The Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

. Along its shores lie the local government area of the

City of Holdfast Bay The City of Holdfast Bay is a local government area in the south-western coastal suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. History The council was formed 1 January 1997, when the City of Glenelg and City of Brighton councils were amalgamated by ...

and the suburbs of Glenelg and

Glenelg North Glenelg North is a seaside suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in both the City of Holdfast Bay and the City of West Torrens. Demographics The 2011 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 5,699 persons in Glenelg ...

European settlement on Holdfast Bay

The bay was named by Colonel

William Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of ...

, South Australian surveyor general, in mid-1836. In his journal he expressed his pleasure at the quality of the anchorage after riding out a storm. 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 8 November 1836

Robert Gouger Robert Gouger (; 26 June 1802 – 4 August 1846) was one of the founders of South Australia and the first Colonial Secretary of South Australia. Early life Gouger was the fifth son of nine children of George Gouger (1763–1802), who was a pr ...

, Colonial Secretary and Chief Magistrate, arrived there aboard the '' Africaine'' and set up camp near

The Old Gum Tree The Old Gum Tree (also known as The Proclamation Tree) is a historic site in Glenelg North, South Australia. Near this tree on 28 December 1836, the British governor John Hindmarsh delivered the proclamation announcing the establishment of Go ...

. With the arrival of

Governor Hindmarsh Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838. Family His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Coni ...

on 28 December and the

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

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 31 December 1836 the Holdfast Bay settlement was renamed Glenelg. The

Corporate Town of Glenelg The City of Glenelg was a local government area in South Australia seated at the Adelaide sea-side township of Glenelg from 1855 until 1997. History The Corporate Town of Glenelg was proclaimed on 23 August 1855 by severance from the District ...

(later City of Glenelg) was established at Glenelg in 1855 to locally govern the township and its surrounds.

Diving and snorkeling sites

The Bay contains a combination of natural and

artificial reef An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, or improve surfing. Many ...

s accessible to divers and snorkelers.

Artificial reefs

The Brighton Jetty, the Glenelg Jetty and The Blocks can all be reached by swimming from the shore. The Blocks can also easily be reached by kayak. The Blocks is a disused maritime structure- a series of concrete and steel square columns that today act as an interrupted breakwater and artificial reef. Attractions at this site include

seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or ...

s and

pipefish Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons (''Phycodurus'' and '' Phyllopteryx''), form the family Syngnathidae. Description Pipefish look like straight-bodied se ...

. The Glenelg tyre reef is a series of tyre tetrahedrons that were deployed in 1983. According to the Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia, it is now in a state of decay. It is located 5 km west of Glenelg in 18 metres of water. Two ships have been scuttled in Holdfast Bay, the ''Glenelg barge'' and the ''South Australian'', known colloquially as The Dredge. Both lie in 15–20 metres of water and are accessible to divers.

Natural reefs

Several natural reefs occur in the bay, with depths ranging from 8 to 24 metres. Devil's Elbow is a distinctive reef at 8–10 metres depth where two shelves meet perpendicularly. The southern end of the reef breaks down into rocky bommies. It is known for its giant Australian cuttlefish, and various

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

s. Fred's Rock sits at 24 metres deep, and is believed by some to be a meteorite. It forms part of Fred's Ground, which includes the wreck of the ''Claris''. Pelagic fishes school above it. Leatherjacket Alley is a natural reef, located approximately 2 km northwest of Glenelg in 10 metres of water. The site presents a series of naturally formed gutters popular with many species of the eponymous fish. Mac's Ground is a small reef 4.5 km west of Glenelg in 17 metres of water. The reef is about one metre above the surrounding seabed, is 150 metres long and features overhangs and a small cave. Milkie's Reef is a rarely-visited natural reef located 4.5 km southwest of Glenelg in 17 metres of water. It is known for its abundance of

spider crabs The Majoidea are a superfamily of crabs which includes the various spider crabs. Taxonomy In "''A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans''" De Grave and colleagues divided Majoidea into six families: * Family Epialt ...

and huge variety of fish life. Northern Outer Reef forms part of the remnant shoreline at 18–22 metres depth. It is approximately 100 metres long and presents a series of rocky ledges and overhangs. It supports many large sponges and is believed to be a recruitment area for

Western blue devil The western blue devil (''Paraplesiops sinclairi'') is a species of fish in the longfin family Plesiopidae endemic to Western Australia. The fish is found in rocky reef habitats in the coastal, inshore waters of southwestern Western Australia, f ...

s. Oliver's Reef lies offshore from Glenelg and south east of the Glenelg barge. The site is 18 metres deep and features rocky bommies and a large purple stony coral some 2 metres round. Seacliff Reef is a natural reef that represents the remains of a 10,000-year-old shoreline. The seabed is at 12 to 15 metres, and the reef rises above it about a metre. It supports the largest known population of Western blue devils in the waters surrounding metropolitan Adelaide.

References

External links

History of South Australia

{{Bays of South Australia , state=collapsed Bays of South Australia Gulf St Vincent