Storms That Damaged Some of South Australia’s Jetties & Ships

I was a guest of ABC Radio 891 on 13^th April 2026. The host, Caroline Winter interviewed me about the old Glenelg jetty and the aquarium on the jetty. They particularly wanted to focus on the 11^th April 1948 storm that destroyed the aquarium due to the 78^th anniversary of the storm over the past weekend. My interview by ABC Radio 891’s Caroline Winter can be heard either on the ABC Listen app or from the 44-minute mark at https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-mornings/mornings/106545402 . Rodney Fox rang in to the station to talk about the topic of the jetty aquarium. His interview can be heard from the 1.45-minute mark.

Whilst the interview was brief, I had previously given the show’s producer the following links to some of my past articles on the topic: –

The landing of the First Mail at Glenelg jetty & the Masonic Ceremonials for the Commencement of the Construction of the Jetty

The Old Glenelg Jetty Aquarium

KEITH MINCHIN, ADELAIDE ZOO, THE SNAKE PARK, KOALA FARM & THE OLD GLENELG JETTY AQUARIUM

More may be found via https://mlssa.org.au/?s=glenelg%20jetty

I also told them that I have dozens of reports and slides re the SUHR’s 1974-8 survey of the old jetty. Those slides can be viewed at https://stevereynolds.wixsite.com/website/post/images-of-the-1970s-holdfast-bay-project and at https://1drv.ms/f/c/f49cda2ca5c2599b/EoP4YeiiQnFDp2d2tzCeIvgBsYe-rBxyubtSlhWLm_-3KA?e=ca2p2L.

My interview by ABC Radio 891’s Caroline Winter can be heard either on the ABC Listen app or from the 44-minute mark at https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-mornings/mornings/106545402 . Rodney Fox rang in to the station to talk about the topic of the jetty aquarium. His interview can be heard from the 1.45-minute mark.

Glenelg jetty and aquarium during the 1948 storm

(Photo taken by Krischock Studios. Taken from the Ron Blum collection. Source: Keith Conlon’s Facebook page.)

In preparation for my interview, I asked the Microsoft Copilot AI Assistant, “Who took the 1948 Glenelg storm photograph?

According to the Assistant, “The photograph is attributed to Krischock Studios, the major Adelaide commercial photography house active through the mid‑20th century. In practice, that usually means Henry Krischock himself, or one of his studio photographers working under his name.”

It seems that the photo became part of the late Ron Blum’s collection.

Prior to my interview, it was suggested that I needed to review my knowledge about storms other than the 1948 storm. I only had sufficient time to consider those storms that affected local jetties and ships.

I found that there had been an earlier storm at the Glenelg jetty that had wrecked the 1907-built kiosk on the jetty in 1943.

I also found that at least two ships referred to as cutters had been wrecked at Glenelg on the same day (11^th April) as the 1948 storm. These two cutters were the Renown and the Zephyr.

One of the 2 cutters wrecked at Glenelg in the 1948 storm

(HMAS Barcoo can be seen in the background. The Barcoo became stranded during the same storm.)

That 1948 storm has been described as a hurricane, or hurricane force gale, by some people. The winds were said to have reached 130 km per hour.

Heavy seas had washed away parts of the Brighton jetty in 1915. I also found that the Brighton jetty had been damaged during the 1948 storm. 150 feet of the jetty’s centre section was damaged. There were also storms in 1928, 1953, 1993, 1994 & 1995 that had damaged the Brighton jetty.

The Brighton jetty after a storm

The Port Germein and Moonta Bay jetties were also damaged during the 1953 storm that damaged the Brighton jetty.

The Semaphore jetty had also been damaged by storms in 1917, 1960, 1993 & 1994. Another storm in 2009 is said to have ‘split the Semaphore jetty in half’.

The Semaphore jetty after the 1993 storm

The Grange jetty and Rapid Bay jetty were also damaged during the 1993 storm. A section of steps from the Grange jetty washed up at Semaphore.

The Semaphore jetty after the 2009 storm

The Port Noarlunga jetty was damaged by a storm in 1987.

The Port Noarlunga  jetty after the 1987 storm

Other damage during the 1948 storm included the roofs (rooves?) of many houses, especially those on the seafront. The roof of the Glenelg Town Hall was also damaged.

(There was no time given for me to discuss these other storm details during my interview. I had also prepared numerous notes about the jetty, aquarium and storm, etc.., but there was no time given to discuss most of these details at all. I mainly wished to present all of the above details whilst I had them on hand.)