Port Giles is a port on
Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strai ...
in the Australian state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
located in the gazetted locality of
Coobowie __NOTOC__
Coobowie is a town in the Australian state of South Australia near the south-eastern tip of Yorke Peninsula. Coobowie was proclaimed in 1875. Coobowie comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "wild fowl water". At the 2011 census, Coobowi ...
between the towns of
Stansbury and
Edithburgh
Edithburgh is a small town on the south-east corner of Yorke Peninsula situated on the coastline of Salt Creek Bay, in the state of South Australia. Edithburgh is about west of Adelaide across Gulf St Vincent, but away by road. At the 2016 ...
.
Port Giles a port facility consisting of a large jetty equipped for bulk handling of grain which is operated by
Flinders Ports
Flinders Ports Pty Limited is a company incorporated in 2001 that manages seven of South Australia's ten ports fronting the Great Australian Bight, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent. It is the state's largest port operator, employing more than 800 ...
, and a similarly large grain storage facility operated by
Viterra
Viterra began as a Canadian grain handling business, the nation's largest grain handler, with its historic formative roots in prairie grain-handling cooperatives, among them the iconic Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.
Viterra Inc grew into a global agr ...
. It was opened by the then
Premier of South Australia
The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is ...
,
Steele Hall
Raymond Steele Hall (born 30 November 1928) is a former Australian politician who served as the 36th Premier of South Australia from 1968 to 1970. He also served in the federal Parliament as a senator for South Australia from 1974 to 1977 and f ...
in 1970, and led to the closure of many of the smaller ports on the peninsula. Port Giles can handle
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
size ships or larger.
Port Giles was purposely built to be able to handle bulk grain, and load it onto larger modern ships. Many of the other ports were not deep enough for larger ships, and could only be serviced by small
ketch
A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...
es and coastal
steamships
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ca ...
. They only handled grain in bags, not in bulk.
The port is occasionally open for keen anglers to catch fish from the jetty, which provides habitat for multiple species.
See also
*
List of ports in Australia
This is a list of ports in Australia. It includes all gazetted ports, harbours, havens, roadsteads and marinas.
This list is complete with respect to the 1996 Gazetteer of Australia.Gazetteer of Australia (1996). Belconnen, ACT: Australian Surv ...
References
{{Yorke Peninsula, state=collapsed
Ports and harbours of South Australia
Yorke Peninsula
Gulf St Vincent