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The Aboriginal flag flies high over its birthplace, Tarntanyangga/Victoria Square, a symbol of Aboriginal pride, rights and identity.
Historical Thing | By Mandy Paul, History Trust of South Australia | 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s
Colonel William Light’s statue on Montefiore Hill pointing towards the centre of Adelaide has come to symbolise the city that Light laid out.
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1840s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1930s, early twenty–first century
The first Anzac memorial was once an obelisk in a grove of wattles
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Parklands | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 2000-2010, 2010s, First World War
The John Jefferson Bray Memorial Fountain commemorates the life of a senior judge, scholar and poet
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Southeast corner | 1910s, 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1990s
The shining steel and simple form of Knot typifies the work of sculptor Herbert (Bert) Flugelman.
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s
Affectionately known as the ‘Bonython bath’, this fountain stood outside the South Australian Museum from 1965 to 2005
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1870s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s
A statue to honour Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia, was a long time coming in Adelaide
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1790s, 1800-1810, 1840s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s
This Owen Broughton work won the 1976 Rundle Mall sculpture contest alongside Bert Flugelman's Mall's Balls and John Dowie's Girl on a Slide.
Historical Thing | By Hannah Stewart, History Trust of South Australia | 1970s, 1980s, 2000-2010
'Popeye the Sailor' was a popular cartoon at the cinema in the 1930s when Gordon Watts introduced a tourist pleasure craft on the River Torrens
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | River Torrens | 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010
One of many around the world, this statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns was unveiled in 1894
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1890s, 1930s, 1940s, 1990s
The spirit of Antarctic explorer and professor of geology, Sir Douglas Mawson, is captured in the bust by John Dowie
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1980s
The bust of Sir Lawrence Bragg commemorates a South Australian Nobel Laureate
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1890s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1970s, 2000-2010, 2010s
The bust of Sir Mark Oliphant on North Terrace honours an eminent scientist and the state’s first South Australian-born governor.
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1900-1910, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Second World War
The bronze bust of Sir Mellis Napier, sculpted by eminent South Australian artist John Dowie, commemorates his distinguished community service, including to the law and legal profession in South Australia
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
The mounted trooper reining in his horse commemorates South Australians who served in the South African War (1899-1902).
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1890s, 1900-1910, 1930s, 2000-2010
Balancing and still among the bustle of Rundle Mall, Spheres is among Adelaide's favourite public artworks
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Rundle Mall | 1970s
Word artist Richard Tipping prompts us to consider big ideas in his sculpture ‘The Eternal Question’
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Northwest corner | 1940s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010
What fun! John Dowie’s work invigorates Rundle Mall
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
An outstanding all-round sportsman was provided with the rare honour of being memorialised during his lifetime
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton & Bernard O'Neil, History Trust of South Australia | River Torrens | 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, early twenty–first century
Architect Louis Laybourne-Smith and sculptor George Rayner Hoff created a memorial that conveys the impact of the First World War
Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 2000-2010
South Australia became the first state in Australia to build a memorial for the First World War.
Historical Thing | By South Australian School for Vision Impaired (SASVI) | North Terrace | 1930s
Discover the people who have shaped Adelaide
Explore the city's built environment and famous Parklands
Find the stories behind the city's public artworks, monuments and memorials
Browse some of the themes that contextualise the city's history
Learn about the organisations that have made the city tick
Find out what's drawn people into the city's streets
Explore some of the early maps, plans and panoramas that trace the development of the city
Discover the city's history through a rich collection of museum objects
Explore Adelaide by following a themed tour
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