Semaphore Beach - Algal Bloom - July 2025

We have been walking along Semaphore Beach daily for the past 10 years. Never have we seen this amount of dead marine creatures washed up on our beach. They have died from the harmful algal bloom. The pictures below were taken during the first week of July 2025. Scroll to the end of the photos for important links to articles and info about the algal bloom.

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW FOR NEWS ARTICLES and GOVT. INFO

SA Dept. for Environment and Water

SA Dept. of Primary Industries and Regions

The Guardian news article

ABC News article

Great Southern Reef Foundation

LeFevre Peninsula and the Port River... Past, Present and Future maps

Here we are in the Semaphore/Port Adelaide/LeFevre Peninsula area, in the year 2021, and isn't it lovely to be able to view this map from 1839. Well, maybe not. We see that the place was a pristine wilderness, as in contrast to the overbuilt, ugly, crowded suburban sprawl that it is today. So in the grand tradition of all maps, we will look at where we were, and maybe, at the end of this post, take a peek at where we might end up.

Here is another map, from 1840. The vultures are circling.

By the year 1852, the place was already being drawn and quartered. As you'll see, the development of our area was planned from the get go. Money was borrowed, lots drawn up, and until every square inch could be made to service the infinite debt, the development was going to proceed apace.

The question is, who owned it, and if they owned it, who'd they buy it from, and with whose money?

In this map from 1883, we can see that despite the lots drawn up 43 years prior, there hasn't been development outside of what is now Semaphore and Port Adelaide. Imagine how beautiful the pristine wilderness of the LeFevre Peninsula must have been!

By 1912, about 70 years from the date of our first map, not only was the whole place drawn and quartered, but it was being developed with an artery of transportation lines, so that all the suburbia that was about to be created, could be accessed by trains and cars.

Let's fast-forward to 2021, where the Adelaide metro area, has now had every square inch developed. This map from Google Earth shows that the paved over, developed areas actually look GREY from outer space. The area within the yellow line still looks green, but will most likely turn grey by the year 2050.

We are 180 years on from the first map, and 110 years on from the 1912 transit map.

That's 180 years of non-stop development. In other words, it took only 180 years to destroy every square inch of open green space. Gone are the Platypus, Emu, Koalas and Kangaroos that must've been in abundance here. Now its nothing but cars, cars, cars. Plus people and their houses and dogs. Oh, and shops. Most of the industrial places in the Adelaide metro area are either defunct and derelict, or are undergoing transformation into housing developments. It would seem there is no plan to take any existing developed land (which is pretty much everything) and return it to the wild. The entire Adelaide metro area of 2021 is approximately 400 square miles. That was 400 square miles of pristine nature unique to this part of the world, and it only took 180 years to completely destroy it. So whats it going to look like 180 years from now?

This is Google Maps satellite view of the Port River area in 2021. As we can see, it is a mix of residential and industrial development, with very little green or wild places.

This map, from PlanSA's 3D project tracker, shows a snapshot of the area on 30 November 2021. The big yellow area is, according to PlanSA, an "uplift area".

In this map we take a look at all the space that is currently NOT residential. This includes post-industrial areas being re-developed by Renewal SA, industrial areas, wetlands, and natural areas. There's a sizeable chunk of space that, if the SA Government and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield were forward thinking enough, could be set aside and re-wilded forever. Don't count on it. The Steven Marshall government is pushing their $17.9Billion infrastructure plan, which means more cars, more houses, more people, more malls, etc, etc... We predict that by 2030, or 2050, all the pink areas will be solidly residential suburbia or hi-rise city.

In this map we look at it in a slightly different way, with the green and yellow areas representing the pink from the earlier map. Its the same chunk of land area, and it could be rewilded and saved for future generations to enjoy as wild parkland, but like we said, don't hold your breath waiting. So much for the "National Park City" pledge that Claire Boan and Steven Marshall put forward.

If you are reading this post, and it is the year 2050, and there is abundant green space in the Port River area, and the computers and electricity are still running green, and the government is still of the people, by the people, for the people, then all's well that ends well. From a lone greenie in 2021, hello!

My name is Semaphore Beach

My name is Semaphore Beach (at least that's what the European invaders call me). I am a strip of sand and dunes that has accumulated over the past 5,000 years. Most people access my sands at the Semaphore Jetty, in Semaphore, South Australia.

Once upon a time, you might have seen Emus strutting up and down me. The Eurpoean invaders ruined all that. Now it's mostly people and their dogs, pooing and peeing all over me. And seagulls.

I also get covered with dead seagrass.

Sometimes there are trucks driving about on me, whilst people try to do yoga.

Sometimes people put weird things into my sands.

Sometimes I get battered by storms.

Then later the sun comes out, and there's peace on my sands.

Interesting and beautiful things wash upon me from the Gulf St Vincent.

The wind and water make beautiful patterns in my sand.

Sometimes people draw things on me.

Often, a high tide will carve a river through me.

Other times, a storm surge will create a lake in me.

Most of the time I'm just happy to let the sunset paint my sands.

Whatever. I'll be here long after people, and their dogs, phones, and sand moving machines are long gone. The way humans are conducting themselves, I reckon that'll be sooner than later.

Semaphore, South Australia... it's for the birds!

This pelican seems to rule Semaphore. Below is a photo of one of his mates painting the Semaphore Jetty.

The largest, most amazing bird of Semaphore is long gone. The Emu. Instead of preserving their habitat, the locals prefer to destroy it, and have fake Emus instead.

One bird you will see and hear heaps of is the seagull.

You will encounter many different birds wandering around the beach.

You will also see many birds in the dunes and on the foreshore. These are Galahs.

Unfortunately, Semaphore has its share of invasive Europeans, including these feral pigeons.

There are heaps of other birds you will constantly see, like magpies, lorakeets, willy wagtails, etc... Not sure who these guys are.

This galah seems to have been seperated from the group.

Fly like a seagull, to the sea...

Be kind to our feathered friends.