On the broad main street, restaurants serve up cuisines from around the world, and quirky speciality shops add character and colour.

Down by the beach, cyclists pedal along the foreshore on the shared pathway, while kids excitedly board the miniature steam train that puffs along the coast to the Beachfront Caravan Park, about 2km away. Fisherfolk spin crab nets off the jetty and try their luck hooking tommies and garfish.

Semaphore has enthusiastically embraced 21^st century facilities and entertainment, but it hasn’t forgotten its rich maritime heritage, much of which has been preserved.

Take a look at our video to see Semaphore, now and then.

The jetty was built in 1860 to provide mooring for pilot and quarantine boats that travelled out to ships anchored offshore. After it was extended in 1874, it stretched 652m into Gulf St Vincent.

It featured gender-segregated swimming baths, a lifeboat shed and quarters for boat crews. Battered by storms over the years, the jetty’s length has been reduced to 460m.

Move the slider below to see the Semaphore beachfront now and in 1930.

Completed in 1875, the Time Ball Tower stands prominently on a rise beside the Esplanade. When the ball dropped at 1pm each day, mariners could check their chronometers – a type of clock used for navigation. The tower was restored in 1992.

The Maris Palais was an impressive addition to the shorefront when it was built in 1922. In true ’20s style, it housed a bathing pavilion and dance hall. By the early ’80s it had fallen into disrepair, but was fully restored in the 1990s.

Painted a bold white, the Palais Hotel, as it’s now known, is hard to miss as you stroll along the Esplanade. It has a bar, dining and function facilities.

Move the slider to see how much the Palais has changed.

In 1938, the colourful carousel with its hand-crafted wooden horses arrived on the foreshore. Considered to be the largest operating carousel – or merry-go-round – in the country, it continues to delight children after all these years.

Semaphore hosts a number of events, including the Semaphore Greek Festival, the Adelaide International Kite Festival and the Semaphore Street Fair.