Semaphore, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Semaphore is a north-western seaside suburb
of Adelaide
of the LeFevre Peninsula 14km (8.4 mi) from the CBD
, in the state of South Australia
, Australia
and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield
. It is adjacent to Semaphore South
, Glanville
, Exeter
and Largs Bay
. The postcode for Semaphore is 5019. It is bounded to the north by Union and Hargrave Streets, to the south by Hart Street and in the west and east by Gulf St Vincent and the Woolnough and Swan Terraces. Semaphore is essentially a residential suburb.
, a prominent publican, theatrical entrepreneur and actor, built a two-storeyed timber hotel on the southern corner of The Esplanade and Blackler Street. A very high flagpole was erected to signal to his "White Horse Cellars" hotel at Port Adelaide the approach of ships, earning the area the name Semaphore, often called "The Semaphore".
In 1856, an official government signal station was established at the intersection of The Esplanade and Semaphore Road, where officers would record the details of all vessels in Gulf St Vincent. It was also used to record information on water depth, tides and cargo loading. A Telegraph Office opened in 1856 and became a Post and Telegraph Office in March 1871. In 1875, the Time Ball Tower was erected adjacent to the Signal Station. The area was isolated from Port Adelaide
by the Port River
until 1859 when a wooden bridge, later replaced by the Jervois Bridge, was opened. The following year saw the construction of the jetty. The majority of early settlers in Semaphore were crewmen of boats.
The road link to Port Adelaide allowed for more convenient commuting from Semaphore to the commercial area, and contributed to increased residential development in the area, as well as churches, schools and pubs. This was further augmented by the construction in 1878 of a railway, which attracted affluent holiday-makers to the seaside. Carnivals, sideshows and open air cinemas were opened, and 1917 a tram service from Port Adelaide was built.
In the mid 1930s, the Great Depression
brought a decline to Semaphore, with the tram service being closed down and the functions of the Signal Station and Time Ball Tower being moved to Outer Harbor
, while the jetty was shortened due to storm damage, with repairs being unaffordable.http://www.semaphoresa.com.au/semaphore/html-historic/default.htm
The Semaphore jetty, which was completed in 1860, once stood at 652 m (2,150 ft) in length, but today is 585 m (1,930 ft). It overlooks the Fort Glanville
steam train, which operates as a heritage item by the National Railway Museum
. A War Memorial clock was built in 1925 after the First World War. In 1928, a merry-go-round, the largest in Australia, was constructed, driven by an electrical lift motor and gearbox, unlike the predominantly steam-driven machines of the era. An octagonal brick tower with two metre thick walls, erected in 1880 to maintain a water supply when the Jervois bridge had to be raised for passing ships, was used until being converted into a residence in 1972. The birthplace of Sir Ross Smith
, the aviator who flew from the United Kingdom
to Australia
is preserved to this day, http://www.semaphoresa.com.au/semaphore/html-historic/default.htm at 36 Newman Street .
and the local high school is LeFevre High School in Semaphore South
.
Semaphore's beach is possibly the busiest of those on the LeFevre Peninsula, and is serviced by a jetty and a Surf Lifesaving Club. It is also served by a council library, and a small cinema, the Odeon Star. There is a rather large number of elderly residents in the area, as evident from the four nursing homes in the suburb.
Semaphore is part of the state electoral district of Lee
, which has been held since 1997 by Labor MP Michael Wright
. In federal politics, the suburb is part of the division of Port Adelaide
, and has been represented by new Labor MP Mark Butler
since 2007. The results shown are from the Semaphore booth for both seats.
Semaphore is mainly a working class middle income earner area, generally considered safe Labor areas, However the electoral district of Lee
also encompasses West Lakes and several more 'conservative' suburbs, which has seen the Liberal Party poll strongly in the past.
For Local Government, Semaphore is a part of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield
.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
of the LeFevre Peninsula 14km (8.4 mi) from the CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
, in the state of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield
City of Port Adelaide Enfield
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield was established on 1 January 1997 by the amalgamation of the City of Port Adelaide and the City of Enfield, and is one of the larger metropolitan councils within South Australia....
. It is adjacent to Semaphore South
Semaphore South, South Australia
Semaphore South is a beachside suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.Semaphore South Post Office opened on 3 November 1947 and closed in 1978.-References:...
, Glanville
Glanville, South Australia
Glanville is a north western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.- See also :* Glanville railway station...
, Exeter
Exeter, South Australia
Exeter is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 14km from the CBD, on the LeFevre Peninsula, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Semaphore, Birkenhead, Largs Bay and Glanville. The post code for Exeter is 5019...
and Largs Bay
Largs Bay, South Australia
Largs Bay is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 16km from the CBD, on the LeFevre Peninsula, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Largs North and Semaphore, Exeter and Peterhead. The post code for Largs Bay is 5016...
. The postcode for Semaphore is 5019. It is bounded to the north by Union and Hargrave Streets, to the south by Hart Street and in the west and east by Gulf St Vincent and the Woolnough and Swan Terraces. Semaphore is essentially a residential suburb.
History
The Semaphore region was first surveyed for sale in 1849, at which time it was an island of sandhills and swamps. In 1851, George CoppinGeorge Selth Coppin
George Selth Coppin was a comic actor, entrepreneur and politician, active in Australia.-Early life:Coppin was born at Steyning, Sussex, England, son of George Selth Coppin and Elizabeth Jane, née Jackson. His grandfather had been a well-known clergyman at Norwich...
, a prominent publican, theatrical entrepreneur and actor, built a two-storeyed timber hotel on the southern corner of The Esplanade and Blackler Street. A very high flagpole was erected to signal to his "White Horse Cellars" hotel at Port Adelaide the approach of ships, earning the area the name Semaphore, often called "The Semaphore".
In 1856, an official government signal station was established at the intersection of The Esplanade and Semaphore Road, where officers would record the details of all vessels in Gulf St Vincent. It was also used to record information on water depth, tides and cargo loading. A Telegraph Office opened in 1856 and became a Post and Telegraph Office in March 1871. In 1875, the Time Ball Tower was erected adjacent to the Signal Station. The area was isolated from Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
by the Port River
Port River
The Port River is the western branch of the largest tidal estuary on the eastern side of Gulf St Vincent. It extends inland through the historic Inner Harbour of Port Adelaide, to the constructed salt-water West Lakes in the north-western suburbs of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia...
until 1859 when a wooden bridge, later replaced by the Jervois Bridge, was opened. The following year saw the construction of the jetty. The majority of early settlers in Semaphore were crewmen of boats.
The road link to Port Adelaide allowed for more convenient commuting from Semaphore to the commercial area, and contributed to increased residential development in the area, as well as churches, schools and pubs. This was further augmented by the construction in 1878 of a railway, which attracted affluent holiday-makers to the seaside. Carnivals, sideshows and open air cinemas were opened, and 1917 a tram service from Port Adelaide was built.
In the mid 1930s, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
brought a decline to Semaphore, with the tram service being closed down and the functions of the Signal Station and Time Ball Tower being moved to Outer Harbor
Outer Harbor, South Australia
Outer Harbor is a north-western industrial suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, located at the northern tip of the Lefevre Peninsula; administratively, it lies in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, 22 km from the Adelaide city centre. It is adjacent to Osborne, North Haven and Pelican Point...
, while the jetty was shortened due to storm damage, with repairs being unaffordable.http://www.semaphoresa.com.au/semaphore/html-historic/default.htm
Landmarks
Fort Glanville Conservation Park
Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a registered heritage conservation area in Semaphore South, South Australia, a seaside suburb of Adelaide, that incorporates a functional 19th century fort. The fort was built after more than 40 years of indecision over the defence of South Australia...
steam train, which operates as a heritage item by the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum (Port Adelaide)
thumb|Conference dinner being held in the rollingstock pavilionThe National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide, South Australia, is the current site of the Port Dock Station Railway Museum's vast Australian Railway Collection.- History :...
. A War Memorial clock was built in 1925 after the First World War. In 1928, a merry-go-round, the largest in Australia, was constructed, driven by an electrical lift motor and gearbox, unlike the predominantly steam-driven machines of the era. An octagonal brick tower with two metre thick walls, erected in 1880 to maintain a water supply when the Jervois bridge had to be raised for passing ships, was used until being converted into a residence in 1972. The birthplace of Sir Ross Smith
Ross Macpherson Smith
Sir Ross Macpherson Smith KBE, MC & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was an Australian aviator, who, along with his brother, Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, became the first pilots to fly from England to Australia, ....
, the aviator who flew from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is preserved to this day, http://www.semaphoresa.com.au/semaphore/html-historic/default.htm at 36 Newman Street .
Facilities
The only school in the suburb is the Catholic Dominican Primary School. The closest public primary school is LeFevre Primary School in BirkenheadBirkenhead, South Australia
Birkenhead is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 14 km from the CBD, on the Lefevre Peninsula, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Peterhead, Exeter and Glanville...
and the local high school is LeFevre High School in Semaphore South
Semaphore South, South Australia
Semaphore South is a beachside suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.Semaphore South Post Office opened on 3 November 1947 and closed in 1978.-References:...
.
Semaphore's beach is possibly the busiest of those on the LeFevre Peninsula, and is serviced by a jetty and a Surf Lifesaving Club. It is also served by a council library, and a small cinema, the Odeon Star. There is a rather large number of elderly residents in the area, as evident from the four nursing homes in the suburb.
Politics
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Semaphore is part of the state electoral district of Lee
Electoral district of Lee
Lee is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Named after the women's suffrage campaigner Mary Lee, it is a 17.6 km² urban electorate on Adelaide's north-western beaches, taking in the suburbs of Birkenhead, Ethelton, Exeter, Glanville,...
, which has been held since 1997 by Labor MP Michael Wright
Michael Wright
Michael Wright is an American film and television actor, who is best known for his role as Eddie King, Jr. in the 1991 Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats....
. In federal politics, the suburb is part of the division of Port Adelaide
Division of Port Adelaide
The Division of Port Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of South Australia. It is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, covering the area around the Barker Inlet, part of the Gulf St Vincent. It stretches from St Kilda in the north down to Grange Road, and is roughly...
, and has been represented by new Labor MP Mark Butler
Mark Butler
Mark Christopher Butler has been the Australian Labor Party representative for the electoral division of Port Adelaide in north-western Adelaide, South Australia since the 2007 federal election, succeeding prior Labor MP Rod Sawford....
since 2007. The results shown are from the Semaphore booth for both seats.
Semaphore is mainly a working class middle income earner area, generally considered safe Labor areas, However the electoral district of Lee
Electoral district of Lee
Lee is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Named after the women's suffrage campaigner Mary Lee, it is a 17.6 km² urban electorate on Adelaide's north-western beaches, taking in the suburbs of Birkenhead, Ethelton, Exeter, Glanville,...
also encompasses West Lakes and several more 'conservative' suburbs, which has seen the Liberal Party poll strongly in the past.
For Local Government, Semaphore is a part of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield
City of Port Adelaide Enfield
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield was established on 1 January 1997 by the amalgamation of the City of Port Adelaide and the City of Enfield, and is one of the larger metropolitan councils within South Australia....
.