On This Day - August 20th 1836
Colonel William Light arrives in South Australia to survey a site for the first settlement.
Colonel William Light was born in Malaya in 1786, the son of the founder and Governor of Penang. Educated in England, he joined the British navy at age 14. Following an illustrious naval career, he sold his commission at the age of 35. He travelled Europe and northern Africa, and in Egypt worked with John Hindmarsh, who was appointed first Governor of South Australia in 1835. It was upon Hindmarsh’s recommendation that Light became the Surveyor General in the new colony.
Travelling on the ship “Rapid” from London, Colonel Light arrived at Kangaroo Island on 20 August 1836. His task was to survey the area around Nepean Bay in order to establish the first settlement in South Australia. However, the lack of surface water or suitable arable land caused him to seek a better site on the mainland. He surveyed the west coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, around Rapid Bay, following up on the exploration of Captain Collet Barker, who had already recommended the current site of Adelaide, but who had been speared by Aborigines while exploring around the Murray mouth. Although Light’s chosen site for Adelaide clashed with Governor Hindmarsh’s preference for a more openly coastal site, in the end Light’s decision prevailed.
Colonel Light began surveying Adelaide in January 1837, and completed his survey in March 1837. He then commenced the task of naming streets and squares in the new town on 23 May 1837.