Port Noarlunga, South Australia

Port Noarlunga is a suburb in the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia. It is a small sea-side suburb, population 2,918,[2] about 30 kilometres (19 miles) to the south of the Adelaide city centre and was originally created as a sea port. This area is now popular as a holiday destination or for permanent residents wishing to commute to Adelaide or work locally. There is a jetty that connects to a 1.6 kilometres (0.99 miles) long natural reef that is exposed at low tide. The beach is large and very long and has reasonable surfing in the South Port area whose name is taken from its location - "South of the Port".[9]

For other uses, see Port Noarlunga.

Port Noarlunga
Adelaide, South Australia
Port Noarlunga jetty and reef, viewed from Witton Bluff
Port Noarlunga
Coordinates35°08′56″S 138°28′31″E[1]
Population2,918 (2016 census)[2]
Established1856[3]
Postcode(s)5167[4]
Location27 km (17 mi) south of Adelaide
LGA(s)City of Onkaparinga
RegionSouthern Adelaide[5]
CountyAdelaide[6]
State electorate(s)Reynell
Federal Division(s)Kingston[7]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
21.7 °C
71 °F		 12.8 °C
55 °F		 448.7 mm
17.7 in
Suburbs around Port Noarlunga:
Gulf St Vincent Christies Beach Noarlunga Centre
Gulf St Vincent Port Noarlunga Noarlunga Downs
Gulf St Vincent Port Noarlunga South Seaford Meadows
FootnotesLocation[4]
Climate[8]
Adjoining suburbs[1]

It is known as Tainbarang[10] or Tainbarilla[11] by the traditional owners, the Kaurna people, and is of significance as being the site of a freshwater spring said to be created by the tears of Tjilbruke, the creator being.[10] A reserve known as the Tutu Wirra Reserve, on Witton Bluff, is the location of the stone cairn commemorating the second spring created by Tjilbruke on his journey down the coast.[12]

The suburb is bounded to the south by the Onkaparinga River, including a tidal estuary. It is bounded to the west by the coastline with Gulf St Vincent, by Christies Beach to the north and by Noarlunga Centre and Noarlunga Downs to the east.[1]

History

Before the British colonisation of South Australia, this area, along with most of the Adelaide plains area and down the western side of the Fleurieu Peninsula, was inhabited by the Kaurna people. There is a significant site associated with the Kaurna Dreaming of the creator ancestor Tjilbruke in the area.[11]

The first record of the area was provided by Captain Collet Barker who explored the Onkaparinga River on 15 April 1831 in his search for a Gulf outlet from Lake Alexandrina. In early 1837, while camped by the Sturt River near Marion, South Australia's only two horses slipped their tether ropes during the night and the overseer of stock, C.W. Stuart led an expedition to recover them. Taking a botanist to record the plants encountered, the expedition searched much of present-day Noarlunga before finding the horses near the Onkaparinga River. The men being on foot were however, unable to capture them. In June 1837, Colonel William Light led an overland expedition to arrest whalers who had been abducting native women at Encounter Bay, 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Adelaide. Cresting Tapleys Hill they named the valley Morphett Vale after expedition member John Morphett. They reached the southern end of the Mount Lofty Ranges before impenetrable scrub forced them to return to Adelaide. The following year, John McLaren of the Survey Dept. divided the area south of Adelaide into three districts (B.C and D) based on the reports made by the Stuart and Light expeditions. B and C districts, the present Noarlunga District, was opened to public selection in February 1839 and by 1841 the population was estimated to be about 150.[13]

A shore-based bay whaling station was established near the mouth of the Onkaparinga River by George Heppenstall in 1841.[14] The operation consisted of 25 men and two boats. They also had a small punt which was used as a cutting-in platform. Heppenstall built a house nearby which he later called "Whaleview." It is reputed to be the first permanent structure in the area. The fishery ceased operation in 1843.

The government town of Port Noarlunga was surveyed and offered for sale on 14 April 1859.[9]

The township was originally settled as a port for the produce from the proposed market town of Noarlunga a few kilometres upstream. The Onkaparinga River mouth proved unsuitable to coastal ketches, so produce was barged down river to the sandhills and then taken by horse drawn rail trucks to the jetty. The current jetty was constructed in 1921 and is the second jetty to have been constructed at Port Noarlunga. The original jetty, 30 metres south of the current jetty, was constructed in 1855, but was destroyed in several severe storms in the early 1900s.[9]

In the early 20th century Port Noarlunga was a popular coastal holiday destination, with the beach proving an attraction with its natural beauty and in summer amusement fairs were run, as well as row boating on the river estuary. Port Noarlunga Post Office opened around November 1909.[15]

With the gradual incursion of urban sprawl, and in particular immigration-fuelled expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the township eventually became an outer suburb of Adelaide. The South Australian Housing Trust in particular developed housing in the nearby areas of Christies Beach and O'Sullivan Beach and with the extension of the metropolitan rail line to adjacent Noarlunga Centre in 1978 the township of Port Noarlunga had largely lost its attraction as a holiday destination.

Significant sites

There is a stone cairn with commemorative plaque in the Tutu Wirra Reserve to mark a place near the second freshwater spring created by Kaurna ancestor hero Tjilbruke in his journey down the coast.[12]

State heritage places

The following places within Port Noarlunga are listed as "state heritage places" on the South Australian Heritage Register:

  • Perry Homestead, 80 Murray Road.[16]
  • Dwelling and outbuildings, 53 Old Honeypot Road.[17]
  • Port Noarlunga Hotel, 29 Saltfleet Street.[18]
  • Sauerbier's House, 21 Wearing Street.[19]

Attractions
Port Noarlunga jetty

Beach and jetty

Port Noarlunga beach is popular with tourists and residents with safe swimming areas patrolled by two surf life saving clubs. It features in the 2012 book 101 Best Australian Beaches by Andy Short and Brad Farmer.[20]

The first jetty at Port Noarlunga was constructed for coastal trade. Work commenced in 1854[21] and on its completion the following year it was known as Port Onkaparinga. The first jetty had fallen into disrepair by the turn of the 20th century.[22] Interest was expressed in repairing or replacing the jetty during the 1910s, but work did not commence until the conclusion of World War I due to difficulties obtaining government funding.[23] Plans were made and tenders were called in October 1918.[24] At its official opening in December 1921 it stood 1,250 feet in length and had been constructed at a cost of £6000-7000.[25]

The present timber jetty extends from the shore over the beach and out towards the reef, which forms a natural breakwater. It is illuminated at night and features three staircases, one that leads down to the beach, and two that provide access to the water to swimmers, snorkelers and divers. It is also accessible to wheelchairs and scooters.

In November 2018, the stairs at the reef end of the jetty were dislodged from the main structure by strong winds and wave energy during a storm. They were replaced with a sturdier modern construction featuring multiple platforms in 2020.

The remains of the old jetty's piles lie 30 metres to the south of the existing jetty and are occasionally exposed following storms.[26]

Township

There is also a small main street (Gawler Street) that serves visitors and locals in this beach area. It has several cafes, a pub, a fish and chip shop, a surf shop and several other businesses providing services to the locals. The old "Institute" building, built in 1924, is now the community centre.

Port Noarlunga Reef

Port Noarlunga Reef is regarded as one of South Australia's best snorkeling sites[27] and is popular with underwater photographers.[28] It is a narrow reef about 400 metres (1,300 feet) offshore and about 1.6 kilometres (0.99 miles) long and was formed from a consolidated Pleistocene sand dune. The reef runs parallel to shore and has two sections, with the area separating them called The Gap. It is a popular scuba diving and snorkelling location,[29] with more than 200 marine plant species and over 70 fish species.[30] There is a self-guided diving trail which was established in 1994, which is marked with a series of 12 glass plaques. The plaques indicate aspects of the reef ecosystem relevant to their location.[31]

Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve
Port Noarlunga Reef at low tide, view to South from the jetty

The Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve is one of six aquatic reserves proclaimed in South Australia in 1971 with it being established specifically to protect the reef life and the adjacent river estuary.[32] The boundaries of the reserve were extended to the north in 1993 to include an adjacent limestone reef known as Horseshoe Reef at Christies Beach. As of 2007, it extends along the coastline from Onkaparinga Head at Port Noarlunga South in the south to Gulfview Road at Christies Beach in the north and includes the Onkaparinga River up until the Main South Road at Old Noarlunga. The reserve covers an area of 527 hectares (1,300 acres). Fishing activity is limited to the use of rod and handline while the use of 'hand nets for the taking of shrimps for bait only' is permitted in estuary and the Onkaparinga River. No fishing is permitted within 25 metres (82 feet) of Horseshoe and Port Noarlunga Reefs and can only be carried out from the jetty and the beach at Port Noarlunga.[31][33][34]

Port Noarlunga tyre reef & shipwrecks

Three artificial reefs lie in close proximity to each other, offshore from Port Noarlunga, and can be explored by divers. The Port Noarlunga Tyre Reef is a man-made construction of tyre pyramids in 20 metres of water. Nearby lie the H. A. Lumb (a steel tug) and the MV Seawolf (a former fishing boat). The H. A. Lumb was scuttled by the Dive Industry Association in 1994 and the MV Seawolf was scuttled by the Seawolves dive club in 2002 after fundraising efforts.[35] The H.A. Lumb lies in 20 metres of water 2.5 km west of the Port Noarlunga jetty, with the MV Seawolf is located slightly to the south east of her. All three sites can be accessed during a single dive.[36]

Port Noarlunga Aquatic Centre

Since 1976 the Port Noarlunga Aquatic Centre has operated classes for primary school children from throughout the state. The program runs in the first and last school terms each year and provides the opportunity to try waveskiing, canoeing, fishing, snorkelling, sailing, swimming and sailboarding. About 15,000 students have access to this program each year.[9]

Protected area status

Port Noarlunga includes parts of the following protected areas. The Encounter Marine Park and the Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve both occupy land within the intertidal zone of the suburb along the coastline with Gulf St Vincent and the Onkaparinga River. The Encounter Marine Park also occupies the undeveloped area in the south of the suburb adjoining the mouth of the Onkaparinga River.[1][37]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. "Search result for "Port Noarlunga, Sub" with the following datasets being selected - "Suburbs and Localities", "Counties", "Government Towns", "Local Government Areas", "SA Government Regions", "Gazetteer", "Aquatic Reserves" and "State Marine Park Network"". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Port Noarlunga (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  3. "Search result for "Port Noarlunga (Suburb)" (Record no. SA0040637) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  4. "Port Noarlunga, South Australia (Postcode)". postcodes-australia.com. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  5. "Southern Adelaide SA Government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. "Search result for "County of Adelaide, CNTY" with the following data sets selected - "Counties" and "Local Government Areas"". Property Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  7. "Map of the Federal division of Kingston" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  8. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics Noarlunga (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  9. Martella, L: "Port Noarlunga An Endearing Coastal Town". Lita Martella, 2000
  10. "Tjilbruke Dreaming Tracks". Kaurnaculture. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. Malone, Gavin Damien Francis (2012). "Chapter 10: Kaurna Ancestor Being Tjilbruke: Commemorations". Phases of Aboriginal Inclusion in the Public Space in Adelaide, South Australia, since Colonisation (PhD). Chapter 10 PDF. Flinders University. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  12. City of Onkaparinga (July 2017). Annual Report 2016-17 (Report). In December the stone cairn that marks the Tjirbruki/Tjilbruke Dreaming Track natural spring at Port Noarlunga was reinstated in the reserve atop Witton Bluff. This reserve has since been named Tutu Wirra Reserve, meaning ‘lookout park’ in the Kaurna language. The new location for the cairn was selected through engagement with a local Kaurna elder. The cairn at Port Noarlunga is one of four Tjirbruki/Tjilbruke markers along the coastline in our region.
  13. David J. Towler A Fortunate Locality-History of Noarlunga and Districts Published for the City of Noarlunga by Peacock Publications 1986 ISBN 0-909209-11-1
  14. Parry Kostoglou & Justin McCarthy (1991) Whaling and sealing sites in South Australia, Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, Fremantle (WA), p.38.
  15. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  16. "Perry Homestead". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  17. "Dwelling & Outbuildings". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  18. "Port Noarlunga Hotel (former Milliari Guest House only - incorporated in hotel in 1933)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  19. "Dwelling ("Sauerbier's House") and Storage Shed/Privy". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  20. Short, Andy; Farmer, Brad (2012). 101 Best Australian Beaches. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: NewSouth Publishing. pp. 148–149. ISBN 9781742233222.
  21. "COMPLETION OF THE JETTY AT THE MOUTH OF THE ONKAPARINGA". Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904). 1 March 1856. p. 4. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  22. "THE PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931). 13 March 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  23. "PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY". Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931). 7 December 1918. p. 12. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  24. "PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY". Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954). 8 February 1919. p. 38. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  25. "PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY". Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 - 1922). 9 December 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  26. "PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY SMASHED". Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954). 6 October 1928. p. 36. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  27. "7 of SA's best snorkelling spots". samotor. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  28. "Port Noarlunga's life through a lens underwater". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  29. Williamson, Brett (2 October 2014). "Port Noarlunga's life through a lens underwater". ABC News. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  30. "Port Noarlunga, South Australia". iNaturalist. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  31. "Port Noarlunga Reef Underwater Trail" (PDF). Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  32. "Aquatic Reserves (as part of the proclamation of the Fisheries Act 1971)" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 30 November 1971. pp. 2263–2264. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  33. "Aquatic Reserves - Port Noarlunga" (PDF). PIRSA Fisheries. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  34. "Summary of SA Marine Protected Areas by Type (see 'SA Reserve List' tab)". Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 10 February 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  35. "Port Noarlunga". www.environment.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  36. "Adelaide Metro". sdfsa.net. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  37. "Encounter Marine Park" (PDF). Enjoy life in our marine parks. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 13 November 2016.

References
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