Pioneers SA Learning Hub

Adelaide: The City of Churches

Religion in South Australia

Adelaide is known as the ‘City of Churches’. The founders of the colony of South Australia believed in religious tolerance. There was no established church or governmental aid for religion. Thus, migration appealed to people of different religions and denominations: Anglicans, Methodists, Congregationalists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Quakers, Swedenborgians and Jews. In the first years of the colony people worshipped in tents and huts until buildings were erected. In later years the Muslims arrived

Edward Gibbon Wakefield, whose ideas on ‘systematic colonisation’ influenced the establishment of South Australia was a Quaker.

Religious History Timeline

1838 Trinity Church, North Terrace opened.

German Lutherans arrived in South Australia.

Methodist church opened.

Congregationalist chapel opened.

1840 Friends Meeting House opened.

1841 First Catholic priest arrived in South Australia.

1844 Saint Patrick’s church opened.

1850 Adelaide Synagogue opened.

1861 Maree Mosque opened.

1888 Adelaide Mosque opened.

Until 1842 there was no government registrations of births, deaths and marriages. Instead, records of the events were the church baptism, marriages and burials.

From William Ewens’ Letters

William Ewen, with his wife Sarah and three children, arrived in South Australia on the ship Prince Regent on 25th September 1839. He wrote to his family and friends in England.

This is an extract of one his letters:

“Adelaide, Rundle Street. Acre 80

August 11th 1842.

I cannot leave off my old practice of Church singing George Burnett and myself attend St Johns Church every Sunday and lend a hand in the singing.”