Place Names of South Australia - T
Torrens, River
Torrens, River
Bathing
Also see Adelaide - Beaches and Bathing.
An Essay on the River Torrens
On a warm summer's day in November 1836 Lt W.G. Field, of the Rapid, George S. Kingston and John Morphett were trekking over the Adelaide plain when Mr Kingston's dog got the scent of water and dashed towards it to slake its thirst. Thus, the watercourse was discovered, being named "River Torrens" in 1837 by Governor Hindmarsh.
What they saw was a chain of large waterholes bounded by large gum trees and scrub; these holes varied in size the largest being over 200 yards in length, some of which were so deep that even the most daring of divers could not bottom them. It was not long, however, before the colonists cut away every vestige of timber along the banks and carted away the gravel for roadmaking and home building.
With the loss of its natural surface the watercourse was destroyed as the banks between the waterholes gradually washed away and deposited in the waterholes - the process of levelling began and continued "until the river assumed its present desolate appearance" which by 1878 was commented upon in condemnatory terms:
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Those who have recently arrived in the colony... can scarcely be made to believe that there were ever deep clear pools, or shady corners of finny inhabitants in the unsightly chasm at present known as the River Torrens, whose waters are black with sewage of the town, and whose odour is not only offensive but injurious to health...
Thomas Frost who arrived in the Asia in 1839 wrote of his excursions to the river and attendant hardship and tragedy:
The greatest difficulty of all was getting good water. The river was the only supply and when flooded or drying up the water was scarcely fit to drink, and to get it we had to roll it in barrels up the river banks.
This was the job my eldest cousin and self had to do almost every day and it was a heavy pull, a double rope being secured to iron hoops or chains, working on spindles fixed to both ends of the barrel. When obtained the water was far from pure.
We all suffered from dysentery; our poor afflicted cousin Maria was the first to give up to this and my old grandmother did not long survive her, but passed away after a time of great suffering; thus both were taken from us after a few months of colonial life.
The heat and droughts were, at first, almost unbearable; many deaths occurred and medical help at that time was far from efficient, as many diseases which prevailed were new to their experience; the young children, especially, suffered most.
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Take an earthen jar or barrel and turn the narrow end downwards; insert a tap near the bottom; insert a piece of slate or lead perforated with holes; put in four inches of clean, washed gravel, the size of peas; add four to five inches of clear sand; add four to five inches of clean, washed charcoal; add another layer of sand.
It was a paradise for the children of Adelaide, Hindmarsh and Thebarton - lurking in deep holes were "yabbies" which, when cooked, were hawked around for a profit of a few pennies; minnows were hooked with string and pin while, for small recompense, native women could be persuaded to dive for mussels. Such offerings from the river were a welcome addition to the frugal dinner tables of the working classes of Adelaide and adjacent suburbs.
From the earliest days the river was a favoured resort for bathers during the searing heat of summer, but by 1850 the City Council had imposed prohibitive by-laws against which many complaints were forthcoming:
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Authorities allow cattle to be driven to the river [and] deposit evacuations in the gentle stream. If any individual is found exercising that vocation which is "next to godliness" on any part of the Torrens between the Aboriginal Location and the Company's Bridge, the myrmidons of the law dart upon him... Where are we to wash off that dust?
The restrictions remained in place until 1856 when the City Council instructed inspectors not to interfere with persons bathing below the ford between 6 pm and 8 am; thus townspeople were again able to use the river for recreational purposes.
It is apparent that the local Kaurna tribe were either given immunity from the by-laws or chose to ignore them:
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Is it not shameful and disgusting that the blacks should be allowed to paddle about and impregnate the water with the washing of their filthy bodies within a few feet of where the North Adelaide carriers lift the water... Men and boys, with their filthy clothing, half-immersed, may be seen every day snaring sprats, looking for crawfish, and the like, and dogs without number swimming about.
Among the poorer people living adjacent to the river were a few widows who eked out an existence by keeping a cow or two and selling milk but by 1855 they were obliged to urge their "weary legs" further up the river for watering purposes because of pollution caused by the slaughter yard which operated on the banks of the river adjacent to Thebarton:
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Blood... diluted with... water spreads through the sand and the water particles being evaporated by the blazing sun leave the more solid parts to settle on the sand and become putrid [and] full of rank, green poisonous slime.
Agitation from the press and inhabitants prompted the Government to finance a scheme to supply the city with reticulated water and by 12 March 1862, 2,694 houses were connected to the mains.
However, this had a harmful effect on residents of Hindmarsh and Thebarton - their water supply from the River Torrens became scant in quantity and inferior in quality due, primarily, to the diversion of the river water to the reservoir for the Adelaide waterworks. Considering that they, too, were entitled to share in "a supply of the pure element" a few of the leading inhabitants of Thebarton addressed the Commissioner of Public Works, requesting that a main be laid along or near the Port Road.
Their request was considered by the Adelaide City Council which consented promptly to the continuation of a supply pipe from West Terrace to a point where the local people could have a stand-pipe erected for their own use. The only stipulation made by the Council was that the supply pipe should be laid in the plantation adjoining and forming part of the Port Road, and that for the protection of city property the work should be carried out by the City Surveyor.
The work was completed late in January 1864; the cost was met by some of the more affluent citizens on the understanding "that they shall be repaid by consumers', while the Government attached a meter to the main and charged at the rate of one shilling and sixpence (15 cents) per thousand gallons supplied.
Conclusion
On 27 June 1993 the Sunday Mail proclaimed many revelations under a banner headline - OUR RIVER OF FILTH - and its investigative reporter referred to the "shameful sight" as "an eyesore that turns tourists' stomachs". His considered comments were followed by "What the Experts Say" - they included KESAB General Manager, Chairman of the River Torrens Improvements Standing Committee and the Leader of the Opposition - it must be said that the latter's "expertise" in this area was ill-defined!
Not to be outdone by its contemporary's "revelations" the Advertiser, on 29 June 1993, presented a leading article on "Turning the Tide on Water Quality", where resource specialists argued for "unique approaches to solve the State's worsening water-quality problems" and concluded that "the bulk of Adelaide's water needs... [will] come from stormwater-replenished ground-water sources via bores..."
As early as 1848 the subject of artesian wells had been to the fore as a means of water supply but its protagonist was informed by the spokesman of an embryonic water company that he "had it on good authority that an artesian well could not be obtained here."
And so, today, the argument has come full circle and a cry for greater reliance on artesian water is again abroad, together with a proposal to introduce an aquifer concept. TheSunday Mail report echoes much of what has been recorded above for it expresses concern at the ongoing pollution of the river and the washing away of its banks. Years of inaction have again raised the cry of it being "turned into a health risk", a situation which has prevailed since 1837.
Remedies have been suggested including increased penalties for rubbish dumping, "more litter bins and greater co-ordination by local and State government to encourage better management" and the implementation of a "total management strategy". With the control of the river and near environs spread among various bodies there is little wonder that "confusion and inactivity reigns" - a process which commenced in 1837 and which promises to continue into the future aided and abetted by a singular absence of civic pride. (Written in 1994)
General Notes
Restrictions on bathing are discussed in the Register,
28 February 1850, page 3e,
2 April 1850, page 3a,
1 February 1854, page 3c.
The question of bathing in it is reported in the Register,
7, 10 and 12 November 1856, pages 3d, 2g and 2f,
Advertiser,
28 February 1867, page 2g,
Express,
4 February 1886, page 3e,
Register,
21 November 1879, page 7c,
1 and 3 November 1881, pages 4g and 2e (supp.),
Chronicle,
13 February 1886, page 5g.
A presentation to Richard Cowham for "heroic conduct" is reported in the Observer,
12 October 1872, page 5a.
"Fishing and Bathing in the Torrens" is in the Register,
13 July 1881, page 5a.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Fishing.
Swimming matches in the "lake" are reported in the Express,
26 February 1883, page 2e,
Register,
11 November 1890, page 7f.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Swimming and Bathing.
"Bathing in the Torrens" is in the Express,
16 January 1906, page 4g,
5 January 1911, page 1e.
Photographs of elephants bathing in the river are in the Observer,
9 January 1909, page 31.
A drowning is reported in the Observer,
23 February 1867, page 1c (supp.),
16 December 1876, page 7a,
13 February 1886, page 36a.
An editorial on drownings is in the Advertiser,
21 December 1881, page 4e.
"Drowning in the Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
15 January 1883, page 4g,
"The Torrens Lake Boating Fatality" on
22 November 1892, page 7c.
"Drowned in the Lake" is in the Express,
17 April 1905, page 4d.
A drowning is reported in the Register,
27 December 1911, page 5c.
"Toll of the Torrens - Appalling Death Roll" is in The Mail,
20 March 1920, page 2d.
The reminiscences of Mr E. Jolley, particularly in relation to drownings, etc., are in The News,
30 December 1925, page 4e.
"Illicit Bathing" is in the Register,
30 January 1906, page 4e.
A photograph of swimmers in the Torrens is in the Chronicle,
26 January 1907, page 29.
"Bathing in the Torrens" is in the Register,
4 February 1909, page 8e.
"Torrens Bathing Pools" is in the Advertiser,
4 March 1937, page 20e; also see
9, 13 and 16 April 1937, pages 31a, 19a and 31b,
The Mail,
30 October 1937, page 10f.
River Torrens - Bathing - The Death Hole
Although not mentioned by name it is reported upon in the Register,
28 February 1850, page 3e.
Information on the "Death Hole" in the river is in the Register,
21 March 1868, page 2e,
Observer,
21 March 1868, page 3g,
Register,
5, 6 and 8 April 1869, pages 2g, 2h and 2h-3g,
24 December 1879, page 5a,
3 August 1880, page 5a,
16 and 17 December 1881, pages 5b and 5b.
Observer,
10 April 1869, pages 5d-f and 13f,
8 February 1879, page 11d,
17 December 1881, page 27a,
Register,
20 September 1884, page 5b,
Express,
19 September 1884, page 2e,
Register,
27 June 1885, pages 5a-6h and
15 July 1885, page 3h:
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[It is] situated at the back of the Botanic Gardens below the Hackney Bridge.
(Also see Register,
12 October 1885, page 4h,
24 August 1886, page 3e,
14 February 1905, page 4e.)
26 January 1907, page 29,
"The Old Swimming Holes of the Torrens", including a photograph of the "Death Hole", is in The Mail,
16 December 1933, page 17.
"Deathtrap in the Torrens", which includes comment on the "Death Hole", is in the Register,
4, 5, 6 and 7 January 1911, pages 7a, 7b, 6a and 11f,
Advertiser,
6 and 26 January 1911, pages 6c and 6f.
"The Old Swimming Holes of the Torrens", including a photograph of the "Death Hole", is in The Mail,
16 December 1933, page 17.
Torrens, River
Torrens Park - Truro
T
Place Names
Torrens, River
Damming of River - The Lake
A history of the "Lake" is in the Register,
18 April 1917, page 7c,
8 May 1917, page 6e; also see
23 October 1917, page 4d.
Suggestions re damming of the river appear in the Register,
10, 12 and 24 January 1855, pages 3d, 3e and 2f,
25 October 1855, page 3f,
26 August 1863, page 5f,
8 and 12 September 1863, pages 3c and 3b,
5 and 10 October 1863, pages 3b and 2e,
4 November 1863, page 3c,
7 December 1863, page 3g,
31 October 1865, page 3a,
Farm & Garden,
9 February 1860, page 128,
Express,
28 October 1865, page 2e,
7 November 1865, page 2a.
Advertiser,
30 October 1865, page 2g,
8 November 1865, page 2e,
Chronicle,
18 November 1865, page 1b (supp.),
Register,
13 and 19 March 1866, pages 2g and 3a,
7 April 1866, page 2e,
10 May 1866, page 2g,
28 July 1866, page 2c,
6, 9, 11 and 16 August 1866, pages 3g, 3b, 3f and 3a; also see
Express,
28 February 1867, page 2d,
20 April 1867, page 2d,
Advertiser,
1 March 1867, page 3f,
25 November 1867, page 2e.
Sketches, etc., are in The Illustrated Adelaide Post,
23 April 1867, page 49,
23 November 1867, page 161.
Also see Register,
17 and 24 April 1867, pages 2d and 2h,
7 May 1867, page 2h,
8, 20 and 29 June 1867, pages 2h, 2g and 2g,
29 and 31 January 1868, pages 3c and 2g,
1 and 21 February 1868, pages 2d and 2g,
25 April 1868, page 2d,
Express,
23 Novenber 1867, page 2a,
31 January 1868, page 3d,
Illustrated Adelaide Post,
23 November 1867 (sketch),
Register,
22 and 27 July 1869, pages 2h and 3g,
7 and 18 August 1869, pages 3d and 2h,
13 February 1873, page 5f,
Chronicle,
1 February 1868, page 9c,
Chronicle,
14 August 1869, page 12e.
Express,
18 February 1873, page 3e,
6 April 1875, page 3c,
Observer,
25 January 1873, page 14f,
15 February 1873, page 13d,
10 April 1875, page 5d,
26 June 1875, page 7d,
Express,
21 November 1876, page 3c,
6 and 22 October 1879, pages 2d and 3f,
26 November 1879, page 3d,
17 May 1880, page 2b,
Register,
7 October 1879, page 6d.
"The First Boat on the Torrens [Dam]" is in the Register,
1 May 1867, page 2g; also see
3, 14 and 21 June 1867, pages 3b, 2g and 2h,
4 February 1868, page 3a.
"Boating on the Torrens" is in the Register,
3 August 1881, pages 4g-5g; also see
23 August 1881, page 5a,
3 and 28 September 1881, pages 5a and 5c; also see
17, 18 and 19 October 1881, pages 5a, 4f-g and 6f (fatal accidents).
Boat racing on the lake is reported in the Observer,
10 September 1881, page 8e and
the first fatal accident on the lake on
22 October 1881, page 34c.
A cartoon is in The Lantern,
28 August 1880; also see
26 January 1884,
3 August 1889, page 4.
The "first aquatic" contest is reported in the Register,
26 September 1881, page 2b (supp.).
A "floticycle" is described in the Register,
19 September 1881, page 5e.
"Civil Service Boats" is in the Register,
9 November 1881, page 5c; also see
30 November 1881, page 5c.
"Torrens Lake History - Interesting Events Recalled" is in the Observer,
21 April 1917, page 34c.
The plans of the dam are discussed in the Register on
14 and 18 May 1880, pages 5g and 4g and
details of a poll on
14 August 1880, page 5a; also see
Advertiser,
17 May 1880, page 4d,
Express
1 June 1880, page 3b,
Observer,
14 August 1880, page 272d.
The acceptance of a tender is reported in the Register on
16 November 1880, page 5a; also see
17, 18, 22, 24, 26 and 28 February 1881, pages 5b, 6g, 4d, 4f-1d (supp.), 5a-6c and 6f,
9 March 1881, page 5b,
22 April 1881, page 5a,
2, 4, 5 and 11 July 1881, pages 1b (supp.), 5a-b, 1f (supp.) and 6e, Express,
18 January 1881, page 3f,
23, 24 and 26 February 1881, pages 2d, 2b and 3c-f,
I June 1881, page 2g,
2, 22 and 30 July 1881, pages 3b, 3e and 2g.
Also see Observer,
4 June 1881, page 982b,
9 and 16 July 1881, pages 34a and 34b.
For an account of its completion and opening see Register,
21 July 1881, pages 2-5b,
21 July 1881 (supp.), page 4g,
3 August 1881, page 3b; also see
11 and 17 August 1883, pages 4f and 5a,
Observer,
27 August 1881, page 25e,
25 August 1883, page 8b,
8 and 15 September 1883, pages 36a and 7e.
See Register,
28 July 1866, page 2c and
9, 11 and 16 August 1866, pages 3b, 3f and 3a for reports on damming at Hindmarsh.
The first regatta held on the dam is reported in the Express,
26 September 1881,
19 December 1881, page 3b,
Chronicle,
24 December 1881, page 14a and
an Easter regatta on
15 April 1882, page 15b; also see
Register,
29 February 1884, page 6e,
5 April 1886, page 6f,
Express,
29 February 1884, page 3b,
30 April 1884, page 3c,
27 and 28 April 1885, pages 4a and 3e,
25 November 1887, page 4c,
26 March 1888, page 3e.
A photograph is in The Critic,
20 December 1902, page 6.
"The Lake and the Rotunda" is in the Register,
29 November 1882, page 4f,
"The Torrens Lake" on
17, 21 and 22 August 1883, pages 4f-5a, 7d and 6f,
"Town Clerk's Avenue" on
10 September 1883, page 5b.
"Floods and the Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
14 May 1884, pages 4g-5b.
Flooding of the Torrens
(Taken from Geoffrey H Manning'sA Colonial Experience)
About twelve months prior to our arrival in South Australia the Editor of the SA Gazette & Colonial Register wrote scathingly:
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What the River Torrens may be capable of performing for a week or two of the rainy season beyond sweeping down to the swamp the summer filth of Adelaide we cannot guess; but the Torrens at other times is not a river at all, but merely a chain of ponds.
At the present moment, its running water may be spanned with the hand and sounded with the forefinger. It has ceased to flow immediately below the town, and is from thence downwards a very formidable dry ditch.
By four o'clock the building was undermined and down it came with a tremendous crash. Amid falling debris, and with the water swirling close to them, the onlookers ran for their lives. As it was, many of them had narrow escapes from death by injury or drowning for, to add to the confusion, a large portion of the bank fell in with a great rumble, and showered the bottles, casks and brewing utensils floating in the river with clods of earth.
The despised Torrens was in flood and having its revenge for the contemptuous remarks that had been hurled at it. This flood which began on 21 September 1844 caused widespread damage and, later, I realised that I had witnessed one of the dramatic episodes in the early history of South Australia.
Years rolled by. In mid-September 1847 the weather was stormy and a few days later danger threatened; a hurricane was blowing and water rushed madly down from the hills. On that night bridges at Hahndorf and on a road near the Onkaparinga were swept away, the potato and wheat crops of German settlers in the district were badly damaged, and fences washed down.
Plantations of trees at Richmond disappeared - the ground had been prepared at great expense, 2,000 trees having been brought from Sydney and planted. The starch factory of Dr Davey near Walkerville was flooded and all his furniture and clothing and most of his manufacturing utensils went down the stream. So sudden was the rush of water that he could save nothing. All he could do was to make for high ground and safety.
The Frome Bridge was damaged considerably; a chain bridge a little lower down was lifted up and carried away. The then City Bridge at Morphett Street was totally undermined and big pieces of it were borne away by the stream.
The inhabitants of the Reedbeds and adjoining areas felt the effects of the flood greatly. The river overflowed its banks, rushed through houses built near the edge and drove the inhabitants to higher ground. From 8 am until 3 pm the river gushed masses of water over its banks and all the farms were several feet under water. It was 5.30 pm before the river resumed its normal channel.
From these disasters we became only too aware that the muddy little Torrens could become a raging demon, to be checked only by the cunning and forethought of the colonists. The first dam built on the Torrens was washed away in 1867 and not until the weir of today was built in 1881 was another effort made to deal with the river.
The Torrens Lake is described in the Register,
3 June 1884, page 5a; also see
Observer,
17 May 1884, page 38e,
Register,
2, 7 and 27 May 1885, pages 4g, 3g and 4f,
10 November 1885, page 4g,
Express,
20 and 24 January 1903, pages 4f and 5 (sketch).
Also see Register,
7 and 29 January 1885, pages 5c and 5a,
20 February 1885, page 5b,
15 April 1890, page 5b,
22 June 1893, pages 4h-5c,
22 November 1904, page 4f,
15 May 1905, page 3h.
"Another Torrens Lake" is in the Advertiser,
24 May 1929, page 7c; also see
Chronicle,
6 August 1904, page 43 (photo),
15 August 1908, page 31 (photos),
Advertiser,
20 November 1929, page 22 (photo).
"The City Council and the River Torrens" is in the Register,
27 June 1885, pages 5a-6e.
"Immense Damage at the Lake" is in the Register,
18 April 1889, page 5d,
"Clearing the Torrens Lake" on
14 August 1891, page 6g.
"The Water of the Torrens [Lake]" is in the Register,
9 December 1902, page 8b.
"Torrens Lake - Beauty Spot or Mud Depot" is in the Register,
30 May 1903, page 3i,
29 June 1903, page 4i; also see
29 April 1905, page 3g,
15 and 25 May 1905, pages 3h and 7i,
27 March 1906, page 3h,
9 February 1911, page 4c.
The loss of property on the lake due to flooding is discussed in the Chronicle,
20 April 1889, pages 9a-21f.
"Clearing the Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
14 August 1891, page 6g,
14, 17 and 26 June 1884, pages 5c, 5a and 6h,
28 and 30 August 1884, pages 5a and 5c,
14 August 1891, page 6g.
"Accidents in the Lake" is in the Register,
16 November 1894, page 5c.
A photograph is in The Critic,
13 January 1900, page 28.
An Ornithological Association's excursion is reported in the Register,
27 March 1903, page 3b.
Information on the lake is in the Register,
22 November 1904, page 4f.
"Adelaide Mud Depot" is in the Register,
25 May 1905, page 7i.
Photographs are in The Critic,
25 November 1908, page 3.
"On the Lake" is in the Register,
21 January 1907, page 4d.
"Torrens Mud" is in the Register,
7 May 1907, page 4f.
"Dredge for the Torrens" is in the Register,
11 February 1908, page 4f,
"Mud-Choked Torrens" on
16 March 1909, page 6f.
Photographs of elephants bathing in the lake are in The Critic,
6 January 1909, pages 19 and 24.
Historical information is in the Register,
18 August 1909, page 7c.
"The Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
25 February 1911, page 8c (includes photographs).
"Beautifying the Lake" is in the Register,
14 June 1913, page 12i.
"The Torrens Lake - Beauty and Tragedy" is in the Register,
5 January 1916, page 7c.
"The Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
23 October 1917, page 4d.
"Plans for Second Torrens Lake" is in The News,
25 November 1929, page 2f.
"Torrens Lake History" is in the Observer,
21 April 1917, page 34c.
"Torrens Silting Enquiry" is in the Advertiser,
12 August 1937, page 16d.
"Varied Attractions of Torrens Lake" is in The News,
2 February 1937, page 4h.
Torrens, River
Torrens Park - Truro
T
Place Names
Torrens, River
Miscellany
"Ninetieth Anniversary of Discovery" is in the Register,
6 November 1926, page 7c.
Some early history is in the Observer,
1 December 1928, page 71a.
"Washing Day in the River [in 1837]" is in the Register,
27 December 1906, page 6d.
Information on an 1839 punt across the river is in the Register,
7 January 1892, page 7b.
A baptism in the river is reported in the Southern Australian,
13 October 1840, page 3e,
2 July 1844, page 2e; also see
Register,
22 February 1892, page 4h,
Observer,
27 February 1892, page 31b,
Register,
9 December 1902, page 4h,
The News,
13 June 1925, page 6e.
Also see South Australia - Religion - Miscellany.
"The Torrens, Its Sources and Its Tributaries" is in the South Australian Magazine, 1841-1842, pages 45, 92 and 123.
A description of it in early colonial days is in the Register,
6 July 1870, page 6b.
"Rise and Overflowing of the Torrens" is in the Register,
25 September 1844, page 3a and
a caution against attempting to cross the river at the usual fords on
10 June 1846, page 4e.
Flooding is reported on
23 June 1847, page 3a,
24 July 1847, page 2c,
Advertiser,
30 January 1937, page 4 (magazine).
Encroachments of the river are discussed in the Observer,
28 August 1852, page 7c,
16 October 1852, page 6e.
The railway bridge is discussed in the Register,
19 December 1855, page 3c,
18 January 1856, page 2h,
5 April 1856, page 2f.
Also see South Australia - Transport - Railways - Miscellany.
Editorials in respect of the weir are in the Register,
14 October 1858 and 3 November 1858, pages 2c and 2e,
while a letter from the contractors appears on
6 November 1858, page 2f;
also see Geoffrey H. Manning (ed.), The Memoirs of Thomas Frost and
Parliamentary Paper 19/1858.
A sketch is in Frearson's Weekly,
26 April 1879, page 81.
"The River and the City" is discussed in the Register,
27 February 1858, page 2c and
its water purity on
11 and 13 June 1859, pages 2g and 3c.
For a report on a proposed bridge over the river "to connect North and South Adelaide" see Parliamentary Paper 45/1853.
Also see Adelaide - Bridges.
"The Torrens Water" is in the Register,
23 February 1860, page 2f.
The river and environs are described in the Farm & Garden,
9 February 1860, page 127.
"Improvement on the Torrens" is in the Register,
8 and 22 April 1863, pages 3f and 3a,
"Beautifying the Torrens" on
24 August 1866, page 2f,
27 September 1866, page 2d,
16 October 1866, page 2f.
Reminiscences of youthful diversions and pastimes are in the Register,
30 April 1917, page 7e,
8 May 1917, page 6e.
"Eels for the Torrens" is in the Register,
27 September 1867, page 2e.
"Shellfish in the Torrens" is in the Register,
6 August 1867, page 2e,
Observer,
10 August 1867, page 6h.
"The Floods in the Torrens" is in the Register,
7 October 1867, page 2g,
Observer,
12 October 1867, page 2e (supp.).
A description of Mr Beasley's property, "Arawarru", is in the Register,
27 August 1866, page 3g.
The launching of a boat is reported in the Observer,
4 May 1867, page 3a (supp.).
"Heavy rains... had the effect... of swelling the River Torrens to an extent unknown in recent years..." - see Register,
7 October 1867, page 2g; also see
19 August 1870, page 5b,
25 August 1892, page 5b.
The opening of a bridge near "Frogmore" is reported in the Register,
14 June 1869, page 2e.
Torrens water is discussed in the Observer,
1 March 1873, page 7g.
The taking of sand from the river is discussed in the
Observer,
2 May 1874, page 8a.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Building Stone.
"The Torrens of Old and the Torrens of the Present Day" is in the Register,
9 March 1878, page 6a.
"Sunday Boating on the Torrens" is in the Register,
1 and 14 June 1881, pages 4d and 5b,
12 July 1881, page 5b.
Fishing and boating are described on
13 July 1881, pages 5a-7b,
3 August 1881, pages 4g-5g.
Also see South Australia - Religion - Breaking the Sabbath.
"River By-Laws" is in the Register,
16 May 1881.
"Riparian Rights" is in the Register,
1 and 4 April 1882, pages 6e and 5a.
"The Torrens Water Fete" is in the Register,
21 and 22 February 1882, pages 6a and 6e.
"Turtles in the Torrens" is in the Express,
25 March 1884, page 3b.
"The Torrens Eastward" from Hackney Bridge is described in the Register,
7 November 1885, page 5f.
"Swans in the Lake" is in the Register,
31 October 1892, page 5b.
The introduction of white swans is reported in the Register,
23 October 1906, page 4e; also see
23 October 1909, page 13b,
18 February 1928, page 10g.
"The Avifauna of Torrens Lake" is described on
23 February 1907, page 6f,
"One of Adelaide's Beauty Spots" appears on
25 February 1911, page 8c,
"Nature Study on the Torrens - Black Swans Nesting" on
25 November 1911, page 6d; also see
The Mail,
4 April 1925, page 1f.
Also see South Australia - Flora and Fauna - Birds.
"The Avifauna of Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
23 February 1907, page 6f,
"One of Adelaide's Beauty Spots" appears on
25 February 1911, page 8c,
"Nature Study on the Torrens - Black Swans Nesting" on
25 November 1911, page 6d; also see
The Mail,
4 April 1925.
A field naturalists excursion along the Torrens Gorge is reported in the Register,
25 September 1894, page 5b; also see
23 May 1904, page 3g,
12 October 1909, page 9e.
"The Building of a Military Bridge" is in the Observer,
26 October 1901, page 33d.
"The Torrens of the Future - A Comprehensive Improvement Scheme" is in the Register,
28 August 1906, page 7e.
The Torrens Lake dredger is described on
25 April 1908, page 8i,
"The Torrens Lake - An Important Question - Suggestions for Grappling With It" on
18 and 21 August 1909, pages 7c and 7d.
"Grecian Gypsies - A Camp Near the Torrens Weir" is in the Advertiser,
18 March 1908, page 8b.
"The Torrens Flood Waters - A Drainage Scheme" is in the Register,
26 October 1909, page 9a.
"Under the Weeping Willows" is in the Register,
12 January 1910, page 6g.
Photographs of the kiosk are in the Observer,
26 March 1910, page 29,
2 April 1910, page 30,
"The Dive of Hanco the Handcuff King" in the Chronicle,
23 April 1910, page 32,
of "Henley-on-Torrens" on
24 December 1910, page 38b;
a photograph of the executive committee is in the Express,
12 December 1912, page 6.
A discussion on a proposed Torrens Valley railway is in the Register,
22 September 1910, page 10a.
A Henley-on-Torrens carnival is reported in the Register,
18 December 1911, page 8d,
16 December 1912, page 9c.
"Our Torrens" is in the Observer,
19 January 1915, page 13a,
9 January 1918, page 13a.
A proposed channel from the river to the sea is discussed in the Advertiser,
21 July 1916, page 6e.
"Memorable Floods - River Torrens Overflowed" is in the Register,
20 July 1917, page 7b,
1 August 1917, page 9a; also see
20 September 1922, page 9g.
Photographs are in the Observer,
16 June 1923, pages 28-29,
29 September 1923, page 29.
Register,
24 September 1923, page 8.
"Torrens Flood Waters" is in the Observer,
10 and 17 May 1924, pages 45c and 48a.
Also see South Australia - Natural Disasters - Floods.
Information on a "flood waters scheme" is in the Register,
30 October 1917, page 5d,
1 November 1917, page 9c.
"Our Torrens - Adelaide's Waterway" is in the Register,
15 January 1918, page 7c,
"Old Time Memories" on
18 December 1919, page 5g,
"Boating and Bathing" on
21 November 1921, page 8b.
Photographs of the construction of the Gorge Road are in the Chronicle,
23 October 1915, page 30,
28 January 1922, page 13a.
"A Wonderful Road" is in the Register,
25 June 1920, page 5f,
"An Entrancing Corridor" on
20 January 1922, page 7d.
"Pictures on the Gorge Road" is in the Register,
20 January 1922, page 7d; also see
Express,
6 January 1921, page 1e,
20 January 1922, page 3b,
Register,
25 January 1922, page 9d,
26 May 1922, page 7c,
8 December 1922, page 6g,
3 March 1923, page 11f,
Advertiser,
7 June 1924, page 12d.
"Cavemen of the Torrens" is in the Advertiser,
11 August 1922, page 7e.
"Torrens Mud Banks - Sheet Piling Criticised" is in The Mail,
1 September 1923, page 3a.
"Clearing Torrens of Debris" is in The News,
21 March 1924, page 6g,
"Menace to Bathers - Dangerous Weeds in Torrens" on
2 February 1925, page 1c.
"Torrens Floodwaters - Some Remarks and Opinions" is in the Observer,
17 May 1924, page 48a.
"New Banks from Taylor Bridge to Henley" is in The News,
13 October 1925, page 10a.
Photographs of bridges over the river are in the Observer,
16 June 1928, page 35.
"In Search of the Torrens" is in The Mail,
11 March 1933, page 13,
"Is There a Torrens Problem?" on
2 February 1935, page 8e.
"How Torrens Could be Beautified" is in The News,
14 June 1935, page 5a,
"How Torrens Has Been Beautified" in the Advertiser,
26 December 1936, page 7c
"On the Torrens Bank" is in the Advertiser,
24 July 1934, page 16b.
"No Fountain in Torrens - Plan Rejected" is in The News,
15 June 1936, page 7h; also see
2 July 1936, page 6d.
"Torrens Reverie" is in the Advertiser,
1 April 1937, page 16e.
"Flood Outlet Ready in May" is in the Advertiser,
16 April 1937, page 30a.
Also see Place Names - Henley Beach - Flooding.
A proposal to beautify the river and environs is discussed in The News,
11 March 1937, page 9f.
"Torrens Reclamation" is in the Advertiser,
11 June 1837, page 28d.
Torrens, River
Torrens Park - Truro
T
Place Names
Torrens, River
Pollution
Complaints about pollution of the River Torrens are in the Register,
13 and 20 February 1855, pages 3c and 3h.
Pollution by effluent from slaughter-houses is reported in the Register,
11 January 1855, page 3b.
Further reports on this problem are to be found on
25 November 1873, page 6a,
15 and 16 December 1873, pages 5c and 6g,
6 and 13 January 1874, pages 6d and 4f,
13 and 14 March 1874, pages 4f and 6e.
The quality of its water is discussed in the Register,
11 and 13 June 1859, pages 2g and 3c.
Further references are to be found during 1868 -
29 and 31 January, pages 3c and 3g,
1, 3 and 20 February, pages 2d, 3d and 2h,
28 and 30 April, pages 2g and 3b,
2 May, page 3a;
4 and 18 June 1870, pages 5a and 5c;
25 April 1871, page 5a.
Also see Register,
10, 13 and 18 February 1873, pages 4f, 5f and 6a;
24 March 1873, page 6c;
3 April 1873, page 6c;
1 September 1873, page 6e;
6 April 1875, page 7a,
7 and 14 October 1879, pages 6d and 5a,
12 and 18 November 1879, pages 6f and 6e,
4 February 1880, page 6f.
Pollution of the river by city effluent is discussed in the Observer,
3 and 10 January 1874, pages 2g and 9f,
7 and 21 February 1874, pages 12e and 11a-13c.
"River Torrens Pollution Cases" is in the Chronicle,
14 March 1874, page 10a,
Observer,
19 December 1874, page 7f.
The consequential pollution of the river from fellmongering on its banks is traversed in 1875 - see Register,
8, 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 26, 27 (supp.) January, pages 6b, 5g, 5e, 6d, 7b, 5f, 4e, 2c;
2 page 6e; also see
8 and 21 May 1880, pages 4e and 5d and
29 December 1880, page 4d:
-
It is no new thing for the river to give forth offensive odours, especially in summertime, when it becomes a weak and sluggish stream, ill able to carry away the filth with which its waters are thickened.
12 April 1879, page 4d.
Pollution is discussed in the Register,
29 and 30 December 1880, pages 4d and 5a,
3 May 1882, page 5b.
"The State of the Torrens" is in the Express,
7 June 1881, page 2b.
The escape of sewage into the river is reported in the Observer,
6 May 1882, page 28b.
Torrens, River
Torrens Park - Truro
T
Place Names
Torrens, River
Sporting and Leisure
Also see South Australia - Sport.
Boating under the auspices of Mr Bucknall is reported upon in the Observer,
1 February 1868, page 3f.
Information on leases for boating and pleasure purposes is in the Express,
1 February 1873, page 2c.
The hazards of fishing in the river are traversed in the Register,
30 October 1879, page 6c:
-
It seems to me very anomalous that if any juvenile with a smack of Izaak Walton in his nature should be caught fishing... he is at once handed over to the tender mercies of Mr Beddome [magistrate], whilst every morning at sunrise numbers of shags may be seen busily engaged gobbling up every fish that comes within their range of vision...
(Also see Register,
5 November 1879, page 1c (supp.),
Observer,
22 March 1884, page 8c.)
9 and 11 July 1881, pages 3f and 2e.
The first boat race on the river is reported upon in the Express,
20 August 1881, page 2d.
A report on a boating competition and a regatta are in the Register,
3 and 26 September 1881, pages 5a and 2b (supp.); also see
29 February 1884, page 6e,
5 May 1884, page 5e,
Observer,
1 March 1884, page 18b.
A sketch of a fete given by the Lord Mayor in honour of a visit by the Russian Squadron is in the Pictorial Australian in
March 1882, page 40,
of the "exhibition landing" in
March 1885, page 53.
"Trout in the Torrens Lake" is in the Register,
21 April 1883, page 5c.
"Trout Fishing in Torrens Lake" is in the Advertiser,
30 July 1883, page 6b; also see
Express,
2 August 1883, page 2c.
Register,
18 March 1884, page 5b.
Reminiscences of the 1840s are in the Observer,
22 June 1907, page 51a.
Fishing in the River Torrens
-
In the first decade following European settlement large numbers of sweet little 'slipperies? (Galanias sp.), which seldom ran beyond three inches in length, were caught in the River Torrens which then consisted of continuous deep pools; also 'scalers?, a species of cod, which were from 8 to 10 inches long and lurked beneath logs. Boys in those days were too poor to buy hooks so they resorted to bent pins, strong thread and a stout reed, and when they got a bite the fish was snatched up and swung around the head until the young fisherman could vacate the log, from whence he was fishing, and dash his prey upon the shore before it could wriggle off the barbless pin.
It was a paradise for the children of Adelaide, Hindmarsh and Thebarton for secreted in deep holes were ?yabbies? which, when cooked, were hawked around for a profit of a few pennies, while, for small recompense, native women were persuaded to dive for mussels. Such offerings from the river were a welcome addition to the frugal dinner tables of the working classes of Adelaide and adjacent suburbs.
16 May 1885, page 6e and
a boating accident in the Chronicle,
23 February 1889, page 22g.
"Bumbledom and Boating" is in the Register,
25 and 26 June 1886, pages 4g-7c and 7h.
A boating accident is reported in the Register,
21, 23 and 26 February 1889, pages 4h-6d, 4g and 6c.
"The Torrens Lake and Rowing" is in the Register,
16 July 1889, page 7d,
"The Water of the Torrens - Thirsty Stock and the Rowing Regatta" on
9, 17 and 20 December 1902, pages 8b, 7i and 8f.
"Motor Launch for the Torrens" is in the Register,
19 October 1903, page 6i.
Mr Jolly's motor launch is discussed in the Express,
19 October 1903, page 4b;
a photograph is in the Observer,
19 May 1906, page 29.
A photograph of the opening of the boating season is in the Chronicle,
23 December 1905, page 28,
of "holiday time" in the Observer,
6 January 1906, page 27.
"Aquatics Fit for Punch" is in the Register,
31 October 1906, page 6h.
"Torrens Bank Fire - Jolley's Premises Destroyed" is in the Register,
22 April 1914, page 8h.
Photographs of a carnival are in the Observer,
15 February 1919, page 26.
"Boat Owners' Grievances" is in the Register,
21 November 1921, page 8.
A photograph of the floating dance "palais" is in the Chronicle,
22 November 1924, page 38,
of its demolition on
16 May 1929, page 58.
A photograph of catching carp for the Snake Park is in the Observer,
9 July 1927, page 34.
"Fishing Without Lines" is in The Mail,
16 June 1928, page 1e.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
17 April 1930, page 38,
22 May 1930, page 17.
The opening of a footbridge is reported in the Advertiser,
10 August 1937, page 20a.
Torrens, River
Torrens Park - Truro
T