The Harbors Board dredger 'Adelaide' at Port Adelaide, South Australia.

The dredger Adelaide was built in 1910, and came into service in May of the following year. For the first two years at least it was employed in deepening or dredging work in and about Port Adelaide. Its first job was deepening the northern end of Ocean Steamers Wharf, and subsequently it was removed to Snapper Point to deepen the new explosives berth there. It continued that same year with deepening a new swinging berth below Ocean Steamers Wharf. In 1912 Adelaide removed 300,000 cubic yards of clay, limestone and sand in its work on preparing the berth for the new Inflammable Oils Depot. This spoil was dumped at sea.

Port Adelaide is situated in a river estuary and requires constant dredging to maintain the required depth of channel and berth. Today there are environmental management guidelines that need to be adhered to, and the spoil from the deepening work needs to be disposed of sensitively.

In the early days of Port Adelaide much of the spoil was used to build up the surrounding land, and this can be observed in some of the older buildings such as the bond store in Lipson Street which now houses the South Australian Maritime Museum.

Searcy, Arthur, 1852-1935

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

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

South Australia. Parliament. Parliamentary papers, South Australia (bound cumulations) Adelaide: Govt Printer, 1858- Marine Board reports no. 43, 1912 and no. 96, 1913 provide some detail of the dredger Adelaide's activities.

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