Rapid Bay, South Australia

Rapid Bay is the name of both a locality including a small seaside town and a small bay on the west coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. It lies within the District Council of Yankalilla and its township is approximately 100 km south of the state capital, Adelaide. It is well known for its limestone quarry and its pair of jetties which are popular sites for recreational fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling.HistoryRapid Bay features in the creation myths of both the Kaurna and Ramindjeri people, most notably as the burial site of creation ancestor Tjilbruke's nephew.South Australia Colonial Surveyor General Colonel William Light made his first landfall on mainland South Australia at Rapid Bay on 8 September 1836. The site was named after Light's ship, the 162 ton brig Rapid. To mark this historic landfall the Colonel's initials, "W.L.", were carved into a large boulder – a replica is visible in the township, while the original is stored in the South Australian Museum, in Adelaide. John Rapid Hoare (7 November 1836 – perhaps 7 July 1916), also named for the brig Rapid, was the first European child born on mainland South Australia. Claims that he was born at Rapid Bay have been refuted.