Light, William (1786?-1839), was the founder and planner of Adelaide, Australia. When the British government agreed to the colonization of South Australia, the South Australian commissioners appointed Light as their surveyor general. They instructed him to select a suitable site, plan a town, and survey the surrounding land for farms and roads. He explored Gulf St. Vincent and finally selected the site for Adelaide about 6 miles (10 kilometers) inland from Holdfast Bay. Colonists criticized him for his selection of the site because they considered it to be too far inland. They also criticized him for not surveying sufficient farmland, even though his staff was inadequate for the job.
In 1838, Light resigned after a disagreement with Sir John Hindmarsh, the governor of South Australia. Light’s temporary dwelling was burned down, and he moved into his unfinished house, which he called Thebarton, after the county of Suffolk in England where he had spent part of his early life.
Light was born in Kedah in Malaya and spent his early years in Penang. He was educated in England and joined the navy in 1794.
