Sunrise, Spencer Gulf - Steven Dews

'City of Adelaide' is inward bound for Port Augusta, South Australia, 1864. In the foreground, wheat is being loaded from the farm onto the anchored ketch which will take the cargo to Port Augusta for trans-shipment aboard the 'City of Adelaide' back to England. These ketches were designed with a shallow draught and flat bottomed so as to be able to take the ground. As the local roads were in pretty poor shape in those days it was the most effective way of transporting farm produce to the ports for shipping even though it meant more backbreaking handling. When the tide was out, the Ketch could, of course, be loaded directly without the need for loading into the small boat.

On Her maiden voyage, she arrived in South Australia with the first of an estimated 250,000 immigrants and a general cargo from the British Isles. The 'City of Adelaide' made this voyage annually over the next 23 years. She was built for Captain David Bruce by William Pile, Hay and Company, specifically the South Australian trade. There were four shareholders, Captain Bruce, Joseph Moore Snr of Devitt and Moore (they were the managing agents), Harold Brothers (Adelaide agents) and Henry Martin proprietor of both the Yudnamutana and Blinman copper mines.

Her construction was of particular interest as she was composite; timber planking on wrought iron frames. This system produced a ship with the strength of iron but with the advantage of allowing the attachment of copper sheathing which would reduce the hull fouling, one of the main elements dramatically reducing a ships speed. As this was 'new' technology they 'over-engineered' her and although the construction system was used in ship building for only a short period, about twenty years (later on the 'Cutty Sark’) the over-engineering probably accounted for her longevity even after a grounding for a week in 1874 on Kirkcaldy Beach, South Australia.