Port Germein is a small sea-side town in the Australian state of
South Australia located about north of the state capital of
Adelaide and about north of the city of
Port Pirie on the eastern side of
South Australia's
Spencer Gulf
The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...
overlooking
Germein Bay
Germein Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located at the northern end Spencer Gulf on the gulf's east coast to the immediate north of the city of Port Pirie. Its extent includes the port known as ‘Port Pirie’ and the fo ...
. Port Germein was named after
Samuel Germein, who moved into the territory in 1840, although some credit his brother John to be the first European to traverse the area.
The township was proclaimed in 1878. Port Germein's population in the was 249.
History
Port Germein was once an important transport hub for the surrounding districts following the opening of its
jetty in 1881 – at the time known as the longest jetty in the
Southern Hemisphere. Due to the shallow water along the coast, the long jetty was built to allow sailing ships to be loaded with grain from surrounding districts. Bagged wheat came from the local area, the eastern side of the Southern
Flinders Ranges via Port Germein Gorge (opened in 1879), and from the west coast in smaller boats. About 100,000 bags of wheat were loaded per year. The jetty was extended to its full length of 1680m in 1883. With the opening of the port came an influx of workers from Adelaide, and by 1900 the town's population had grown to over 300. Use of the port declined when rail was extended to Port Germein in 1934, and the jetty was later reduced to its present length of 1532m due to storm damage.
The historic
Port Germein Jetty Site is listed on the
South Australian Heritage Register.
It formerly had its own municipality, the
District Council of Port Germein; since 1980, it has been part of the
District Council of Mount Remarkable.
Transport
The
Augusta Highway and the
Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line both pass the east side of the township. The railway line has an 1800m
passing loop and a goods
siding
Siding may refer to:
* Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house
* Siding (rail)
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...
was commissioned in 2015 and is operated by
SCT Logistics.
Lighthouse
A
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
was erected at the end of the jetty in 1894, replacing the Port Germein Lightship. The lighthouse was manned until July 1917, when it was replaced by an AGA flashing light. The lighthouse was re-established at its current site in 1975.
Jetty
The Port Germein jetty opened in 1881, and in 1883 it was extended to a length of 1680 metres. This length, which was necessary because of the town's extremely shallow beach, briefly made it the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. Currently, following storm damage and subsequent repairs, the jetty is 1532 metres long, still the longest jetty in South Australia. Previously it had a narrow-gauge railway line extending into the township.
References
External links
Port Germein development timeline Viewed 4 June 2014.
Populated places established in 1878
Coastal towns in South Australia
Spencer Gulf
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