Plate 7: Port Adelaide. Part of the text accompanying the illustration reads 'The view given of Port Adelaide in the accompanying plate, is taken from the opposite bank of the harbour, looking towards the Mount Lofty Ranges: the red building to the left, is the South Australia Company's Store; fronting it, are their wharfs, and to the right, are those belonging to the Government. The ship moored in the stream, under repair, is the 'Ville de Bordeaux'; she is a French vessel, and was captured by rhe Custom-house officers at the Port for their illicit trading. Outside the bar is a light ship, marking the entrance to the harbour, the approach to which has been admirably buoyed by Captain Lipson ...'.

Angas painted this image of Port Adelaide about 1844 and it was subsequently published in his folio volume South Australia illustrated in 1847. Part of the text accompanying the illustration reads 'The view ... is taken from the opposite bank of the harbour, looking towards the Mount Lofty Ranges: the red building to the left, is the South Australia Company's Store; fronting it, are their wharfs, and to the right, are those belonging to the Government. The ship moored in the stream, under repair, is the Ville de Bordeaux; she is a French vessel, and was captured by the Custom-house officers at the Port for their illicit trading. Outside the bar is a light ship, marking the entrance to the harbour, the approach to which has been admirably buoyed by Captain Lipson ...'.

Adelaide's port was initially higher up the Port River, south of the present Jervois Bridge. Dubbed 'Port Misery' because disembarking passengers had to struggle through mangrove swamp and over sandhills before commencing the trek to Adelaide, the site was quickly abandoned and in May 1839 work began on the 'New Port' some distance downstream, and the site of the present Inner Harbor. The South Australian Company quickly built the first wharf, McLaren Wharf, and began construction of the road to Adelaide. Port Adelaide continued to expand. Passengers no longer disembarked into a mangrove swamp.

Mary Thomas, the daughter of early pioneers and printing press operators, Robert and Mary Thomas, referred to the Port and often referred 'kindly' to Aboriginal people, in her diary (PRG 1160/6, p. 42). Please note, the language used to describe Aboriginal people is inappropriate today;

Mar. 31, 1846.   ....(near the Port) Some few natives have been paying us a visit lately. Cow-eeta (?) was one who seemed to be a civil, quiet man. Another was a woman named Coonartoo. Mr. Wilkinson stayed some time in our house. We made an arrangement to go see the blacks in the evening. At the time appointed Mr. Wilkinson left home with Mrs. Skipper and my sister Helen, preceded by Mr. Skipper, Mrs. Wilkinson, and myself. We all walked down to their wurlies, which are erected at a place some distance from the town. On arriving at this spot we could not help admiring the splendour and wildness of the scene, as we stood surrounded by, I should think, four or five hundred natives and among large trees of which some [were] half hidden by the darkness, while others were partly illuminated by the native fires and, by throwing out their broad shadows, appeared in bold relief. The fires, by which we were guided to their place, were numerous and appeared to be made in circles to some degree of uniformity. Instead of having them crowded together they left good spaces between each. After visiting the blacks belonging to two or three different tribes, we went to another part of the ground, where we found a large number of natives assembled and making preparations for a corroboree, which we waited to see. The result was very gratifying. A great number of blacks ranged themselves with scrupulous regularity in a sitting position so as to face the dancers. These consisted of the Moorundee tribe and their corroboree was intended to represent the stealing of a wife from another tribe. The whole scene was well acted, and what especially delighted me was that they kept such true time with foot and voice. Although I have often heard the corroboree I never discovered anything in the shape of a song so nearly resembling vocal music as that we were favoured with. I should think that there were about 150 of the Moorundee tribe dancing, and the number of spectators was afterwards swelled by several natives from Encounter Bay who not in general being on friendly terms with those from Moorundee, kept their spears in their hands instead of laying them down. Besides these we saw some from Kapunda.

Angas, George Fife, 1789-1879

Giles, J.W.

Parsons, Ronald. Southern passages: a maritime history of South Australia Netley, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press, 1986

Couper-Smartt, John. Port Adelaide: tales from a "commodious harbour" Port Adelaide: Friends of the South Australian Maritime Museum, 2003

Ritter, Ron. Triumph, tragedy and Port Adelaide [Para Vista, S. Aust.]: Ronald C. Ritter, 2005

Mudflats to metropolis: Port Adelaide 1836-1986 [Port Adelaide, S. Aust.: B. & T. Publishers, 1986]

Colwell, M and Alan Naylor. Adelaide: an illustrated history, [Joslin, S. Aust.]: McP, 1981

Insights into South Australian history, volume 2: South Australia's German history and heritage, Harmstorf, Ian A. ed, Adelaide: Historical Society of South Australia, 1992-

Kwan, Elizabeth. Living in South Australia: a social history, Netley, S. Aust.: South Australian Government Printer, 1987

Migration Museum. From many places: the history and cultural traditions of South Australian people, Kent Town, S. Aust.: Migration Museum (History Trust of S.A.) in association with Wakefield Press, 1995

Tregenza, John George French Angas, artist, traveller and naturalist, 1822-1886 Adelaide: Art Gallery Board of South Australia, 1982

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. Wooden Walls and Iron Sides August 2004-