Goolwa
- Located near the mouth of the River Murray, Goolwa is about 80 kilometres
south of Adelaide.
- After Charles Sturt made his way down the Murray in 1829-30 it was
realised that to establish a settlement near the Murray mouth would
aid the development of river trade and transport.
- ‘Town on the Goolwa’ was surveyed as early as 1840, but
was resurveyed in 1853 and proclaimed the town of Goolwa in March of
that year. It was originally known as Port Pullen.
- The name Goolwa is probably derived from a Ngarrindjeri word meaning ‘elbow
bend’, describing the bend of the River where Goolwa is located.
- To extend the river trade, it was decided that Goolwa must be connected
to Victor Harbor or some other seaport so that river cargo could be
transferred and exported to overseas markets. Schemes to build
a canal from Goolwa to Victor Harbor were considered, but the final
decision was to build a railway.
- In 1854, the first public railway (horse-drawn) in Australia connected
Goolwa with Port Elliot on the coast. The railway was extended to the
safer harbour of Victor Harbor in 1864, after several shipwrecks at
Port Elliot.
- The Goolwa Regatta Club was established around 1854 and is believed
to be the first of its kind in Australia. The Club organised an annual
event of races and competitions between Goolwa’s fishing boats
and the whaling fleet from Victor Harbor. The Club went into decline
after the Second World War but was revived under the new name of the
Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club in 1969.
- On 10 September 1857, Goolwa was officially proclaimed a port; the
first on the River Murray and the first inland port in Australia.
- At the peak of the intercolonial riverboat trade Goolwa was one of
the most important ports in Australia. It was home to ship building
works, an iron foundry and flour and saw mills.
- After a railway was built to Morgan in 1878 and wool sales began
being held in Adelaide, the significance of Goolwa as a port declined.
- Today Goolwa is a popular tourist destination. It is known as the
wooden boat capital of Australia; the Wooden Boat Festival is held
at Goolwa each March.
Further reading
Tolley, JC. South Coast Story, Port Elliot: District Council
of Port Elliot, 1968.
Links
Walkabout – Goolwa http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/SAGoolwa.shtml
Australia’s
first railway http://www.australiasfirstrailway.com |
