The Office of the Surveyor-General delivers a range of diverse functions and services including:
- cadastral surveying instructions and guidelines
- monitoring compliance with survey instructions
- maintaining survey mark infrastructure to determine boundary locations and accurate geodetic positioning
- administering geographical place names
- opening and closing public roads
- maintaining the state’s addressing database
- land tenure searching and mapping for Native Title determination.
The Surveyor-General is the primary government authority on property boundaries and land tenure, and regulating boundary surveying in South Australia. The Surveyor-General’s key legislative responsibilities are to:
- set and monitor standards for boundary surveying under the Survey Act 1992
- administer the Geographical Names Act 1991 and Roads (Opening & Closing) Act 1991
- maintain the Adelaide Park Lands Plan under the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005.
The Surveyor-General plays an important governance role as a member of:
- Surveyors Board of South Australia
- Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping
- Electoral District Boundaries Commission of South Australia
- SurveyingSA Pathways - Promotion of the Surveying Profession to attract and train the next generation of South Australian surveyors, creating capacity to service infrastructure projects and the property needs of the South Australian community.
Read more about the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Surveyor-General - Brochure of the Office of the Surveyor-General (PDF, 631.9 KB)
List of Surveyor-Generals of South Australia | Period in office
Col. William Light | 1836 – July 1838
George Ormsby | July 1838 – March 1839
Capt. Charles Sturt | March – October 1839
Edward Charles Frome | October 1839 – February 1849
Sir Arthur Henry Freeling | 1849–1861
George Woodroffe Goyder | 1861–1894
William Strawbridge | 1894–1911
Edwin Mitchell Smith | 1911–1917
Norman William Pethick | 1917–1921
Theodore Ernest Day | 1921–1930
James Henry McNamara | 1930–1937
Clive Melville Hambidge | 1937–1950
Arthur Dickerson Smith | 1950–1951
Harold Leslie Fisk | 1951–1959
Alexander Hubert Hawdon Davison | 1959–1961
Harry Alexander Bailey | 1961–1969
George Harry Campbell Kennedy | 1969–1978
Bryan Howard Bridges | 1978–1987
John Reginald Porter | 1987–1992
Christopher William Lunnay | 1992–1993
Peter Maclaren Kentish | 1993–2012
Michael Paul Burdett | 2012–2022
Bradley James Slape | 2022–present
Surveyor General’s Office correspondence 1838 – 1864
The Surveyor-General’s Office was part of the Lands Department, and reported to the Commissioner for Crown Lands and Immigration. Most of the correspondence relates to the survey of land for settlement and mining. Visit Surveyor-General’s Office Correspondence - State Records SA.
Portraits of Surveyor-Generals of South Australia
Portraits of George Woodroffe Goyder, William Strawbridge, Edwin Mitchell Smith, Norman William Pethick,and Theodore Ernest Day and historic maps can be seen at State Library South Australia.
Historic maps
Historic maps created by the Surveyor-General can be found in State Records of SA.
- South Australian Property and Planning Atlas (SAPPA) is a free map-based application. You can use it to view land administration boundaries and get information about the ownership of land.
- South Australian Integrated Land Information System (SAILIS) provides up to date information about land and property in South Australia.
- Location SA allows you to search and display a range of government data on a road or satellite base map.
- Data.SA contains open datasets released by South Australian Government agencies and local councils.
- PlanSA is a one-stop destination for planning in South Australia, including tools, information and updates on our planning system.
- Surveyors Board SA is responsible for the training, licensing and registration of surveyors in South Australia.
- Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping provide leadership through coordination and cooperation in surveying, mapping and charting.
- Foundation Spatial Data Framework (FSDF) LINK (Location INformation Knowledge Platform) is an online platform containing Australian Foundation Spatial Data.
- South Australian Government Gazette is the official publication of the South Australian Government, a weekly record of proceedings by the state local government authorities.
- Land Services South Australia is the exclusive service provider to the South Australian Government for a range of transactional land services and property valuation services.
- State Records hold archival records from state and local government in South Australia.
General enquiries
Business hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
Phone: (08) 7133 2300
Email: DHUD.OfficeSurveyorGeneral@sa.gov.au
Postal Address: GPO Box 1815, Adelaide SA 5001
Survey enquiries
For survey mark enquiries or EDM Calibration bookings
Phone: (08) 7133 2300
Email: DHUD.SurveyOperations@sa.gov.au
Geographical names
Phone: (08) 7133 3026
Postal Address: Office of the Surveyor-General, Geographical Names Unit, GPO Box 1815, Adelaide SA 5001
Email: DHUD.PlaceNames@sa.gov.au
Addressing
Phone: (08) 7133 3024
Email: DHUD.Addressing@sa.gov.au
Roads (opening and closing)
Phone: (08) 7133 3022
Email: DHUD.RoadOpeningClosing@sa.gov.au