Holdfast Bay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a geographical feature. For the Local Government Area, see City of Holdfast Bay.

Looking north along the beach at Holdfast Bay to Glenelg

Holdfast Bay is a small bay in the Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. Along its shores lie the City of Holdfast Bay and the popular beach-side suburb of Glenelg.

[edit] European settlement

Holdfast Bay was the site of the landings in 1836 and 1837 by pioneers who were to set up the colony of South Australia. On November 8, 1836 Robert Gouger, Colonial Secretary and Chief Magistrate, arrived there aboard the Africaine and set up camp near The Old Gum Tree. With the arrival of Governor Hindmarsh on December 28 and the proclamation of the new colony, the Holdfast Bay settlement became the first seat of government of South Australia. (It remained the seat of government until mid-March 1837.) On December 31, 1836 the Holdfast Bay settlement was renamed Glenelg.