Light continues down the coast |
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| Title : | Light continues down the coast |
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| Creator : | Light, William, 1786-1839 | ||
| Source : | A brief journal of the proceedings of William Light ..., p. 11 | ||
| Place Of Creation : | Adelaide | ||
| Publisher : | A. Macdougall | ||
| Date of creation : | 1839 | ||
| Format : | Book | ||
| Contributor : | State Library catalogue | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
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| Description : |
Colonel William Light was appointed Surveyor General of the newly proclaimed province of South Australia and given detailed instructions on examining the entire South Australian coastline in pursuit of the best site for the main town, soil conditions, water and a good harbour among other conditions. By 5 October 1836 Light had still not definitely found Jones' harbour. After exploring an inlet he was disappointed that it did not tally with Captain John Jones's description, which had sounded ideal for a main harbour and would later be identified by Light and his men as the Port River. William Light continued exploring down the coast, still hoping to find the harbour Jones had described. He was pleased with the extent of the plains to the north of the Mount Lofty Ranges; this would influence his decision in the weeks ahead. On 1 October he saw the mouth of a small river, and the appearance of good country behind it. Before Light and his party could land to explore it, a storm blew up, and the Rapid rode it out some distance offshore. Finally Light and his men landed to explore the area. Matthew Flinders had discovered this coast in 1802 in a running survey, but had not noted any of the rivers and inlets that Light was now finding, being too far off shore. This was one of Light's difficulties, that he was expected to examine 1500 miles of coastline to find the best site for the main town. The coastline had only been discovered as recently as 1802, and since then only sealers and whalers had been on the coast, and Charles Sturt on the River Murray, and Collet Barker on the coast again in 1831 looking for an alternative mouth for that river. Light had to examine the coast in detail, to locate his site, and at the same time had to cope with a lot of stormy weather that impeded his task. |
| Subjects | |
| Related names : | Light, William, 1786-1839 Jones, John, fl. 1820-1833 Rapid (Ship) |
| Coverage year : | 1836 |
| Period : | 1836-1851 |
| Place : | South Australia |
| Region : | Adelaide metropolitan area |
| Further reading : | Light, William, William Light's brief journal and Australian diaries Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 1984 Johnson, Donald Leslie, The Adelaide city plan: fiction and fact Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 1986 Dutton, Geoffrey, Colonel William Light: founder of a city Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1991 Mayo, M. P. The life and letters of Col. William Light Adelaide: F.W. Preece & Sons, 1937 |
| Internet links : | SA Memory, The Foundation of South Australia 1800-1851 Colonel William Light |
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