The State Library of South Australia has added a rare and never-before-seen map of a planned town for South Australia that was never built.
According to the Library, the tale behind the ‘Town of Port Gawler Map’ is one of a brotherly imposter, fraudulent property speculation and legal intrigue gripping the Adelaide community in the late 1830s.
The Library said the story began when a legal clerk, George Milner Stephen of Hobart intercepted a letter sent by Sir Governor Hindmarsh to Stephen’s brother Alfred, inviting him to become South Australia’s Advocate General.
Instead of Alfred, Stephen himself arrived in Adelaide in February 1838!
He then purchased 1,600 hectares of swampland 43 kilometres north of Adelaide, which he named ‘Port Gawler.’
Director of the State Library, Geoff Strempel said the proposed ‘Town of Port Gawler’ map is just one of the incredible stories now on display at the Library.
“The State Library is home to a vast map collection and many of these maps help to uncover the rich history of South Australia,” Mr Strempel said.
“The Town of Port Gawler’ map, which has been carefully restored by the Library’s conservation staff, depicts neat parcels of land, a town square, market and cemetery, laid out near the Port Gawler River,” he said.
“But the map was never published, and the Town was never built.”
He said the story behind the land release scandal of the late 1830s added a great sense of intrigue to the display and encouraged visitors to explore the library’s collections further.
Port Gawler is the unplanned country of the Kaurna people, whose traditional lands also include the Adelaide plains, where the events occurred.
More information about the ‘Town of Port Gawler Map’, can be accessed at this PS News link.
