First established as a private town in 1858 by statesman and benefactor George Strickland Kingston, it began as a lively settlement with first settlers Archibald and James Cooke, initiators of sea trade and instigators of a railway, further developing it. Declared a safe harbour by the government in 1865, Kingston became a busy and bustling seaport. Adjacent Rosetown continued as a private enterprise on the northern side of Maria Creek, but eventually the townships merged into one thriving town complete with banks, hotels, commercial centre and its own court house and post office.
Kingston offers a self-guided walking tour to its history of which features 35 sites and has been designed to provide visitors with some background into the significant old buildings that give Kingston its unique yet relaxed character.
The Heritage Trail brochure and information map can be found here.
| 1. Cape Jaffa Lighthouse The first Australian offshore lighthouse to be dismantled and re-erected onshore...this iconic structure is now a maritime museum. Commanding attention, it provides visitors with both a unique experience of lighthouse life and an amazing view of the sweeping coastline and hinterland. | 18. Site of Paterson's Store The stone wall of this building facing Charles Street is the only remaining original wall of Paterson’s Store. During the 1860s and 1870s, P J Paterson ran a flourishing general store, which was continued by E Goode when he bought the business. |
2. The Lightkeepers' Cottages From 1933, these three identical cottages provided accommodation for the lightkeepers and their families, replacing the smaller stone cottages on the isolated tip of Cape Jaffa. | 19. The Crown Inn Hotel (formerly The Ship Inn) The distinctive chamfered corner of the original building, then known as the Ship Inn, remains today, as does the hotel business operating from this building. Take a moment to step inside and look at the Dining Room’s faceted-glass double doors. |
| 3. The Customs and Harbourmaster's House When wool was shipped directly from Kingston to London in the late 1800s, this building was a very busy customs office. Later it became the Harbourmaster’s House. The building was designed by Colonial Architect C.E.O. Smyth, who also supervised the building of the Museum and Art Gallery of South Australia. | 20. Site of the Kingston Arms Hotel The original building is no longer recognisable, but several interior walls remain in the businesses now occupying the site. As the first hotel in Kingston, it traded without competition for more than a decade and, in later years, became The Coffee Palace, a venue no longer serving alcohol. |
| 4. Site of Cooke Brothers' Stores and the Old Wool Store From 1863, brothers Archibald and James Cooke, both prominent figures in the development of Kingston, operated their well-stocked stores and shipping offices from premises on the corner of Marine Parade and Hanson Street, where the Lacepede Bay Motel now stands. In its day, the adjacent wool store moved wool bales from the inland rail network to ships berthed in Lacepede Bay. A noteworthy feature of The Old Wool Store is the curved doorway, which enabled rail trucks to enter the building. | 21. Dudley Bridge The weight of fully-laden bullock wagons and the need to adequately connect expanding settlements on either side of the Maria Creek necessitated the building of a strong, screw-pile bridge. The site of the Kingston Preserving and Canning Factory indicates the extent of the rabbit problem in this area in the late 1800s. |
| 5. The Royal Mail Hotel The main structure of this building has remained virtually unchanged since it was opened in 1867. Situated near the busy port, wool stores, government offices and railway station, it provided convenient facilities for the many workers. | 22. Site of the Pinkerton Butchery The Pinkerton butchering business is still operating, having begun in 1883 and involving five generations of family butchers. In the early days, carts carried meat for door-to-door sales. In 1966 the business re-located to Holland Street. |
| 6. The Old Courthouse Like the Post Office, the Courthouse is both elegant and functional, sharing the same designer and builders. Local courts in South Australia were established in 1870, and circuit judges travelled by mail coach between trials. The Courthouse is a reminder of Kingston’s historic role as an important regional centre. | 23. Site of the Kingston-Naracoorte Railway and the Stationmaster's House James and Archibald Cooke campaigned to have a railway line built between Kingston and Naracoorte, so that produce such as wool and wheat from inland could be shipped to markets. The line was opened in 1877. The Stationmaster’s House was positioned alongside the track, with the stone railway station directly behind it. |
| 7. The Telegraph Station and Kingston Post Office This handsome building is an unusually ornate post office for a modest country town. It reflected the high degree of government confidence in the growth of the new port and the surrounding district in the 1860s. | 24. The Old Council Chambers In 1885, the District Council Chambers were built, twelve years after the District Council of Lacepede had been proclaimed. Since the new Council offices opened in 1978, the building has primarily been used to house archival records. |
| 8. The Old Gaol (Jail) and Police Station The former police station and gaol played a major role in government administration in the South East for one hundred years. It features a semi-walled design, with the residence and police station facing Cooke Street and cells accessed from a separate rear entrance, with a detached stable block beyond. | 25. Site of the McCheyne Free Presbyterian Church Located on land between the present tennis courts and bowling greens, the substantial church building was damaged beyond repair during the 1897 earthquake. It had served its congregation for only 23 years. |
| 9. Site of the Lacepede Bay Schoolroom - the Kingston School The first government school was built on this site in 1864. It was one of the first in South Australia to be given government funding assistance and entrusted to private trustees under the control of the Board of Education. Once schooling was made compulsory in 1875 however, this building proved to be inadequate for the expanding local community. | 26. Walter 'Tiny' Toop A special place in history was accorded Private Frederick Walter Hamilton Toop from Kingston SE, when he was chosen as one of 7 servicemen to ring the bells at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to celebrate the end of World War One. |
| 10. The Old Bank House Featuring a grand entrance door, formal symmetrical design and excellent stone masonry, this former bank played a significant role in Kingston’s early economic affairs. It was built in 1876 and opened as the Bank of South Australia, with many changes of bank ownership in its operating history. | 27. The Railway Cutting From January 1877, steam locomotives pulled wagons from inland to Kingston, carrying wool and wheat. This cutting clearly defines their crossing through the Kingston township as they headed to the jetty and wool stores, in preparation for loading onto ships in Lacepede Bay. |
| 11. J J Jarman's Sawmill Complex The Kingston National Trust Museum is housed in the former J J Jarman’s Sawmill and General Merchandise building. Jarman’s business expanded into a thriving building trade from the 1870s onwards, with the development of the railways in the State’s southeast | 28. Sister Jacobs' Hospital Built circa 1913, this building became a private hospital in the early 1930s, established by Mrs C Jacobs, a general and midwifery nursing sister, and grand-daughter of long serving midwife Mrs “Granny” Cameron. |
| 12.. Vine Cottage A vine which provided a distinctive garland around the verandah of this home gave Vine Cottage its name. Built around 1868, the once small cottage was home to Reverend David Milne and his family of ten children. | 29. RAOB Hall Once a meeting place for the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, this hall served as a meeting area for several other groups, including the Temperance movement, the Salvation Army, Kingston School’s Welfare Club and the Girl Guides. |
| 13. Otter House Positioned on a rise overlooking Lacepede Bay, Otter House was the elegant home of James and Mary Cooke. Cedar from Scotland and slate from Wales were shipped out for its construction from the mid-1860s. | 30. Lacepede Bay School House The townspeople of Kingston built a licensed non-denominational school here in the early 1860s, with Mrs Louisa George as the first teacher. The average attendance in 1865 was recorded as being 24. |
| 14. The Anglican (formerly Congregational) Church Despite its belfry being removed and tie rods installed following the earthquake of 1897, this church has been used continually as a place of worship and for church services since it opened in 1873. | 31 & 32. Cooke Street Precinct This precinct of 13 buildings is of heritage value as a major local industrial centre, and a distinctive group of mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century urban house types. It reflects the growth and prosperity of Kingston after the coming of the Kingston to Naracoorte railway. |
| 15. The Uniting (formerly Wesleyan Methodist) Church A storm unroofed this building just before it was opened in 1887, but the damage was quickly repaired. Originally established as a Wesleyan Methodist church, services have been held continuously ever since. | 33. Site of Kingston's Original Bark Mill Black Wattle bark harvesting was a thriving industry in the Kingston district for more than 80 years. The superior tannin quality was prized, and both bark sticks and powdered bark were exported to Europe for use in tanning hides for leather. |
| 16. The Kingston School, Holland Street In 1880, the School opened with an enrolment of 130 students, accommodated in two classrooms. With Kingston’s rapid development and the introduction of compulsory schooling across the State, it was originally called the Kingston Primary School, followed by the Kingston Higher Primary School in 1948, and in 1961, it became the Kingston Area School. | 34. Rosetown Bridge The crossing of Maria Creek by bullock wagons, bring their loads in from pastoral runs, was made easier once this bridge was built. However, the wooden structure soon proved to be inadequate to take the heavy traffic. |
| 17. Site of the Lacepede Bay Institute Hall This car park includes the site of the Lacepede Bay Institute Hall, which opened in 1873 and served the Kingston community as its principal venue for balls, concerts, dances, music recitals, lectures, debates and the showing of movies for 65 years. | 35. Rosetown Cottages Built by settlers William and Mary Barnett in the 1860s. Rosetown, a township which grew following the establishment of the private town of Kingston, saw a regular stream of bullock wagons bringing their loads in from pastoral runs. |