History & Culture

The Bay Discovery Centre is a Social History Museum celebrating the cultural heritage of South Australia housed in the iconic Town Hall in the heart of Glenelg.

The City of Holdfast Bay was formed in 1997 through the amalgamation of the City Councils of Brighton and Glenelg. Both townships were established on Indigenous Kaurna land with the first European settlers arriving in 1836 in Glenelg. The Proclamation document was read on 28 December 1836.

Glenelg is recognised as the oldest European settlement on mainland South Australia. Each year on 28 December, the Proclamation document is read at the site of the Old Gum Tree.

The Glenelg Air-Raid Shelter was built in 1942 as part of a WWII communications network. It now houses exhibitions and memorabilia which tell the stories of Holdfast Bay and its residents during the various wars including WWII.

The Holdfast Bay History Centre aims to promote an awareness of our City’s history and heritage

From the Bay to the Battlefield honours the WW1 service of the men and women who once lived in Holdfast Bay. Funded by the Australian Government's ANZAC Centenary Local Grants Program.

The City of Holdfast Bay acknowledges Kaurna people as the traditional owners and custodians of this land. We respect their spiritual relationship with country that has developed over thousands of years, and the cultural heritage and beliefs that remain important to Kaurna People today.

Our two native gardens – the Kingston Park Yurlo Wirra Coastal Garden and the Civic Centre Garden – are designed to showcase local indigenous coastal plant species; present suitable plants for use in coastal water-wise gardens;