Port Elliot

Port Elliot is a town in South Australia on the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay.

Port Elliot was one end of the first railway in Australia (built in 1854) when it was established to provide a harbour for ocean-going ships to exchange cargo with river boats at Goolwa, as the Murray Mouth was too treacherous and unpredictable for safe navigation. In 1864 the railway was extended to Victor Harbor which provided safer access for ships. Port Elliot was named after Charles Elliot, the Governor of Bermuda and a friend of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Young.

Today, Port Elliot is a quiet village with two hotels, three churches, eight coffee shops, no fast food chains, and is a popular holiday destination close enough to Adelaide for day trips.