The rocks beyond the obelisk at to the south of the headland, Port Elliot

Port Elliot (including Middleton)
Historic port on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Located 91 km south of Adelaide, Port Elliot is a pleasant township which was once the major port for good moving up and down the Murray River. Today it is a popular holiday destination on the South Coast.

The area of South Australia which now stretches from Lake Alexandrina and the mouth of the Murray River around through Goolwa to Port Elliot developed as a unified whole. By 1829 Captain Charles Sturt had made his historic journey down the Murray River and there was a feeling that a settlement should be established near the mouth of the river so that the inland could be opened up.

In 1837 Colonel William Light, responding to this interest, inspected the area around the mouth of the Murray and concluded that the land was poor and the mouth of the river was probably not navigable. The following year Sturt endorsed Light's view that the mouth of the Murray could not be made safe for navigation. This led to the establishment of Adelaide on Gulf St Vincent but there was still a body of support for the utilisation of the Murray River and a number of proposals (most involving safer harbours and moving goods overland to points further up the river) were suggested.

Eventually a decision was made that Goolwa would become the last point for shipping on the Murray River (it was located on the last bend before the river entered the sea) and there was a debate as to whether Victor Harbor or Port Elliot would be the ocean port. It was eventually decided that Port Elliot was the best location but this was probably based on its proximity to Goolwa and the belief that a canal could be constructed between the two locations. In 1851 it was agreed to build a railway between Port Elliot and Goolwa at a cost of £20,000. It ended up costing £31,000 and wasn't completed until 1854. It was historically significant being the first railway in Australia. It was operated by draught horses pulling the carriages along the line.

It was, by any conventional measure, a bit of a disaster. It rarely made a profit and the trains carrying the goods travelled at about 10 km/h and had to be unloaded before the goods could be moved to the ships because the waters at Port Elliot were too shallow and the jetty was not long enough. Add to this the problem of rocks off the shore and the constant battering the area receives from the Southern Ocean and it is easy to understand how, after a decade, the major port activities were moved to Victor Harbour. In fact today the towns of Port Elliot and Victor Harbour are so close they almost join in a continuous stretch of holiday accommodation.

Europeans moved into the area around Port Elliot as early as the 1830s and 1840s. The town was surveyed in 1852 and named after Sir Charles Elliot who was the Governor of Bermuda, Trinidad and St Helena at the time. By 1855 the port was dealing with 85 ships a year and in 1861 the 'Altrevida', a ship of 457 tons, became the largest ship ever to enter the port. However, in the space of a decade, seven ships were wrecked trying to navigate through the difficult rocky outcrops off the coast and it was decided to extend the railway to Victor Harbour which became the major port on the south coast.

Surprisingly this change of focus did not hinder the development of the town. By the early 1870s there were a number of guest houses and hotels in the town and it was already catering for the tourists who still drive the town's economy today.

Things to see:  

Discovery Trail - Port Elliot
There is a small brochure which includes a map and outlines nearly sixty attractions in the area around Port Elliot. There are 13 sites on the Coastal Walks including Aboriginal middens, the local blowhole and Watsons Gap at the end of Boomers Beach. There is a list of 28 buildings in the heart of the town (this is the Port Elliot Red walk) including the Hotel Elliot (built 1868), the Council Chambers (1879) in The Strand, the Library (1880) and Institute (1882) in Young Street, Young's General Store (the original was built in 1853) in The Strand, the Court House (1866) and Police Station including old court room (1853). There are a further 24 places of interest surrounding the central town area (this is the Port Elliot Blue walk) and this includes a number of particularly interesting buildings at the seaside end of The Strand.

The walking map is available at the Port Elliot Historical Centre which is located in the Railway Station between The Strand and Young Street.

The Old Steam Train coming into Port Elliot Railway Station

The Steam Train
The steam train, a reminder of the origins of the town and the whole region, only runs during the school holidays but it runs three times a day from Goolwa to Victor Harbor stopping at Port Elliot.

Freeman's Knob
Is it Freemans Knob, Freeman's Knob or Freeman's Nob as it is spelt on the obelisk. (there seems to be some dispute about the spelling - there is no consistency) . The obelisk is actually made of limestone but was cement rendered in the 1930s and painted white. It is not the same as it was originally structure. Constructed in January 1852, it used to have a blue flag which could be seen 15 nautical miles out to sea and was used as a guiding point to get ships into the harbour. Near the obelisk there is an impressive set of steps which were built in 1936 'In memory of our pioneers'. There are a set of stairs which run from the obelisk to a path which leads around the rocks to the south. This is a pleasant and interesting walk.

Boomers Beach
The huge waves which caused such problems for the early sailing ships are ideal for experienced surfers. Boomers Beach, when the waves are running, is one of the best locations on the South Australian coast.

Mindacowie near Middleton

Middleton
Today Middleton, because it is so close to Port Elliot, is really nothing more than a north-easterly extension of the town. It has a number of holiday accommodation destinations. Historically it developed around the same time as Port Elliot and was largely sustained by the establishment of the largest flour mill on the South Australian South Coast. Typical of the holiday development at Middleton is Mindacowie which was completed in 1911 and for many years operated as guest house being run by two Miss Abbotts.

	Motels
	Cavalier Inn Motel The Strand Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2067 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Hotel Elliot 35 The Strand Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2218
	Royal Family Hotel 32 North Tce Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2219
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Thomas Henry Bed & Breakfast 8 Charteris St Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 3388 Rating: **
	Trafalgar House Bed & Breakfast 25 The Strand P.O. Box 526 Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 3888 Rating: ***1/2
	Yoredale Cottage 16 Mason St Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: 0411 668 155
	Apartments
	Casa del Mar The Esplanade Horseshoe Bay Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2029 Facsimile: (08) 8554 2993 Rating: ****
	Dolphins Court Holiday Apts Strangways Tce Horseshoe Bay Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2029 Rating: **
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Casa del Mar The Esplanade Horseshoe Bay Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2029 Facsimile: (08) 8554 2993 Rating: ****
	South Seas Townhouses 18 Merrilli Pl. P.O. Box 3 Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2029 Rating: ***
	Cottages & Cabins
	Casa del Mar The Esplanade Horseshoe Bay Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2029 Facsimile: (08) 8554 2993 Rating: ****
	Heathfield Estate Cottage 16 Water Port Rd Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 3636 Rating: ***
	Waverley Estate 58 Waterport Rd Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 3149 Facsimile: (08) 8554 3835 Email: kingworld@bigpond.com Rating: ****
	Yoredale Cottage 16 Mason St Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: 0411 668 155
	Caravan Parks
	Port Elliot Caravan Park Horseshoe Bay P.O. Box 121 Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2134 Facsimile: (08) 8554 3454 Rating: ****
	Restaurants
	Cavalier Inn Motel Restaurant The Strand Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2067
	Old Registry Restaurant The Strand Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 3366
	Royal Family Hotel 32 North Tce Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2219
	Sitar Indian Restaurant The Strand Port Elliot SA 5212 Telephone: (08) 8554 2144