Beachport

Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of South Australia about 311 kilometres (193 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 34 kilometres (21 mi) north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of Rivoli Bay.[5][1] Beachport has a large crayfishing fleet, and is known for its 772-metre (2,533 ft)-long jetty, the second-longest in South Australia after the one at Port Germein. The towns Norfolk pines, white sand beach and clear waters are alluring to visitors [10]

Beachport
South Australia
Main street of Beachport
Beachport is located in South Australia
Beachport
Beachport
Coordinates37°29′01″S 140°00′30″E[1]
Population530 (UCL 2021)[2]
Established23 May 1878 (town)
18 December 1997 (locality)[3][4]
Postcode(s)5280[5]
Elevation5 m (16 ft)[6]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location
LGA(s)Wattle Range Council[1]
RegionLimestone Coast[1]
CountyGrey[1]
State electorate(s)MacKillop[7]
Federal division(s)Barker[8]
Mean max temp[9] Mean min temp[9] Annual rainfall[9]
19.7 °C
67 °F		 9.6 °C
49 °F		 608.2 mm
23.9 in
Localities around Beachport:
Bray Bray Bray
Nora Creina
Ocean		 Beachport Magarey
Rendelsham
Southend
Ocean Ocean
Rivoli Bay		 Southend
FootnotesLocations[5]
Adjoining localities[1]

Prior to European settlement starting in the 1820s, the Bungandidj people from the Mount Gambier region are the early settlers of this area. Archeological evidence shows they have inhabited this area for upwards of 30,000 years.[11] In their language, this area was called Wirmalngrang.[12]

History

Following the discovery and naming of Rivoli Bay in 1802 by French navigator Nicolas Baudin, a whaling station was established there in the 1830s. The whaling industry soon declined, to be followed in succeeding decades by European pastoralists settling in the hinterland. Whaling was then superseded by a booming wool export industry, leading to the need for a port. The town was named on 23 May 1878 for the then British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn.[13]

World War II

Beachport is the location of what are believed to be the first casualties of World War II on Australian soil. On 12 July 1941, a local fisherman discovered and towed to Beachport a German sea mine, laid either by the raider Pinguin or the minelayer Passat. The following day, two able seamen, Thomas Todd and William Danswan, part of a three-man Rendering Mines Safe (REMS) team, were killed when a wave lifted the mine and caused it to explode on the beach while they were attempting to defuse it.[14] A monument now stands in the town to honour them.

Transport

Beachport was officially proclaimed a port on 21 November 1878. In the same year a lighthouse was erected close by on Penguin Island and a railway from Mount Gambier was completed. A wool and grain store was built in 1879, served by the railway, thereby providing a facility to link the export trade by rail and sea. The railway closed in 1957.[15] The old wool and grain store has been preserved and today serves as a National Trust museum.

Heritage listings

Beachport has a number of sites listed on the South Australian Heritage Register, including:

  • Railway Terrace: Beachport Customs House[16]
  • 5 Railway Terrace: Wool and Grain Store[17]
  • Rivoli Bay: Beachport Jetty[18]

Environment

Popular recreational fishing spots include the Salmon Hole, jetty and 10 Mile Beach. Other attractions include the Salt Lake, Lake George and the rugged coastal views of the Scenic Drive. The nearby Beachport Conservation Park, which includes 710 hectares (1,800 acres) of beaches, rocky headlands and boobialla scrub, overlaps with the much larger Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area.[19][20] In the sandhills adjacent to Beachport is the Pool of Siloam, named in allusion to the Biblical Pool of Siloam as locals claim it has healing properties similar to the pool in Jerusalem. Said to be seven times saltier than the ocean, it is enjoyed by swimmers and has related amenities.

References
  1. "Search results for 'Beachport, LOCB' with the following datasets being selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'Counties', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions', 'Railways' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Beachport (Urban Centre and Locality)". Australian Census 2021. 
  3. Morgan, William (23 May 1878). "Untitled proclamation re the Town of Beachport" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1257. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991, Notice to Assign Boundaries and Names to Places" (PDF), The South Australian Government Gazette: 1655, 18 December 1997, retrieved 17 May 2018
  5. "Postcode for Beachport, South Australia". postcodes-australia.com. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  6. "Search results for 'Beachport Railway Station' with the following datasets being selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns', 'Railways' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  7. "District of MacKillop (map)". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  8. "Federal electoral division of Barker" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics ROBE AIRFIELD (nearest weather station)". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  10. "Beachport, South Australia". K2TV. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. Fort, Carol (2005). 'Doing' history and 'Understanding' Cultural Landscapes: Cutting Through South Australia's Woakwine Range (PDF). p. 4.
  12. "Beachport, SA". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  13. The Manning Index of Place Names of South Australia Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Australia's War 1939-1945". Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  15. Wattle Range Council Archived 13 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Former Beachport Customs House". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  17. "Beachport Museum (former Wool and Grain Store)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  18. "Beachport Jetty". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  19. South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage Archived 6 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Hawdon System". BirdLife International. 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.

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