Goolwa State Heritage Area
LocationThe River Murray port of Goolwa is 83 kilometres south-east of Adelaide. It is located on the western shore of Lake Alexandrina, on the waterway's last bend before it enters the Southern Ocean. The name Goolwa is thought to be an Aboriginal word meaning 'elbow', which describes the river's shape at this point as it curves around Hindmarsh Island towards the Murray Mouth. The boundary of the Goolwa State Heritage Area encompasses the inner part of the Goolwa township and includes the wharf and tramway precinct, part of the town's early commercial core and the residential area to the south, known as 'Little Scotland'. View Public Notice (300Kb PDF). SignificanceThe Goolwa State Heritage Area, declared on 24 September 1987, acknowledges the town's significant history as one of Australia's principal nineteenth century river ports. During its hey-day, from the 1850s to the 1880s, Goolwa was one of the country's earliest and most important River Murray ports. It was the southern terminus for the Murray-Darling Basin, and a bustling centre for transport and trade between South Australia and the eastern colonies.
Goolwa developed as the Murray's link with the sea. Cargoes of wool and other produce were off-loaded at the river port and transported by (horse-drawn) railway to be exported from a seaport on Encounter Bay - initially Port Elliot and later Victor Harbor. Supplies and passengers also travelled this route. With trade and transport came prosperity. Industries developed and the population grew. Significantly, Goolwa was the first Australian river port that engaged in shipbuilding and repairs. Between 1853 and 1913, thirty-seven paddle-steamers and 23 barges were constructed at Goolwa. The Goolwa Patent Slip and Iron Works, established in 1864, employed 30-40 tradespeople by the 1870s. Part of the Goolwa State Heritage Area's significance relates to the surviving buildings and other elements that represent the town's links to inland development and maritime commerce in the nineteenth century. The unique wharf and tramway precinct is of national significance and is complemented by the well-preserved public and commercial buildings and residential cottages of the river trade era. Brief HistoryGoolwa's story includes the region's recognised significance for the Ngarrindjerri people of the lower Murray, as well as associations with explorers Charles Sturt and Collett Barker, but it is the town's history as one of Australia's most important river ports that is significant for its designation as a State Heritage Area.
From the earliest days of South Australia's settlement, the Murray was seen potentially as Australia's 'Mississippi', but the dangerous river mouth handicapped the development of this inland transport route. In the 1850s, following the suggestion of Governor Young, a horse-drawn railway was constructed from Goolwa to Port Elliot. This line effectively linked river port and sea port, limiting the need for vessels to negotiate the Murray Mouth. Public works were also carried out at both locations, and included the wharf at Goolwa (1852). The opening of the rail link (1854) was the stimulus for the river trade that quickly developed. Governor Young had also offered a reward to the first two steamers to travel the Murray from Goolwa to the Darling junction. In 1853 two vessels were successful - the Mary Ann, built at Mannum by William Randell, and the Lady Augusta, brought successfully through the Murray Mouth by Francis Cadell. Both voyages proved the river navigable and highlighted its viability for river trade - Randell sold his cargo of wheat during the trip, and Cadell returned to Goolwa with 4 000 bales of wool. From the 1850s to the early 1880s Goolwa monopolised South Australia's river trade with Victoria and New South Wales. During this period the volume of trade increased enormously and the town developed accordingly. The original wharf was extended in 1866 and rebuilt in 1874. Like other country towns, Goolwa's industries included breweries, a sawmill and a flour mill, but also a shipbuilding and repair industry. Goolwa was the first Australian river port where vessels were built.
The opening of a railway line from Morgan to Port Adelaide in 1878 led to a dwindling of river trade on the Murray's lower reaches. Goolwa's prosperity declined slowly after the early 1880s, when Morgan quickly eclipsed Goolwa as the busiest river port in South Australia. By the turn of the century shipbuilding had virtually ceased, although some maintenance work was still carried out, and Goolwa's prosperity as a port was over. Goolwa survived, changing from a major river port to a popular tourist destination. In 1940, a nationally significant project led to the building of five barrages at the Murray's mouth, and this construction impacted on the town's economy. During the 1950s Goolwa's attraction as a recreation resort continued with the building of shacks and other accommodation places. In later years, the controversial Hindmarsh Island Bridge (opened March 2001) has replaced the ferry which ran between Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island for 140 years, and has had a significant impact on the town's culture and economy. The Port Elliot and Goolwa Heritage Study (1981) provides a more detailed history of Goolwa (50Kb PDF). Character
The river town of Goolwa, during its hey-day from the 1850s to the 1880s, played a pivotal role in the State's economy. The town's siting on the River Murray, as it nears the Mouth, gives it a port character with wharves and other relics of this important era, when more than a hundred paddle-steamers plied the waterways. The port's early prosperity is reflected in a number of solidly built Government and private buildings, such as the hotels, police station, shops and cottages. Goolwa still has a basically intact business area. Much of the wharves and other associated shipping activities have disappeared, but a few relics remain. Tourist attractions like the railway, paddle-steamer Oscar W and the signal station (now an interpretive centre) are physical links with the past, and reminders of the area's maritime history. The railway cutting, wharf sheds and significant buildings like the Railway Superintendent's Cottage or the Old Chart Room, reflect the prosperity of the nineteenth century and the development of industry, commerce and services to support the river trade. FeaturesThe Goolwa State Heritage Area includes nine places that are State Heritage Places entered in the South Australian Heritage Register, and which relate to Goolwa's activities as a prosperous river port linked by a railway to Encounter Bay.
Other significant features within the precinct include:
View the State Heritage Branch Goolwa State Heritage Area brochure, revised in March 1996. |
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