Organisations

Image: A lithographic portrait of a middle-aged balding man with a large, full beard. He is wearing mid-Victorian attire, including an overcoat, waistcoat, and pocket watch chain with fob

Torrens, Sir Robert

Land titles reformer Sir Robert Richard Torrens reformed, amended and even radicalised the land trade system.

Historical Person | By Peter Moore | North Terrace | 1840s, 1850s, 1860s

Image: A photographic head-and-shoulders portrait of a bearded middle-aged Caucasian man wearing a judicial wig and vestments. He is also wearing wire-rimmed spectacles and looking to his left

Way, Sir Samuel

A Chief Justice of South Australia, Sir Samuel Way was polished, cultured and proud.

Historical Person | By Peter Moore | North Terrace | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s

Sir Samuel Way Memorial Statue

A statue of Sir Samuel Way reflects his towering presence in legal, political and cultural circles in the last decades of the nineteenth century.

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s

Image: Black and white photograph of man wearing formal clothes and livery collar

Elder GCMG, Sir Thomas

A pastoralist, philanthropist and businessman, Elder supported numerous outback expeditions and Adelaide institutions.

Historical Person | By Rob Linn | North Terrace, Parklands | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s

Image: crowd of people around large bronze statue of seated man

Sir Walter Watson Hughes statue

The bronze figure of Sir Walter Watson Hughes by Francis Williamson stands on a massive block of red granite.

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton and James Hunter, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1900-1910, 2000-2010

Smoking Cap

Smoking cap owned and worn by John McDouall Stuart.

Collection Item | 1850s

Image: head and shoulders portrait of a reverend

In July 1882 Rev. Joseph Coles Kirby of Port Adelaide Congregational Church delivered a series of lectures on what he termed the Social Evil – broadly interpreted as drinking, prostitution and other forms of sexual licentiousness. Those present, following a similar movement in England, agreed to form the Social Purity Society (SPS), to combat what they perceived to be an epidemic of vice.

Historical Organisation | By Jim Jose | late nineteenth century

Unveiling the colours of the SANFL premiers, 5 October 2010

South Australian Brewing Co. Ltd

Still brewing strong: Lion’s West End Brewery at Thebarton.

Historical Organisation | By Alison Painter | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

South Australian Land Commission

Acquiring and developing land holdings in a coordinated way assists in orderly expansion and growth

Historical Organisation | By Judith Jeffery | 1970s, 1980s

Image: group of men sitting around long table

South Australian Liberal Party

South Australia’s major non-Labor political party has gone from a record period of governing to years in the political wilderness.

Historical Organisation | By Dean Jaensch | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

South Australian National Party

The National Party: A changing party in a changing political, social and rural environment

Historical Organisation | By Dean Jaensch | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

South Terrace

Mansions at one end and cottages at the other, with businesses, welfare, medical and educational institutions in between, all overlooking the parklands

Historical Place | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 2000-2010

St Francis Xavier's Cathedral

Built in a striking Gothic Revival style, St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Adelaide.

Historical Place | By Alexander Parsons, History Trust of South Australia | 1850s

Street Naming Committee

Colonial factions struggled over the names to bestow on Adelaide's streets

Historical Organisation | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s

Image: street view of buildings with horse and cart

The Adelaide Club

Modelled on the gentlemen’s clubs that proliferated in London from the eighteenth century, the Adelaide Club resembles bodies established at about the same time in the capital cities of the other Australian colonies.

Historical Organisation | By Dirk van Dissel | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

The opening of Parliament 1857

Crowds gathered on 22 April 1857 to watch Governor Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell open South Australia’s first fully elected parliament.

Historical Event | By Mandy Paul, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s

Image: Photographic portrait of a middle-aged Caucasian man in the clothing of a Christian minister. He is sitting in an high-backed chair and has his right hand resting on a book--possibly a bible

Stow, Thomas

Founder of the Congregational Church in South Australia, Thomas Stow was a strenuous minister and a dedicated opponent of state aid to religion.

Historical Person | By Brian Jones | North Terrace | 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s

Torrens Title

The Torrens title system for land ownership was inaugurated in South Australia has led the world in the computerisation of real property title information.

Historical Subject | By Peter Moore | 1830s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s

Image: two people walking through underground brick-walled rooms

Tunnels of Adelaide

Adelaide tunnel tales are a perennial favourite in the popular press, and are cheerfully perpetuated by tour operators and publicans everywhere.

Historical Thing | By Deb Morgan | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: group stand in front of a tavern building with four women standing on a balcony in the tavern

United Trades and Labor Council

Carpenters, tailors, bakers, carriers, cordwainers and coachmakers had formed unions within ten years of European settlement of South Australia, and by the 1870s there were thousands of union members in the colony.

Historical Organisation | By Tom Sheridan | 1890s, 1910s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s

Venere di Canova

A startled Venus caused consternation as Adelaide’s first public statue in 1892

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s

Image: Man addresses crowd at rotunda on Wattle Day

Wattle Day League

The Wattle Day League was responsible for campaigning to establish 'Wattle Day', a national day of celebration, within Australia and helped raise funds on the home front to help support Australian soldiers fighting in the First World War.

Historical Organisation | By Jack Evans, History Trust of South Australia | 1900-1910, 1910s, First World War