European Settlement in Adelaide

The first settlers of many parts of Australia were convicts transported as corporal punishment for crimes committed back in England.

Unlike much of the country however, the European settlement of South Australia did not begin as a convict colony.

Although ex-convicts were accepted from other States, the original settlers were sent out from England on several passenger ships of their own free will.

Originally arriving at Nepean Bay and settling in Kangaroo Island’s Kingscote, the pioneers soon moved to the mainland to one of South Australia’s first settlements.

In the year of 1836 South Australia was established as a British colony and later in 1842 the State was made a crown colony.

It did not take long before South Australia’s population began to expand, and by 1850 the region was home to about 38,000 immigrants.