Brighton, South Australia

History

The Kaurna people inhabited the area before British colonisation of South Australia. Witu-wattingga has become the accepted Kaurna name for the area, although its origin is probably arose through confusion with Wita-wattingga, the certified Kaurna name for an area around present-day Seacliff Park, meaning "in the midst of peppermint gums". (There is, however, a Kaurna language meaning for witu-watti, meaning "reeds in the middle", so could be applied to some small, intermittent swamps with reeds in the area, such as one near Young Street in Seacliff.)

Brighton Post Office opened on 27 August 1849. Brighton Jetty Post Office opened on 1 March 1950 and closed in 1979.

Brighton became the seat of a newly formed municipality, the Corporate Town of Brighton, in 1858.

The first Brighton Town Hall was built in 1869 and was just the fourth town hall built in the colony of South Australia. The architect and builder was George William Highet, who arrived in the colony in 1836 and served as a town clerk and inaugural councillor. He died in Brighton aged 80 years. The hall was constructed of stone from Ayliffe's quarry in the Adelaide Hills laid on concrete foundations. It was used as the civic centre of the City of Brighton from 1869 until 1936 when it was then leased by the RSL.

The second town hall was opened in 1937, at 24 Jetty Road, and still fulfils a civic administration purpose, as one of two City of Holdfast Bay municipal offices.

Brighton was the home of Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and academic Sir Douglas Mawson. He was buried at St Jude's Church cemetery in the suburb.

Social reformer Catherine Helen Spence, her brother J. B. Spence, Pat Glennon and Paul Moran are buried at North Brighton Cemetery, at 301 Brighton Road.

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Overview

Brighton has a large sandy beach which is patrolled by the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club on Weekends and Public Holidays between November and March. Brighton Beach is popular for Adelaide beach goers as it is relatively safe – currently rated as Least Hazardous by Surf Lifesaving.

A sand replenishment program has been in operation for many years resulting in the beach sand dunes gradually increasing through the program of replacing eroded sand and replanting of the dunes with plants and grasses.

In summer, a sandbar normally forms in the water which can produce waves on windy days. Brighton is well known by local surfers for producing messy but fun "stormy sessions".

The Esplanade is an area of prime real estate which has been transformed over the years from a street of old cottages to new modern town houses.

Brighton's Jetty Road runs perpendicular to the Esplanade and is home to many restaurants, cafes and the local hotel, known as "The Esplanade", or "Espy".

Brighton jetty

The original Brighton Jetty was built in 1886 and stood for over 100 years. The jetty was badly damaged by winter storms in 1994 and was rebuilt using funds supplied by a mobile phone service provider, hence the telecommunications tower on the end of the jetty.

In 1926 the women of Brighton installed a drinking fountain near the entrance of the jetty to commemorate the death of Kathleen Duncan Whyte, who was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming.

At the shore end of the jetty is a War Memorial arch. Here, traditional Dawn Services are held annually on Anzac Day to commemorate fallen service men and women.

Events and attractions

Brighton is the home of the Brighton Jetty Classic, an Open Water Swim made up of the 1500 metre Brighton Jetty Classic Swim and the 400 metre Jetty Swim, aimed at first time open water swimmers. The Brighton Jetty Classic had its first year in 2006 when approximately 800 swimmers successfully completed the event. It is an annual event, being hosted on the first Sunday in February. The 2010 event had over 1200 swimmers, making it the largest open water swim in South Australia. The course is around the Brighton Jetty, which makes the Jetty a fantastic viewing platform for spectators.

Brighton Oval is the largest sporting complex in the City of Holdfast Bay. It features a skatepark as well as football, lacrosse, cricket and rugby union clubs.

Windsor Theatre

The Windsor Theatre is located at 1 Commercial Road. Opened in 1925, the picture theatre was owned by the Freemasons (South Australian Lodge of Friendship). Unusually, the proscenium was situated in the centre of the building and was shared by two auditoriums. By 1949, the lease had been acquired by Ozone Theatres Ltd.

The Windsor continues to operate as of December 2022, charging A$10 per session. It often shows double features, and its screenings include both mainstream films and indie / arthouse films. It is one of very few cinemas from the era of silent films still standing and operating as a cinema in Adelaide.

Cement works

Although called Adelaide Brighton Cement, the cement works are actually located in the nearby suburb of Marino.