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1980s
1980
Thirty-five homes destroyed in an Adelaide Hills bushfire. New Jumbo railcars enter service on Adelaides rail network. Mitsubishi Motors purchased Chrysler Australia. The Constitutional Museum opened.
1981
Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, visited Adelaide.
1982
International air services to Adelaide begin, flown by Qantas and Singapore Airlines. Coldest minimum temperature recorded in June ( -0.4° Celsius)
1983
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Adelaide. The Ash Wednesday fires razed the Adelaide Hills, claiming twenty-eight lives throughout the state. Wendy Chapman elected the first woman Lord Mayor of Adelaide.
1984
Population of Adelaide reaches 1 million people. Keswick Railway Terminal opened. The Indian Pacific, Trans Australian and The Ghan first run into Adelaide.
1985
The Adelaide Casino opened in the Adelaide Railway Station as part of the multi-million dollar Adelaide Station and Environs Redevelopment. The first Australian Grand Prix held on the Adelaide Street Circuit. RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 visits Adelaide for the first time.
1986
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Adelaide. Pope John Paul II visited Adelaide and held Mass to a gathering of hundreds of thousands in the Adelaide Parklands. The South Australian Maritime Museum opened. South Australia celebrated its Jubilee, 150 years since settlement. O-Bahn Busway is opened.
1987
The Collins class submarine contract awarded to the Australian Submarine Corporation at Outer Harbor. The Adelaide Convention Centre opened on North Terrace. New 3000 class railcars enter service on Adelaides rail network.
1988
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Adelaide. Adelaides tallest building State Bank Building is opened. Red light cameras introduced. East End Markets closed. Australias first hospitality college opened in Adelaide. Port Dock Railway Museum at Port Adelaide opened.
1989
Bicentennial Conservatory opened in the Botanic Gardens. O-Bahn Busway extended to Modbury.
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1990s
1990
New $1.3 million organ installed at the Adelaide Town Hall. Adelaide recommended as a site for the Multi-Function Polis. Country rail passenger services from Adelaide are axed by Australian National.
1991
The University of South Australia formed from a merger of several institutions. The $40 million Adelaide Entertainment Centre opened. Dame Roma Mitchell becomes Governor of South Australia, the first woman to hold the position in any Australian state.
1992
Final marker to the 1.5 kilometre Heysen Walking Trail positioned. Bid for the 1998 Commonwealth Games lost to Kuala Lumpur.
1993
Poker machines installed for first time in South Australia.
1994
Sunday trading introduced to city centre. High-speed ferry service from Glenelg to Kangaroo Island began.
1995
United Water is contracted to manage Adelaides water and sewerage systems. The Local Government (Boundary Reform) Act, 1995 passed to encourage municipal amalgamations, resulting in an overhaul of local government. The last Australian Grand Prix held in Adelaide, future events to be held in Melbourne.
1997
The worlds longest reversible one way freeway, the Southern Expressway is opened. Adelaide Crows football club win the AFL Grand Final. Port Adelaide Football Club joins the Australian Football League.
1998
Adelaide Crows football club win the AFL Grand Final for the second time.
1999
First Tour Down Under held.
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2000s
2000
All government bus operations handed to private operators, buses and infastructure still government owned. Heysen Tunnels in Adelaide Hills are opened.
2001
Construction of Alice Springs-Darwin track starts. The National Wine Centre of Australia opens in the East Parklands.
2002
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Adelaide. First low floor bus entered service on the O-Bahn Busway.
2003
The transcontinental railway line from Adelaide to Darwin is completed.
2004
Port Adelaide Football Club wins the AFL Grand Final. Trains travel from Adelaide to Darwin for the first time.
2005
Adelaide Airports new T1 terminal is opened. Port River Expressway opened.
2007
World Police and Fire Games held in Adelaide. Adelaide-Glenelg tram service is extended to North Terrace (City West).
2008
Record breaking heat wave set in March. RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 visits Adelaide for the last time. Electrification of suburban rail network announced.
2009
Lance Armstrong Rides In the Tour Down Under
2010
MS Queen Victoria visits Adelaide for the first time on 23 February. RMS Queen Mary 2 visits Adelaide for the first time on 11 March. Adelaide-Glenelg tram service extented to Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Northern Expressway constructed. Stephen Yarwood elected new Lord Mayor of Adelaide. Almost 70mm of rain falls on Adelaide on 7 December, breaking the daily record.
2011
RMS Queen Mary 2 visits Adelaide on 20 February.
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