Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge

Welcome to

The History of Hamley Bridge

Thankyou for visiting my website......

As I get time, I will be placing the information on this site. So please keep coming back.

I have a page on facebook called 'Hamley Bridge Past and Present' where I hope to work in conjunction with this website

as an interactive element. As I am running out of space on this website, I will be placing articles from the South Australian Government and Police Gazettes on facebook, so join me there and keep updated. You can find the facebook page link at the end of this page, and, please visit and recommend it to your friends.

I have lived in Hamley Bridge since 1989 and could not find much history about the town.

So in 1999 I started to compile a History of the town.

This has developed into a great passion and I am never tired of finding out new things about the town.

Cordial Factory recipes and bottle information

Various clippings from newspapers around Australia relating to Hamley Bridge

Electric Light comes to Hamley Bridge

War Memorial and Trees of Tribute

Swimming Pool

Naming of Hamley Bridge

Railway Bridge 1898

The Hundred of Alma was proclaimed on May 22, 1856, and is 138 square miles in area. The Hundred of Alma derives its name from a battle of the Crimean War.

The foundation stone of the original Railway bridge was laid on July 25^th 1868 by Lady Edith Hamley, wife of the Acting Governor, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gilbert Hamley, officer administering the Government from February 20 1868 – February 15 1869, the interregnum between Sir Dominick Daly’s death and the arrival of his successor in the vice regal office, Sir James Ferguson. This event was regarded as the ‘birth’ of Hamley Bridge as a township. The Government of the day chose the name to commemorate the stay in South Australia of Lieutenant Colonel Hamley, which was nearly at an end. At the time Lt. Colonel Hamley was the Senior Officer in Command of the Imperial Troops (50th Regiment) in South Australia. He died in London on January 14th, 1876. He had served in Kaffir and Moari Wars, and was described as a brave soldier, and a genial, courteous and kind-hearted gentleman.

When the bridge was completed it was formerly opened by His Excellency the Governor, Sir James Ferguson on July 5^th 1869. The rail bridge that is there today was built to replace this one in 1925.

Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gilbert Hamley Lady Edith Hamley

The County of Hamley Bridge was proclaimed on 18^th February 1869.

The railway line from Roseworthy to Tarlee was opened on July 5^th 1869.

The River Light was named after Colonel William Light, who laid out the city of Adelaide.

The River Gilbert was named by E J Eyre after Thomas Gilbert, the colony’s first storekeeper, who proposed the toast, ‘Mrs Hindmarsh and the Ladies’ at the Proclamation of South Australia in 1836.

Railway Bridge 1980's

This page was last updated on 20-Aug-2010 11:52 PM.

If you have any enquiries or information that might be helpful please email me

Thankyou to all the residents (past and present) who have given me their memories and allowed me to copy photos and memorabilia.

Information is true to the best of my knowledge.

Rent DVD Movie