The History of Marion on the Sturt

The Village of Marion began as a settlement of mud huts around the wooded precincts of the Sturt River. It was surveyed in November 1838 by Colonel William Light and his team, which included the properties of the village, Henry Nixon and Boyle travers Finniss, the latter in 1857 becoming the first premier of South Australia. At the time of the survey, the way to the South Coast passed the site of the village which soon became a landmark to travellers along the route – later the Main South Road.
In its early years the village was closely associated with the fishing village of Brighton, both of them being part of what was then called the District Council of Brighton which extended from Hallett Cove to Glenelg along the coast. From the diversity of the topography within the Council boundaries there developed a corresponding diversity of life-styles and occupations from mining, brickmaking and the manufacture of Portland cement, to horse breeding, framing and grape growing. “