200 kms from Adelaide

Port Victoria was originally called Wauraltee (bandicoot) - the name given to the offshore island by the Narrunga people.

A small quiet village situated on beautiful Spencer Gulf, the town sprang into prominence as the turnaround port for clippers loading grain for the northern hemisphere run. Because it marked the start of the great grain races to Britain, Port Victoria is recognised as 'the last of the windjammer ports'.

Port Victoria was once the fourth largest port in South Australia, and was one of the last Australian ports to see the large square-rigged sailing vessels operate on a commercial basis. For more than 70 years grain was loaded onto the magnificent ships known as windjammers, bound for Europe via Cape Horn. Today this heritage is detailed in the Port Victoria Maritime Museum, housed in the original general cargo store that was built by the jetty in 1878.

The boat ramp provides all weather launching facilities and the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol has a base at Port Victoria for maritime emergencies.

Wardang Island to the west of Port Victoria provides sheltered waters for boaties to fish safely and the Goose Island Aquatic Reserve provides a haul out site for Australian sea lions. Wardang Island is part of the Point Pearce Aboriginal Lands and access to the island is prohibited.

The 20 km2 Wardang Island was known as Wauraltee Island until 1940. The much smaller Goose Island (and conservation park) lies off the northern end. Wardang is part of the traditional land of the Nharangga people who camped there regularly to fish, hunt and gather food, crossing at low tide.

The Wardang Island Maritime Heritage Trail offers eight amazing dive sites for divers to explore. Of the wrecks, five are of schooners and coastal steamers – the Monarch, Australian, Investigator, MacIntyre and Moorara – that carried wheat and other local cargo, and the others – the Aagot, Notre Dame D'Arvor and Songvaar – were larger three masted vessels that transported grain to Europe.