The Old Port Canal

This ‘canal’ in Port Adelaide has been referred to by a number of names, including Port Adelaide Canal, Portland Canal and Old Port Canal: -

It was built at the entrance to Tam O’Shanter Creek, so that name has also been used.

Chris Frizell posted this old image of the canal on Facebook : -

According to Gloria Curtis’ post on the Port Adelaide, Rosewater, and Pennington (South Australia) Local History Facebook page , “By 1887, to create more wharf space at Port Adelaide, work started on another canal in the upper reaches of the Port River. The canal involved extending the Tam O'Shanter Creek, named after the migrant vessel that was the port's first casualty to when it ran aground on a sandbar at the entrance to the Port River in Port Adelaide on Dember 19, 1836.

“Later renamed the Port Adelaide Canal, (also called the Portland Canal), it was created to be 200 feet (70 metres) long and 150 feet (45 metres) wide, with 20 feet (six metres depth at low tide). Port River upper reaches were dredged to allow ships' access to the canal.

“This canal lasted until the 1960s. In the 1980s, most the canal was filled and the area became what became Old Canal Park and the Port Canal Shopping Centre.”

These images feature on Gloria’s post: -

People say that they learnt to swim in the canal during the late 1950s. It had pretty much been used as a rubbish dump, and people say that it was polluted and stinky there.

Both the Old Port Canal Gardens and the Joyce Snadden Reserve by the canal have been redeveloped recently. I used the new launching beach there for kayaking last November.

These photos show some of the old wharf piles along the canal: -

The recent redevelopment has resulted in some changes to the banks of the canal. The canal leads out to the Jervois Basin by the railway bridge at Ethelton.