Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

about south-east of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and about north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of

Rivoli Bay Rivoli Bay () is a bay located on the south-east coast of the Australian state of South Australia, about south-southeast of the state capital of Adelaide and about northwest by west of the regional centre of Mount Gambier. It was named in 1802 ...

. Beachport has a large crayfishing fleet, and is known for its -long

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

, the second-longest in South Australia after the one at

Port Germein 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 overlooking G ...

. The towns Norfolk pines, white sand beach and clear waters are alluring to visitors 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. In their language, this area was called Wirmalngrang.

History

Following the discovery and naming of

in 1802 by French navigator

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...

, 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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire. The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...

Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn, (23 October 1837 – 30 April 1916), known as Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt, from 1854 to 1906 and subsequently as The Viscount St Aldwyn to 1915, was a British Conservative politician. Known as "B ...

World War II

Beachport is the location of what are believed to be the first casualties of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on Australian soil. On 12 July 1941, a local fisherman discovered and towed to Beachport a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

sea mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

, 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. 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 A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

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. 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 The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

, including: * Railway Terrace: Beachport Customs House * 5 Railway Terrace: Wool and Grain Store * Rivoli Bay: Beachport Jetty

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 Beachport Conservation Park, formerly the Beachport National Park, is a protected area located in the Limestone Coast of South Australia about north-west of Mount Gambier and immediately north of the township of Beachport. Land in the conserv ...

, which includes of beaches, rocky headlands and boobialla scrub, overlaps with the much larger

Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area The Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area comprises an area of covering a series of five coastal lakes on the Limestone Coast of South Australia. They are the most important of a string of regional lakes occupying swale corridors between mo ...

.South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage
. In the sandhills adjacent to Beachport is the Pool of Siloam, named in allusion to the Biblical

Pool of Siloam The term Pool of Siloam (, ) refers to several rock-cut pools located southeast of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The pools were fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by the Siloam tunnel. The Lower Pool or "Old Pool" ...

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

External links

{{authority control Coastal towns in South Australia 1878 establishments in Australia Limestone Coast Populated places established in 1878