Plan a Family Day Out at Fort Glanville in South Australia

Fort Glanville Con­ser­va­tion Park rep­re­sents an impor­tant chap­ter in South Australia’s colo­nial past. Built in 1880 as part of Australia’s ear­ly defence strat­e­gy, the fort remains large­ly unchanged, mak­ing it one of the best-pre­served exam­ples of colo­nial mil­i­tary archi­tec­ture in the coun­try. Vis­i­tors can see the orig­i­nal artillery instal­la­tions, includ­ing the largest artillery gun of its time in Australia.

Explore the Fort for yourself 

Guid­ed tours are avail­able every Tues­day from 9am — 11am, where you’ll gain insights into colo­nial defence strate­gies and dai­ly life at the fort. Alter­na­tive­ly, tours (for groups of 10 or more) can be organ­ised out­side of these times by con­tact­ing the Fort Glanville His­tor­i­cal Asso­ci­a­tion Inc. The knowl­edge­able guides share sto­ries and details that bring his­to­ry to life, offer­ing a rare look at Australia’s colo­nial mil­i­tary efforts.

On the third Sun­day of each month from Sep­tem­ber through May, the fort hosts Open Days, com­plete with full his­tor­i­cal re-enact­ments by mem­bers of the Fort Glanville Asso­ci­a­tion Inc. These Open Days show­case mil­i­tary drills and can­non fir­ings, with the sergeants march­ing across the parade grounds and putting troops through their paces. Pre­pare for a sen­so­ry expe­ri­ence as can­nons and guns are fired— you might want to cov­er your ears!

Chil­dren can get involved too. Dur­ing re-enact­ments, the sergeant often selects young ​‘recruits’ from the audi­ence to join in the drills. It’s an engag­ing moment for fam­i­lies, with plen­ty of pho­to oppor­tu­ni­ties as kids learn to march in for­ma­tion and be part of a tra­di­tion­al mil­i­tary parade. This activ­i­ty always brings a few laughs as young recruits occa­sion­al­ly mix up their lefts and rights, to the amuse­ment of par­ents and spec­ta­tors alike.

Dis­cov­er the Fort’s hid­den corners

Between re-enact­ments, there’s time to explore the fort’s var­i­ous sec­tions, includ­ing the expense stores, load­ing gallery, mag­a­zine, caponier, and gar­ri­son. The small muse­um near the entrance offers a clos­er look at the fort’s his­to­ry, fea­tur­ing relics, mil­i­tary equip­ment, and his­tor­i­cal pho­tos that pro­vide a glimpse into the lives of those sta­tioned there.

Vis­i­tor tips

Locat­ed con­ve­nient­ly on Mil­i­tary Road, just south of Sem­a­phore Road, Fort Glanville is a great stop for fam­i­lies. Once you’ve expe­ri­enced the fort, you might enjoy a walk to the near­by beach for fish and chips or ice cream. Be sure to check the lat­est open­ing hours and tour fees before your vis­it, as they may vary with sea­son­al events.

Get involved

Fort Glanville is open to the pub­lic thanks to the Fort Glanville His­tor­i­cal Asso­ci­a­tion Inc and their ded­i­cat­ed vol­un­teers. For any­one keen to sup­port the site, the asso­ci­a­tion wel­comes vol­un­teers in a range of roles, from tour guides and vis­i­tor sup­port to main­te­nance and admin­is­tra­tion. Re-enact­ment enthu­si­asts are always wel­come to help bring the fort’s his­to­ry to life. Reach out to the asso­ci­a­tion at fghainc@​gmail.​com to learn more about vol­un­teer opportunities.

Park of the Month: 

Through­out Decem­ber explore Coastal Parks of Ade­laide as our Parks of the Month! Fort Glanville with be cel­e­brat­ing at their next Open Day on Sun­day 15 Decem­ber. Note: Due to the extreme heat fore­cast for Sun­day 15 Decem­ber, Fort Glanville will unfor­tu­nate­ly be closed. The next Open Day will be on Jan­u­ary 19 2025, or you can vis­it on Tues­day morn­ings from 9 – 11 a.m.

Main image: His­tor­i­cal mil­i­tary re-enact­ment (cour­tesy of Fort Glanville His­tor­i­cal Asso­ci­a­tion Inc.)