The Norfolk Pines in the main street of Port Victoria

Port Victoria
Historic wheat port now a popular holiday destination on the Yorke Peninsula.
Located 190 km west of Adelaide via the Princes Highway and 172 km south of Port Pirie, Port Victoria is a tiny settlement, attractively located on the sea. The main street has rows of Norfolk pines running all the way down to the sea. There's a plough at the top of the main street and the town calls itself 'the last of the windjammer ports'.

Port Victoria was first surveyed in 1839. It was named after the schooner Victoria which took the surveyor James H. Hughes along the coast. In 1840 he reported that he had discovered fresh water 'only seven feet below the surface one-and-a-half miles from the head of the inner bay' and predicted that Port Victoria would become a large and successful town.

In fact the town became one of the key 'windjammer ports' in the 19th century. The jetty was constructed and the wheat from the hinterland was brought to the town where it was loaded on the windjammers which ran from Gulf St Vincent across to South America then up the Atlantic to Europe.

The last windjammer sailed out of Port Victoria in 1949 and since then the town has become a sleepy, pleasant holiday resort far removed from the hurly burly of the coastline's more popular seaside destinations.

The town still has the feel of an old sailors port. The museum is in the old shed at the end of the jetty and the Port Victoria pub still has a suggestion of being a wild place in years gone by.

Things to see:  

Maritime Museum
The National Trust Maritime Museum at Port Victoria is located adjacent to the old jetty. The museum is a celebration of the great windjammers which, loaded down with wheat, used to race from Australia to England. It is open Sundays and Public Holidays from 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. For additional details contact (08) 8834 2057.

The jetty at Port Victoria

Jetty
The Port Victoria jetty dates from 1888. It is one of the few original jetties in Australia and is a reminder of the kind of jetty used by the windjammers around the turn of the century.

Wardang Island
Located 10 km off the coast from Port Victoria, Wardang Island is one of South Australia's premier dive locations. There are at least eight wrecks off the coast and a Heritage Trail diving trail, complete with a waterproof booklet and plaques along the trail, has been established. The island is an Aboriginal reserve and permission is needed from the Point Pearce Community Council. Contact (08) 8207 2378 for details.

	Tourist Information
	Port Victoria Kiosk Esplanade Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2098
	Hotels
	Port Victoria Hotel/Motel Main St P.O. Box 244 Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2069 Rating: ***
	Apartments
	Bayview Holiday Apts 29 Davies Tce P.O. Box 24 Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2082 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Gulfhaven Caravan Park Davies Tce P.O. Box 62 Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2012 Rating: ***
	Port Victoria Progress Assoc. Caravan Park Victoria Tce P.O. Box 182 Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2001 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Port Victoria Hotel/Motel Main St P.O. Box 244 Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2069
	Willies Place Main St Port Victoria SA 5573 Telephone: (08) 8834 2113