Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) became Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 20 June 1837, six months after the proclamation of the colony of South Australia at Holdfast Bay on 28 December 1836.

Her reign marked a period of significant expansion of the British Empire and saw great industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change. Victoria Square was named after then Princess Victoria in 1836, and the statue of Queen Victoria was unveiled to a large crowd on 11 August 1894.

In 2003 the City of Adelaide renamed Victoria Square to Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga which means Red Kangaroo Dreaming, to acknowledge this important place of meeting for both Aboriginal peoples and European settlers.

The Aboriginal flag was first raised at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga on Friday 9 July 1971 in support of land rights for Aboriginal peoples. The raising coincided with National Aborigine's Day, which has now grown into a national week-long celebration known as NAIDOC week.

Celebrating 125 years of women's suffrage in South Australia.

Image: CC000476, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives