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Encounter Bay, South Australia

Encounter Bay is marked at its westerly extremity by Newland Head, with the mouth of the River Murray to its the easterly extremity. The bay encompasses the islands of Wright Island, Granite Island, Seal Island (also known as Seal Rock) and Pullen Island. The bay includes the outlets of three rivers, being The Murray, Inman and Hindmarsh Rivers.

Prior to European settlement in the Fleurieu Peninsula region, the  region was called “Wirramulla” for thousands of years by the local Aboriginal clans of the Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri people.

The name Encounter Bay was given by Captain Matthew Flinders after his encounter on 8 April 1802 with Nicolas Baudin, the commander of the Baudin expedition of 1800–03. Both Captains were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries (Britain and France). 

As the two Captains approached each other, both ships cleared their decks for action but hoisted flags of truce and the meeting was peaceful. The two ships stayed overnight and the Captain and the Commander exchanged notes on their discoveries.

As Captain Flinders continued his voyage east, he retained any place names given by Baudin, which accounts for the many French names along the coasts in South Australia. The Fleurieu Peninsula was named by the French Captain after Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu, a French explorer, hydrographer and politician. He was also Minister of the Navy, a member of the Institut de France, and who also had a considerable share in the expenses of Nicolas Baudin’s expedition.

Encounter Bay is one of four bays on the South Australian coast considered by the Australian government to be a "historic bay" under the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973, and was first proclaimed as such in 1987.

In the 30 years that followed the encounter, sealers and whalers visited the area and gave the names of Granite Island and Seal Rock, being included in a map published in 1883 by Captain Charles Sturt.

Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe

In Meyer's "Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe," published in 1846, is given an interesting native legend as to how Rosetta Head came to be formed. The story deals with Nurunduri, who appears to have been a saint among the aboriginals, and goes on to say:

 "With Nurunduri a new epoch commenced. He was a tall and powerful man, and lived in the east with two wives, and had seve-ral children. Upon one occasion his two wives ran away from him, and he went in search of them. Wherever he arrived he spread terror among people, who were dwarfs compared with him. Continuing his pursuit he arrived at Freeman's Nob. 

Disappointed at not finding his wives, he threw two small nets, called witti, into the sea, and immediately two small rocky islands arose, which ever since have been called Wittungenggul. He went on to Ramong, where, by stamping with his feet, he created Kungkengguwar (Rosetta Head). From hence he threw spears in different directions, and wherever they fell small rocky islands arose. At length he found his two wives at Toppong. After beating them they endeavoured again to escape. Now, tired of pursuing them, he ordered the sea to flow and drown them."

"As per Mr. Robert Thomas Sweetman's recollection in the Adelaide Mail, 1926, Aboriginal names of prominent places in the Encounter Bay and neighboring areas.

The following are a few of them;

• Poltong - Victor Harbor

• Nulcoowarra - Granite Island

• Kinjiman - Port Elliot

• Karraunda - Encounter Bay

• Raminjera - Encounter Bay tribe

• Kungkengguwar - The Bluff

• Wirramulla - The Fishery at the Bluff 

• Yalladoola - Hindmarsh River

• Moocola - Inman River

• Munoonpulla - Goolwa

The Place of Meeting 'Encounter Bay.'

• Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904) 

•  Sat 12 Apr 1902 

The two principal figures in the unveiling ceremony were Lord Tennyson and Mr. Simpson Newland, who generously under-took to complete Mr. R. Kyffin Thomas's term as President of the Royal Geographical Society. It is with singular appropriate-ness that His Excellency the Governor and Mr. Newland should thus be associated. The relation of Lord Tennyson to the famous Flinders and Franklin has previously been stated, while the name of Newland will perish only with the early history of Encounter Bay. The drive from Victor Harbor so named by Capt. Crozier of H.M.Victor is full of old time memories. 

First, we pass the New-land Memorial Congregational Church which perpetuates the name of the late Rev. Ridgway W. Newland, father of the President of the Geographical Society, whose mortal remains rest in the district. Outside of the village of Newlandtown a colony of prosperous fishermen have their quarters, and there are the ruins of one of the oldest flour mills in South Australia, said to have been erected by the late Mr. Helmore. One of the earliest cemeteries opened in the state and now closed is passed. Here are buried the bodies of many whalers who once engaged in an industry which, in the colonization of South Australia, was spoken of as an exceedingly valuable asset. 

His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by Lady Tennyson and Lord Richard Nevill, arrived at Victor Harbor in the viceregal car at 9.45 on Monday night, and were accommodated at the Grosvenor Hotel. The weather on Tuesday was dull, but several hundreds of people journeyed to the Bluff to witness the ceremony. The shops were closed, and Victor Harbor for the time being was almost deserted.

There are 17,55 surmises concerning the identity of Petrel, and everybody in Encounter Bay knows him except the author. As a matter of fact, the character was half a man and half a myth, and neither part of him was present on Tuesday. Members of the Geographical Society are in favour of the inlet beyond the Bluff being named Petrel Bay. At 11 o'clock, when the viceregal party arrived, the summit of the Bluff was crowded with people, and 10 photographers snapped the scene from every aspect. 

The Geographical Society was represented by the President (Mr. Simpson Newland), the assistant secretary (Mr. T. S. Reid), Mr. W. P. Auld, A. M. Simpson, and T. Gill (members of the Council), and Messrs. T. Piper and David Lindsay. 

Among the others present besides the vice regal party were Mrs. Newland, Mr, E. B. Grundy, K.C., and Mrs. Grundy. Mr. Owen Smyth (Superintendent of Public Buildings, which department carried out the work on the Bluff), and Mrs Smyth, Messrs. Tucker, von Doussa, McDonald, Blacker, Dumas (candidates for the District of Alexandra), Dr. A. Powell, Robert Jager (who settled in the district in 1839), E. P. Pilgrim (whose mother was a niece of Capt. Flinders). David Bell, W. B. Caw, John Acraman, Mr. and Mrs. G. Bundey, the Rev. W. Penry Jones, Messrs. E. H. Cud-more, W. Porter, A. Battye, S. W. Jack-man, G. Goodwin, M. Rumbelow, E. R. Bolger, W. S. Reid, H. B. Hughes, and C. J. Weymouth. 

Some people said that Petrel, the original of the character in Mr. Simpson Newland's "Paving the Way," was there.