Termite and Pest Control Semaphore

Semaphore is a northwestern suburb of Adelaide in the Australian state of South Australia. It is located on the Gulf St Vincent coastline of the Lefevre Peninsula about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the Adelaide city centre.

Semaphore was first surveyed for sale in 1849, at which time it was isolated by swamps to the south and the Port River to the east. In 1851, George Coppin, a prominent publican, theatrical entrepreneur and actor, built a two-storeyed timber hotel on the southern corner of The Esplanade and Blackler Street. A very high flagpole was erected to signal to his "White Horse Cellars" hotel at Port Adelaide the approach of ships, earning the area the name Semaphore, often called "The Semaphore".

In 1856, an official government signal station was established at the intersection of The Esplanade and Semaphore Road, where officers would record the details of all vessels in Gulf St Vincent. It was also used to record information on water depth, tides and cargo loading. A Telegraph Office opened in 1856 and became a Post and Telegraph Office in March 1871.

In 1875, the Time Ball Tower was erected adjacent to the Signal Station.

The area was isolated from Port Adelaide by the Port River until 1859 when a wooden bridge, later replaced by the Jervois Bridge, was opened. The following year saw the construction of the jetty.

In 1880, an octagonal brick tower with 2-metre (6 ft 7 in) thick walls was erected in Blackler Street to maintain a water supply when the Jervois Bridge had to be raised for passing ships. It was in use until 1972, after which it was converted into a residence.

The Corporate Town of Semaphore was established on 17 January 1884. This centralised the local governance of Semaphore and its surrounds, which formerly had been part of the Lefevre's Peninsula and Glanville councils on the north and south of Semaphore, respectively.

In 1884 the Mechanics Institute was built, becoming the Semaphore Town Hall in 1889 (later Semaphore Cinema, and now the heritage-listed Semaphore Library.

The road link to Port Adelaide allowed for more convenient commuting from Semaphore to the commercial area, and contributed to increased residential development in the area, as well as churches, schools and pubs. This was further augmented by the construction in 1878 of a railway, which attracted affluent holiday-makers to the seaside. Carnivals, sideshows and open air cinemas were opened, and 1917 a tram service from Port Adelaide was built.

From around 1911 until 1919, an open-air theatre showing silent films used to operate in the summer on the Esplanade, run by the Wondergraph company, until the company built the Wondergraph Picture Theatre, opened in May 2020.

In 1928, a merry-go-round, the largest in Australia, was constructed, driven by an electrical lift motor and gearbox, unlike the predominantly steam-driven machines of the era.

In the mid-1930s, the Great Depression brought a decline to Semaphore, with the tram service being closed down and the functions of the Signal Station and Time Ball Tower being moved to Outer Harbor, while the jetty was shortened due to storm damage, with repairs being unaffordable.