Freeman’s Landing at Outer Harbor, South Australia

This is a sign on Bourne-Jones Road at Outer Harbor, South Australia indicating that ‘Freeman’s Landing’ is located there: -

It is located mid-way between the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron , the boat ramp and the Prixcar Services car terminal (Outer Harbor Berth 4).

(There is also a ‘Freemans Landing at Mount Gambier’s Valley Lake. There are further ‘Freemans Landings’ interstate and overseas.)

According to Flickr, “Freeman's Landing where Wally Freeman and his two brothers gave a (combined) century of service to the Harbors Board. Outer Harbor South Australia.

“Freeman’s Landing is a Marina at Outer Harbor. Wally Freeman was a coxswain at Outer Harbor. ….. A plaque erected by the Harbors Board at the site marks the tribute to Wally Freeman: honouring more than a century of service given by Wally and his two brothers."

According to the Microsoft’s Copilot AI Assistant, “Freeman’s Landing at Bourne–Jones Road is almost certainly named after the Freeman family, early landholders and fishermen who operated in the Outer Harbor / North Haven / Pelican Point district before the modern harbor and levee works reshaped the coastline. No official “landing” was ever built there — the name reflects a local, informal working shoreline used by the Freemans for boating, netting, and access to the mangroves.”

I later discovered, however, that this photo of a (2004?) drawing of Freeman’s Landing says that a Wally Freeman worked for the Department of Marine & Harbors for 48 years, 1931-1979: -

(Note that the locations of the landing, the sign and the plaque do not represent their positions today.)

Here are some close-ups of the plaque: -

Here are two views of the landing and adjacent wharf: -

The Microsoft’s Copilot AI Assistant told me a lot more about Wally and his family, including that he worked for:

• Harbors Board

• Marine & Harbors

• Outer Harbor Launch Service

• and earlier shoreline/wharf duties

…across multiple reorganisations of the same government maritime body.

Government departments changed names several times*:”

* The Assistant then gave me these dates regarding the changing names of Government departments: -

Years	Department Name
pre‑1975	Harbors Board / Marine Board
1975–1982	Department of Marine & Harbors
post‑1982	Successor agencies

The Assistant later provided me with this summary: -

"Freeman’s Landing — Clarifying Wally Freeman’s Service Dates

Freeman’s Landing commemorates the long association of the Freeman family with maritime operations at Outer Harbor. A plaque at the site records Wally Freeman’s service in the Outer Harbour Launch Service from 13 August 1955 to 15 November 1974. This reflects the period he worked specifically in the launch‑service role.

A separate handwritten annotation on a 1994 (2004?) sketch of the landing gives the dates 1931–1979. These dates do not appear on the plaque itself. Instead, they represent Wally Freeman’s total career span across the Harbors Board, Marine Board, and later the Department of Marine & Harbors. Across these successive agencies, his employment extended for 48 years, from 1931 until his retirement in 1979.

Together, the two date ranges describe:

• 19 years in the Outer Harbour Launch Service (as shown on the plaque)

• 48 years of total service in South Australia’s maritime agencies (as noted by the artist)

This distinction helps preserve both the accuracy of the plaque and the broader historical contribution of the Freeman family to Outer Harbor’s working waterfront.”

The Assistant later gave me a short interpretive‑sign version: -

“Freeman’s Landing

This site honours the long association of the Freeman family with Outer Harbor’s working waterfront. Wally Freeman served in the Outer Harbour Launch Service from 1955 to 1974, supporting pilot transfers and daily harbour operations.

A handwritten note on a 1994 (2004?) sketch records 1931–1979, marking Wally’s 48 years of total service across the Harbors Board, Marine Board, and later the Department of Marine & Harbors.

Together, these dates reflect both his dedicated launch‑service work and his wider lifetime contribution to South Australia’s maritime operations.”