22 December 1836     City Street Names

On 22 December 1836, six days before the proclamation of the colony, the barque Tam O’Shanter sailed up between the mangroves to anchor in what is now Port Adelaide. Tam O’Shanter Place off Grenfell Street was named after this ship. When the streets and squares of Adelaide were first delineated the duty of naming them was entrusted to a committee of a number of prominent settlers and apparently there was some dissension among them on the choice of names. The squares were easy: Victoria after the heir to the throne, Hindmarsh and Hurtle after two of the committee, Light for Colonel William Light, the surveyor of the city and Whitmore for one of the Colonial Commissioners in London. The main city streets are named for the following:
            Rundle – John Rundle MP, Director of the South Australian Co.
            Hindley – Charles Hindley MP, Director of SA Co.
            Grenfell – Pascoe St Leger Grenfell MP, presented town acre for Holy Trinity Church and other country lands

            Currie – Raikes Currie MP, Director of SA Co.
            Pirie – Sir John Pirie, Lord Mayor London, Director of SA Co.
            Waymouth – Henry Waymouth, Director SA Co.
            Flinders – Matthew Flinders the explorer
            Franklin – Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, midshipman under Flinders

            Wakefield – Edward Gibbon and his brother Daniel member SA Association
            Grote – George Grote MP, treasurer of the SA Association
            Angas – George Fife Angas, one of the founders of SA
            Gouger – Robert Gouger, Colonial Secretary
            Pulteney – Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, friend of Hindmarsh
Most of these people did not come to South Australia. The naming of the streets was completed on 23 May 1837 and gazetted on 3 June.

City of Adelaide Municipal Year Book, 1971/74, pp.57,70.