History of the Waterfront Precinct
The Goolwa Wharf Precinct is located at “The Meeting of the Waters” which is a significant site for Ngarrindjeri where the Murray River, Murrundi in Ngarrindjeri, and Coorong, Kurangk in Ngarrindjeri, would meet to allow significant fish species to reproduce. This area has always been ‘life bearing and significant’ for Ngarrindjeri. In more recent decades it was also the location of the building of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge, which resulted in a royal commission.
The Goolwa Wharf Precinct also holds significant history for the wider community as was central to the development of South Australia. The establishment of the Goolwa Wharf was critical for trade, industry, and development of the state of South Australia as the Murray River was a trade corridor.
Goolwa, during its heyday from the 1850s to the 1880s, was one of Australia's most important river ports. The original wharf was built in 1852 on the recommendation of Governor Sir Henry Fox Young. It was extended in 1866, demolished and rebuilt in 1874 and extended again in 1878. Goolwa functioned as a river port from 1854, sending river goods at first by horse tram to Port Elliot, then later by steam train to Port Victor. But after the Morgan to Port Adelaide railway opened in 1878, the river trade on the lower reaches dwindled.
In 1987 the inner part of the town of Goolwa was declared a State Heritage Area because of its historical importance. There are a remarkably representative group of buildings and relics surviving from this era in the present townscape and on the waterfront.
The Goolwa Wharf Precinct is significant to both the Ngarrindjeri and the wider Goolwa community. The location provides an opportunity to showcase a shared future in business and tourism. In 2020, with support from the Australian Government, Alexandrina Council partnered with the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation (the prescribed body for Native Title), to develop the Ngoppen Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Cultural Tourism Plan - ‘Walking Ngarrindjeri Land’.
For Alexandrina Council and the Ngoppen Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Cultural Tourism Plan, the identification of growth within the tourism sector through the Ngarrindjeri and Aboriginal cultural tourism sub-sector is a result of the long-standing working relationship with Ngarrindjeri. This has been achieved through the Kungan Ngarrindjeri Yunnan Agreement, which translates to ‘Listen to Ngarrindjeri Speak’, and more recently heightened through the Native Title determination achieved by Ngarrindjeri in the last four years.
The ‘Ngoppen Ngarrindjeri Ruwe – Walking Ngarrindjeri Land’ Aboriginal Cultural Tourism Plan is a Strategic Plan and framework for Ngarrindjeri involvement in the revitalisation of the Goolwa Wharf Precinct and related experiences. Council has sought to strengthen relationships with the Ngarrindjeri community in an authentic way through artwork projects in the Precinct and through the permanent exhibition Yuntulun Ku:li-war in the Signal Point Experience Centre. Read about the integration of First Nations artwork for the Goolwa Wharf Precinct here.
Council recognises the importance of authentic storytelling and unique, place based experiences and the ‘Ngoppen Ngarrindjeri Ruwe’ Plan is integral to inform activities, focus and provide a guide for progressing the First Nations element of the Goolwa Wharf Precinct experience. Importantly the work outlines opportunities for fostering indigenous employment creation and business opportunities.
Image: Early black and white photograph of the Goolwa Wharf Shed. The Wharf Shed was built in 1877-78 and remained virtually unchanged in its appearance until the 1990s. Peak use of the wharf for cargo handling was between 1878 and 1884. The shed is now home to a hospitality business and a riverboat centre operated by the Friends of the PS Oscar W. The paddle steamer will be berthed at the Wharf.
