EDITHBURGH, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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This holiday and fishing town is located on the cliffs at the southern tip of Yorke peninsular, overlooking Gulf St Vincent and Troughbridge Shoals, a chain of small islands. Once the third busiest port in South Australia, today it is the most popular holiday destination on the peninsula. There are nearly 200 hundred lakes most of which are salt, in the Edithburgh area. Edithburgh has great swimming beaches and a tidal swimming pool with a shallow area for children. The sandy beaches are perfect for fishing, swimming, scuba diving or snorkelling and sail boarding.
Location: 233 km west of Adelaide via the Princes Highway; 255 km south of Port Pirie.
Origin of name: recalls Lady Edith Fergusson, the daughter of the Governor-General of India and wife of the South Australian governor of the time, Sir James Fergusson (1869-73). The town's two main roads were named after his daughters Edith and Blanche.
Brief history: Matthew Flinders sailed the coast and named the Troughbridge Shoal near the present town. John Bowden moved into the area in 1847 and operated a large sheep run. The town was laid out with terraces and parklands in 1869, allowing for a beautiful environment. The Jetty was built in 1873 and salt, gypsum and lime were shipped off to Adelaide. Salt was one of the major industries of this town; prior to 1891, 7,000 tonnes of salt were provided to South Australia by scrapings. Between 1891 and 1900 they were supplying over 40,000 tonnes per year and a number of salt factories. By 1950 this activity had ceased.
Natural features: Gulf St Vincent; Sultana Bay; Troughbridge Hill; Troughbridge Shoals; Troughbridge Island Conservation Park; Marian reef; Edithburgh Native Flora Park; Goldsmiths Beach.
Built features: Edithburgh Museum; Troughbridge Hill lighthouse; Edithburgh Cemetery (many graves recall the large number Germans who settled in the area); Wattle Point wind farm site; coastal resort of Coobowie (5 km north); Port Giles grain terminal and port facilities.
Heritage features: anchor from the shipwreck Marian (1851); shipwreck Clan Ranald (1907) at the foot of Troughbridge Hill; Edithburgh Maritime Museum.