Port Hughes Jetty 2013 - Steve ReynoldsPort Hughes Jetty 2013 - Steve Reynolds

I think that I first became fascinated with jetties when I first started scuba diving in January 1978 after visiting Port Hughes jetty. I did my first sea dive at Port Noarlunga jetty in February 1978. Although I had visited several piers whilst I was in England, it was mainly through diving in South Australia that my love of jetties grew.

Diving led me to an interest in the history of local shipwrecks and jetties. My interest increased when I first became our Society’s newsletter editor in April 1981. I may have written articles about jetties any time after that, but the first one that comes to mind is one that I wrote about Port Noarlunga and its jetty. The article titled simply “Port Noarlunga” was published in our July 1984 newsletter (No.86). I also remember writing little pieces about the storm that destroyed the old Glenelg jetty in 1948. These led to an article titled “The Glenelg Jetty” which was published in two parts in our June & July 2002 newsletters (Nos.289 & 290).

It may have been sometime back then that I had started to compile a card system for details regarding dive site locations, jetties and other SA place names of interest. I would use the cards from my system for newsletter articles. As my card system grew, I dreamed of writing a book about SA jetties. It was only my busyness with our Society, newsletters and journals that prevented me from getting on with my jetty book project.

I managed to make a start writing about jetties, however, by about 2005. My dream about writing a book about jetties came crashing down that year though when Neville Collins published his book “The Jetties of South Australia – Past and Present”. Neville had succeeded where I had failed. His book may well have spurred me on in some way though. It had much of the information that I required for my work.

Neville came along to one of our Society meetings to talk about his book on jetties about that time. I even attended another talk on the same topic by him at the Semaphore Library.
My work writing about jetties may have taken a slight turn when it became more focused on jetties that had disappeared. My article titled “Some of SA’s Long Lost Jetties” was eventually published in three parts in our February, March & April 2006 newsletters (Nos.329-331).

(Somehow, the title became sub-titled “SA’s First Jetty” due to an editorial error.)

The article went from being about jetties that had disappeared, to being about jetties that had been rebuilt or replaced, to being about jetties that had simply been shortened because of storms. It concluded with discussing the slipway rail tracks close to the Port Hughes jetty. There was, however, a list of references at the end of the article. This list indicated that I had written about the Semaphore jetty in both 1992 & 1993.

In 2011, I was writing about the Second Valley jetty. An article titled “The Steps at Second Valley Jetty” was published in our August 2011 newsletter (No.384). Several articles about Second Valley and the jetty there appeared in our 2011 Journal (No.21).

The August 2011 newsletter also included my article titled “My Recent Visit to the SA Maritime Museum”. The newsletter included this old photo of the Granite Island causeway: –

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I had taken a photo of the photograph at the Maritime Museum during my visit there. According to my article, “It was taken from the island, looking back towards the mainland. It shows the old Victoria Pier (with public baths) in the background.”

I made a start writing another article titled “Three Jetties Built at Granite Island”, but I never finished it. It went like this: –

“Three jetties have been built at Granite Island at Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula, as I reported in our November 1985 Newsletter (No.101). I was, however, a little confused when I said that the island’s first jetty was built in 1862 and that the causeway from the mainland to the island was completed in 1875. The causeway started off as the first jetty. It was built between 1862 and 1864. A pier was built at the end of this first jetty. It was named the Victoria Pier after Queen Victoria and it was opened on 4th August 1864, following the opening of the extension of the railway from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor on the same day. A large stone shed was erected at the end of the jetty to hold goods awaiting shipment. A tramway was also opened along the first jetty that same year. This tramway was heavily worked and the goods shed apparently bulged with wool bales awaiting shipment. People resumed their call for the first jetty to be extended to Granite Island so that ships could dock in deeper waters. The first jetty (causeway) was extended to Granite Island in 1875 and another jetty was built on the island. The causeway extension and new jetty cost £8950. The new jetty (described as “a timber-piled wharf”) was called the Working Jetty or Shipping Jetty. In 1878 work started on the Screwpile Jetty and the nearby breakwater on the island. Both the jetty and the breakwater were finished in 1882 at a cost of £122,171. So what became of the Victoria Pier and the Working (or Shipping) Jetty? I have only been able to find out that one of them was demolished in 1957. This was the year that the causeway had to be rebuilt and may give a clue as to which jetty was demolished then. The Screwpile Jetty was also reconditioned that same year (1957).”

In Part 2 of my article “Some Of SA’s Long Lost Jetties”  I wrote: –

The Old Victoria Pier at Victor Harbor

The first part of the causeway to Granite Island at Victor Harbor was built between 1862 and 1864. It was Victor’s first jetty. A pier was built at the end of this jetty. It was named the Victoria Pier after Queen Victoria and it was opened on 4th August 1864, following the opening of the extension of the railway from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor on the same day.

The Old Victor Harbor Swimming Baths

Swimming baths were constructed on either side of the jetty (causeway) because men and women had to bathe separately. A deeper swimming area was then built between the jetty and its spur (the Victoria Pier) in 1899. A larger area had to be made for swimming by 1905. The baths had a shark-proof fence built around them. The baths, however, fell into such a bad state of disrepair that they were not being used and were eventually demolished in 1955.

The Old Granite Island Jetty

Victor Harbor’s first jetty was extended to Granite Island in 1875 (to become the causeway) and another jetty was built on the island. The new jetty (described as “a timber-piled wharf”) was called the Working Jetty or Shipping Jetty. It ran in an easterly direction in continuation of the roadway (on the island) from the end of the causeway.

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Site of the Working Jetty on Granite Island in 2005
(Taken by Steve Reynolds)

In 1878 work started on the Screwpile Jetty and the nearby breakwater on the island. Both the jetty and the breakwater were finished in 1882. So what became of the Victoria Pier and the Working (or Shipping) Jetty? I have only been able to find out that one of them was demolished in 1957. This was the year that the causeway had to be rebuilt and may give a clue as to which jetty was demolished then. The Screwpile Jetty was also reconditioned that same year (1957).”

“The Jetties of South Australia – Past and Present” by Neville Collins included an old photo of the Working Jetty on Granite Island. I also found this photo at the Maritime Museum of the Working Jetty: –

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Photo at the Maritime Museum of the Working Jetty

My friend (& dive buddy) Allan Horsfall has now provided me with several old postcards showing the old jetty. These are reproduced below: –

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The Working Jetty (with Victoria Pier in background)
(Postcard courtesy of Allan Horsfall)

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The reduced Working Jetty (with Victoria Pier in background)
(Postcard courtesy of Allan Horsfall. This card was produced prior to March 1907.)

The two postcard images above show a full Working Jetty. The following two images, however, show a much reduced Working Jetty, with what appears to be a slipway attached to the jetty: –

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The reduced Working Jetty (with no ‘pier’ in background)
(Postcard courtesy of Allan Horsfall)

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The Working Jetty (with no ‘pier’ in background)
(Postcard courtesy of Allan Horsfall. This card was produced prior to August 1967)

Many thanks go to Allan Horsfall for providing these postcards which show how the Working Jetty must have changed over a number of years.
I took a series of photos showing the remains of the Working Jetty during a visit to Granite Island in 2005. Here is one of them: –

 

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Some remains of the Working Jetty in 2005
(Taken by Steve Reynolds)

To finish off, here is a list that I prepared back on 1st April (true!) 2006: –

SA JETTIES BUILT DURING THE 1800s OR EARLY 1900s

By Steve Reynolds

As mentioned in Part 1 of my article titled “Some of SA’s Long Lost Jetties” (MLSSA Newsletter February 2006, No.329) several jetties were built at Reeves Point on Kangaroo Island from 1836. A stone pier was built at Marino about 1840. Many jetties were subsequently built and are listed below in chronological order. The list was reformatted with assistance from Dan Monceaux in 2017.

Jetty Region Waters Commenced Completed
Reeves Point Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait 1836  
Marino Adelaide plains Gulf St. Vincent   1840 (circa)
Southend South-east Southern Ocean 1850s
Port Augusta Mid-north Upper Spencer Gulf 1850s
Port Elliot Fleurieu Peninsula Encounter Bay 1852
Port Willunga Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1853
Normanville Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1853
Port Willunga Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1853
Port Noarlunga Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1855
Second Valley Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1855
Robe South-east Southern Ocean 1855
Bluff, Victor Harbor Fleurieu Peninsula Encounter Bay 1856
Milang 1856
Glenelg Adelaide plains Gulf St. Vincent 1857 1859
Port Lincoln town jetty Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1857
Harveys Return Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait 1858
Kingston SE South-east 1858 1863
Semaphore Lefevre Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1859
Myponga Beach Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1860
Port MacDonnell South-east Southern Ocean 1861
Wallaroo Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1861 1862
Port Clinton Yorke Peninsula 1863
Causeway & Victoria Pier, Victor Harbor Fleurieu Peninsula Encounter Bay 1864
Rapid Bay Fleurieu Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1867
Meningie 1867
Port Pirie Mid-north Upper Spencer Gulf 1868
Mulgundawa(r) 1869
Moonta Bay Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1870 1872
Edithburgh Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1872 1873
Warrengie 1873
Port Broughton Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1873
Tumby Bay Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1873 1874
Working Jetty, Granite Island Fleurieu Peninsula Encounter Bay 1875
Ardrossan Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1876 1877
Point Turton Yorke Peninsula 1876 1877
Point McLeahy 1877
Port Vincent Yorke Peninsula 1877
Stansbury Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1877
Port Minlacowie Yorke Peninsula 1877
Narrung 1877
Port Victoria Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1877 1878
Grange Adelaide plains Gulf St. Vincent 1878
Althorpe Island Investigator Strait 1878
Port Rickaby Yorke Peninsula 1879
Louth Bay Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1879
Beachport South-east Southern Ocean 1878 1882
Penguin Island Southern Ocean 1880
Venus Bay Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1880
Mount Dutton Bay Eyre Peninsula 1880
Port Germein Mid-north Upper Spencer Gulf 1880 1881
Balgowan Yorke Peninsula 1881
Elliston Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1881
Cowell Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1881
Port Moorowie Yorke Peninsula Investigator Strait 1881
Lipson Cove (near Tumby Bay) Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1882
Wool Bay Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1882
Arno Bay Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1882
Largs Bay Lefevre Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1882
Henley Beach Adelaide plains Gulf St. Vincent 1883
Screwpile Jetty, Granite Island Fleurieu Peninsula Encounter Bay 1882
Brighton Adelaide plains Gulf St. Vincent 1885 1886
Beare Point, Kingscote Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait 1886
Marion Bay Yorke Peninsula 1889
Streaky Bay Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1892
Fowlers Bay Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1894 1896
Port Julia Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1895
Port Davis Mid-north Upper Spencer Gulf 1899
Muston Kangaroo Island Pelican Lagoon 1900s (early)
Whyalla Eyre Peninsula Upper Spencer Gulf 1901
South Neptune Island Spencer Gulf 1901 1902
Penneshaw Kangaroo Island Backstairs passage 1902
Ceduna Far West Great Australian Bight 1902 1903
Sceale Bay Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1905
North Shields Eyre Peninsula 1906
Cape du Couedic Kangaroo Island 1907
American River Kangaroo Island Pelican Lagoon 1908
Marum Island 1909 (circa)
Denial Bay 1909
Port Lehunte 1909 1911
Kingscote Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait 1910
Laura Bay 1911
Vivonne Bay Kangaroo Island Southern Ocean 1911
Port Neill Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1911 1912
Smoky Bay Far West Great Australian Bight 1911 1912
Haslam Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1911 1912
Port Hughes Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1911 1913
Port Kenny Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight 1912 1913
Stenhouse Bay Yorke Peninsula 1913
Port Gibbon Eyre Peninsula Spencer Gulf 1915
Emu Bay Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait 1918
Klein Point Yorke Peninsula 1918
Thevenard Far West Great Australian Bight 1920
Antechamber Bay Kangaroo Island Southern Ocean 1922 1923
Loveday Bay 1923
Coobowie Yorke Peninsula Gulf St. Vincent 1925
Cape Jervis Fleurieu Peninsula Backstairs passage 1938

The above list is intended only as a guide. Much more research is needed to discover the details. Many of the above mentioned sites had more than one jetty built there.

Photographs of the old jetties built at Granite Island could previously be viewed at the kiosk on the island. The Largs Bay kiosk still displays old photos of the Largs Bay jetty. Many old jetty photos can be found at Sea Witch Images in Lipson Street at Port Adelaide.

By Steve Reynolds

Steve Reynolds is the current President of MLSSA and is a long-standing member of the Society. Steve is a keen diver, underwater explorer, photographer and is chief author of the Society's extensive back catalogue of newsletters and journals.

8 thought on “My love of jetties, some of my jetty work , Granite Island jetties & a list of S.A. jetties built from the 1800s to early 1900s”
  1. When was the Minlacowie jetty demolished? Some websites (and I understand info on the cairn on the beach) suggest 1971, but I’m sure it was there for longer.

    1. We would be interested to hear whether your suggestion is correct. According to “The Jetties of South Australia”, it was in 1971 that the Harbors Board “decided to completely remove the jetty” but that’s not indicative of the actual time of the demolishing of it. Portions of the demolished jetty were said to have been used for the restoration of the Port Rickaby jetty, which occurred in the early 70s.

  2. Do you have information on who built the jetties? I believe my ancestor John Tate may have been responsible for many of them, including Kangaroo Island, as that is where he met his wife.

    1. Thanks Julie, there may be some info re some of the jetties. Neville Collins has written a very good book that has been revised.
      That would be a good starting point. Otherwise, we may be able to check on particular jetties of interest. Do you suggest starting with KI?

      1. Hi Julie
        We have looked at Neville Collins’ book “The Jetties of South Australia – Past and Present”.
        A quick scan reveals that a J.TAIT was one of the builders of the Penneshaw jetty on KI. The book says that the jetty was built by J.Tait and T.Durham.
        We would need to scan the whole book to find any reference to a John Tate/J.Tait.
        The last number I had for Neville Skinner was 0411 295 766.
        Cheers
        Steve

  3. Hi, I’m interested in the Mulgundawa jetty which has a (r) next to it. I guess it was built, as my ancestor was the person who was contracted to overseer the works – Samuel Carvosso. Is this jetty still there? I’ve never seen signs to it and we do go occasionally on the road from Wellington to Strathalbyn.

      1. Hi Steve – many thanks for your reply. Much appreciated and will add a little more to my gt-gt-grandfather’s story!!

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