William Light, also known as Colonel Light, was a British-Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of the colony's capital, Adelaide, and for designing the layout of its streets, six city squares, gardens and the figure-eight Adelaide Park Lands, in a plan later sometimes referred to as Light's Vision.
Colonel William Light: Self Portrait, c.1815
William Light, Founder of Adelaide, SA, by George Jones RA, National Portrait Gallery, London.
Light's Vision at Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide
Original Light Memorial at Light Square
Adelaide is the capital and largest city of South Australia, and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide or the Adelaide city centre. The demonym Adelaidean is used to denote the city and the residents of Adelaide. The traditional owners of the Adelaide region are the Kaurna. The area of the city centre and surrounding Park Lands is called Tarndanya in the Kaurna language.
Image: Adelaide skyline, December 2022
Image: Adelaide, Australia (February 2017) (33505366456) (cropped)
Image: St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide, Southeast view 20230214 1
Image: Adelaide General Post Office (cropped)