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Glenelg in the Making
1836 to 1931
[An abridged historical sketch, dealing with the progress of
South Australia's Premier Seaside Resort (Glenelg) culled from
various sources.]
South Australia was first indicated on
the map as a definitely discovered land by
civilised men when Captain Matthew
Flinders, R.N., in his ship, H.M.S. "Investigator,"
landed at Kangaroo Head, Kangaroo
inland, in 1802.
Thirty-four years later the "Duke of
York," under the command of Captain
Morgan, dropped anchor in Nepean Bay,
K.I. With him were Samuel Stephens,
first manager of the South Australian
Company, and Thomas Hudson Beare,
assistant manager. The first passenger to
set foot on the island was the baby daughter
of Thos. H. Beare, who was carried
through the surf by a sailor.
On August 19, 1836, the "Rapid" also
reached Nepean Bay. On board was Colonel
Light, who had been sent by Lord
Glenelg, Secretary of State in Great
Britain, to select a site for a capital city
for South Australia.
In August, 1836, Colonel Light landed
with a party consisting of the Colonial
secretary (R. Gouger), Emigration Agent
(John Brown), Deputy-Surveyor (G. S.
Kingston), Storekeeper (Thos. Gilbert),
and Messrs. John Morphett and Robert
Thomas.
On December 28, 1836, the sails of a
long-expected ship were discerned glistening
in the sunshine, coming into the bay.
A little later Captain Sir John Hindmarsh,
R.N., one of Nelson's captains, landed
from the "Buffalo," to proclaim South
Australia a province of the British Empire,
by special Act of Parliament, under
the signature of His Majesty King William.
Landing from the historic ship, and escorted
by a party of marines, Captain
Hindmarsh proceeded to the Colonial
Secretary's tent. With him were his
family and Messrs. James Hurtle Fisher,
Resident Commissioner; Osmond Gilles,
Colonial Treasurer; George Stevenson,
Governor's Secretary; and the Rev: Chas.
B. Howard, Colonial Chaplain.
'Neath the shadow of the Old Gum Tree
the Governor read aloud the orders of
His Majesty King William IV., proclaiming
South Australia a British Province.
The land on which the Old Gum Tree
still stands was later enclosed in an area
62 feet square, and presented to the Corporation
of Glenelg, by John Hector, on
trust, in order that the tree standing
thereon may be preserved and protected
as long as it shall exist, to commemorate
the Proclamation of the Colony."
The town of Glenelg wa s named after
Lord Glenelg by Governor Hindmarsh, as
a fitting site on which to perpetuate the
""fTiejTiory of a great man.
The first public conveyance was operated
about 1845 by Thomas Haymes, and
consisted of a small, roughly-constructed
spring cart, drawn by a skewbald Timor
pony. Fares were 1/6 single and 2/6 return.
Whenever the passengers numbered
five or more, and the road, by reason of
wet yeather, happened to be more than
usually rough, the passengers were forced
to walk part of the way in turns.
After two years of this tedious mode
of travelling, John McDonald, mine host
of the St. Leonards Inn, set up an opposition
conveyance in the form of a cart,
drawn by two horses, tandem fashion.
For a few years the Adelaide-Glenelg
route boasted no more pretentious mode
of transport than this, but in 1853 John
McDonald showed further evidence of his
enterprising spirit by contracting -with
Charles Matthews, of Franklin Street,
Adelaide, to build for him an omnibus.
The new 'bus was christened the "O.G.,"
and for the modest fare of 2/- would
carry passengers to Adelaide from Glenelg,
or vice versa.
In 1854 the Government commenced the
construction of the first macadamised
road to Glenelg, and thereafter travel was
comparatively luxurious. This encouraged
Mr. McDonald to extend his schemes further,
and he imported three large omnibuses
from McKenzie, the celebrated
Glasgow coach proprietor.
_ Messrs. Rounsevell & Son purchased the
transport business of 'McDonald & George,
and for two or three years enjoyed a
complete monopoly over the Glenelg road
traffic. Ultimately Rounsevell sold but to
the celebrated firm of Cobb & Co., whoremained
masters of- the road until the
advent of the Tailway in 1873.
The institution of a railway service
from Adelaide to Glenelg was originally
the result of private enterprise. A company
-was floated, styled "The Adelaide,
Glenelg, and Suburban Railway Company,"
with a directorate comprising
Messrs, Wm. Mair (chairman), W, Towns- -
end, M.P., Jas. Harvey, R. B. Colley, and
G. Boothby. Mr. Boothby was appointed
manager, and was also the engineer who
constructed the line. Lines were laid
from Victoria Square, Adelaide, to Jetty
Road, Glenelg, a distance of 6f miles, and
a sum of £33,000 was expended in getting
everything in readiness for the opening
day.
On August 4, 1873, the first train was
run, and the occasion was celebrated by
a banquet at the Pier Hotel, Glenelg. A
second railway company was formed in
1880, and on May 24 another line was
opened, extending from North Terrace,
Adelaide, to the Glenelg Jetty, a distance
of 7 miles 12 chains.
This new company, called "The Holdfast
Bay Railway Company," spent £10,000
in the purchase of land for their route, and
a further £36,000 went towards procuring
rolling stock.
Within a few months the interests of
the two lines merged into one, and in
November, 1881, Parliamentary sanction
was obtained for the amalgamation of the
companies, under the title of the "Glenelg
Railways Company, Ltd." The South
Australian Government took over complete
control of both lines in 1899, and
maintained it until a year or two ago.
On March 27, 1926, the South Australian
Railways commenced a service of "doubledecker"
'buses to augment their train
systems, thus replacing with an efficient
service the more erratic private concerns.
This new scheme obtained for three years,
at the end of which time the Municipal
Tramway Trust took over the running of
the 'buses, and in 1928 an Act of Parliament
was passed to prohibit privately*
owned vehicles from carrying passengers
on the road from Adelaide to Glenelg.
The South Terrace train line ceased to
operate on April 3, 1929, and new rails
and overhead electrification wires were
substituted. On this route, from Victoria
Square, Adelaide, to Moseley Square,
Glenelg, the trams instituted a new
system of transport, which is to-day considered
one of the most complete of its
kind in Australia.
From the point of view of local residents,
much has been done in recent
years to encourage sport, and to provide
suitable playgrounds for the children.
Colley Reserve, the seat of sideshow attractions,
is laid out with lawns, gardens,
and trees, and is a delightful spot on
which to lounge and listen to band concerts
on warm evenings. This reserve
covers six acres of land, and. was planted
in 1876 as a memorial to Mr. R. B. Colley,
who was appointed first Mayor of Glenelg
when the Corporation was proclaimed in
1855.
Wigley Reserve, situated at the western
end of Anzac Highway, was conveyed
by a land grant, dated November 16,
1875, "to be used at all times as a place
of recreation and amusement" for the
people of Glenelg. It was planted to the
memory of Mr. W. R. Wigley, first Town
Clerk of Glenelg, and afterwards Mayor
for several terms of office. On this area,
which extends over eight acres, are a
cricket and football ground and tennis
courts.
On Sanderson's Reserve, in Helmsdale,
there are tennis courts and a children's
playground. Patawilya Reserve, at St.
Leonards, is also a playground.
Bowling greens have been planted in
Partridge Street by the Glenelg Bowling
Club, and adjacent to Wigley Reserve by
the Holdfast Bay Bowling Club. Finally,
there is the Glenelg Oval, on which are
played "A" Grade football and senior
cricket matches, and in the enclosure are
croquet lawns and tennis courts. On
Colley Reserve the members of the Glenelg
Ring Bowl Club assemble every weekend,
and engage in tournaments and club
matches. There is an excellent golf course
close at hand, and the Glenelg Golf Club
has one of the best links in the State in
the making. Bathers are also well catered
for, as there are several boxes and well
appointed dressing rooms available.
The next big project to be undertaken
by the Glenelg Council will be the establishment
of a boat harbor and swimming
pool on the Patawalonga.
As a residential district Glenelg and its
vicinity have been extending by leaps and
bounds. It is the only seaside resort that
can boast of a deep drainage system. It
also possesses excellent local abattoirs. Its
advance may be largely attributed to the
fact that local business men have set
themselves out to cater for all the needs
of the residents, and consequently there
is probably not a single item of everyday
requirement that one cannot purchase at
Glenelg. Moreover, fine picture theatres,
one of which is equipped with up-to-date
"talkie" apparatus, are able to present
programmes equal to the standard of metropolitan
amusement.
The religious life of the community is
served by churches of five denominations
—St. Peter's Church of England, in Torrens
Square; Our Lady of Victories
(Roman Catholic), in High Street; Methodist
Church, in Moseley Street; Congregational
Church, in Jetty Road; and the
Church of Christ, in Gordon Street; and
also the Salvation Army.
Education for the younger generation
has a particularly wide range, as there
are no less than seven large schools within
the boundaries of the district. The
Glenelg Public School is on Brighton
Road, St. Leonards Public School at St.
Leonards, Woodlands Church of England
Girls' Grammar School in Partridge Street,
St. Peter's Primary School in Waterloo
Street, the Dominican Convent in High
Street, Sacred Heart College in East
Glenelg. and Mrs. Hill's Boy's School in
Albert Terrace.
So convinced are a number of residents
of the brightness of its future that they
have formed themselves into a body called
the "Glenelg Optimists' Society," which
has as its object the continued progress
of the town, and the installation of a spirit
of good fellowship among all residents.
The ideals of the society are admirable,
and as the membership grows it seems certain
that the "Optimists" will be the
means of placing Glenelg even more prominently
upon the map.
oOo
W. FISK, ESQ., J.P., MAYOR OF GLENELG. Help
W. FISK, ESQ., J.P., MAYOR OF GLENELG.
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