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Port Broughton | |||||||||||||
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 The Port Broughton Hotel in 2005 | |||||||||||||
  Port Broughton | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:33°35′0″S137°56′8″E / 33.58333°S 137.93556°E /-33.58333; 137.93556 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | South Australia | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Established | 1876 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 1,116 (UCL2021)[3] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 5522 | ||||||||||||
| Mean max temp | 24.4 °C (75.9 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Mean min temp | 12.6 °C (54.7 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Annual rainfall | 341.3 mm (13.44 in) | ||||||||||||
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| Adjoining localities[4] | |||||||||||||
Port Broughton is a smallSouth Australian town located at the northern extent of theYorke Peninsula on the east coast ofSpencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north-west ofAdelaide, and 56 km south ofPort Pirie. At the2016 census, the town of Port Broughton had a population of 1,034.[5]
The close proximity to Adelaide (two hours' drive) makes it a popular tourist destination, with the number of people in town swelling to over 4,000 in the summer holidays.
The land around Port Broughton was initially used forgrazing, however the local conditions were unsuitable and the land was divided up intoacre lots and sold.
Port Broughton was surveyed in 1871 to service the surroundingwheat andbarley growers on the recommendation of Captain Henry Dale. It is on a sheltered inlet calledMundoora Arm Inlet at the extreme northern end ofYorke Peninsula. The town is named after theBroughton River (named byEdward John Eyre afterWilliam Broughton), the mouth of which is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the township.
Built in 1876, the T-shaped jetty was serviced by an isolated3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)narrow gauge railway line fromMundoora, 16 km inland and uphill. ThePort Broughton railway line, officially opened on 11 March 1876, brought the grain down to the port.Horses were used to tow the empty wagons uphill, but they were sent downhill powered only by gravity, with a driver to operate the brakes. The passenger service ceased on 17 September 1925, but the grain traffic continued. During January, 1926, a Fordson rail tractor displaced the animal power. From 1931, the railways contracted out the service to a private operator.
The service ceased altogether on 3 August 1942, but the tractor continued to shunt wheat wagons between the station yard and the jetty until moved elsewhere.Ketches carried the grain from the jetty 8 kilometres out into the gulf where the largerwindjammers were anchored to carry the grain back to England. The windjammers ceased to call in 1949.[6]
Locomotives were proposed in 1906.[7]
In June 1943, Edward Gage, an electrical fitter who worked forBHP inWhyalla, was killed after hisTiger Moth plane ran out of fuel and crash landed in theSpencer Gulf. He was last seen flying over Port Broughton, en route to Whyalla fromParafield.[8] Acoronial inquiry followed but neither his remains nor that of the plane were found.[9] In January 1990,Goolwa man Ron Anchor arranged a search party to find the wreck.[10]
Lying on the eastern side ofSpencer Gulf, Port Broughton's coastline is relatively protected, resulting in large expanses of shallow water andseagrasses,tidal flats and vast areas ofmangroves that flank the inlet on which the town is built. The small town ofFisherman Bay lies 5 km north of Port Broughton and has much the same coastal features. Between the mouth of Fisherman Bay and Port Broughton liesShag Island, an important breeding site for several species ofcormorant. The Broughton River lies further north towardPort Pirie, where itsestuary is located. Further inland, most of the land is fairly featureless farming country, with only fragments of the originalvegetation remaining.
Port Broughton was briefly home to a short lived newspaper published by William John George and James Sisely.[11] Originally calledPort Broughton Echo (1887), it was printed by theNorthern Argus inClare.[12] It was then renamed toBroughton Echo (1887-1888), but soon ceased publication in July 1888.[11]
Since its establishment, Port Broughton'seconomy has largely been driven byagriculture, in particularcereal crops.Commercial fishing is also an important part of the economy, withscalefish andBlue swimmer crabs accounting for much of the catch. As of 2010[update] Port Broughton supports aprawning fleet.[13]
Like many towns on theYorke Peninsula, Port Broughton is atourist destination, with activities such asfishing,crabbing and a variety ofwatersports being popular. The town has a boat ramp for such activities. Short-term accommodation includes twocaravan parks, a number of units and a motel. NearbyFisherman Bay has manyshacks belonging to holiday-makers, as well a boat ramp for small vessels.[14]
The recorded population the township of Port Broughton at the time of the 2011census was 982 (Port Broughton district population 1424). The majority of the population (838) were Australian born, with the majority ofimmigrants coming from the United Kingdom. The census also found that over half the population of Port Broughton is over 55, with the median age being 61, suggesting the town is popular with retirees.Christianity is the dominantreligion in the region, and is well serviced by a number ofchurches.
The town has a number of sporting clubs includingcricket andnetball clubs, and anAustralian rules football club playing in theNorthern Areas Football Association as the Broughton-Mundoora Eagles.
Port Broughton Area School and Port Broughton District Hospital & Health Service provide the towns educational and medical needs respectively
Port Broughton is the seat of theDistrict Council of Barunga West. The mayor currently is Cynthia Axford. It is in thestateelectoral district of Narungga and thefederalDivision of Grey.
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