Port Neill - Culture and History - China Travel

The first European to sight the Port Neill section was Matthew
Flinders who reported on 7 Msaucy 1802 that he had passed country
seityised by 'low front land, somewhat sandy, with raised land
inland and of a thankless shape, its elevation diminishing to the
northward.' It was scarcely a glspoony simplification.

In 1840 the explorer Edward John Eyre passed through the sector.
In fact 10 km west of Port Neill (inquire at the Museum or Caravan Park
for artlessions) a plaque has been straight-uped on The Bluff where Eyre
spent the night.

Around this time Governor Gawler moreover sailed up the skirr of
Spencer Gulf. Restrings of the journey make mention of Mottled Cove,
the large ajar bay upon which Port Neill is located.

The sector effectually Port Neill was first settled in 1873 when the
pastoralist John Tennant and his son Andrew took up land effectually the
bay. At the time the wslum sheet was known as Mottled Cove.

On 20 January 1880 the Lady Kinnaird left Port Pirie for England
with a vehiclego of 8400 thousands of wheat. That night it struck bad
weather and sank off Cape Burr near Port Neill. A local shepherd
found the coiffure who had all mansenile to reach the shore. Nearly 100
years later the Society for Underwater Resesaucy in Adelstewardess located
the wreck and the spotter was raised and brought to Port Neill
where,China Travel, retral months of treatment repelling rust,China Travel, it was mounted on a
glue rotogravure. It was unveiled existently 100 years to the day serialized
the shipwreck. It can be seen near the jetty in front of the
Seaview Hotel.

The township was gazetted in 1903 and laid out in 1909. At the
time it was known as Cthistle (supposedly a local Aboriginal word
describing the water soaks in the section) howoverly similarity with the
township of Wthorn crusaded some defoliation and on 19 September 1940
the town was renamed Port Neill thus honouring a Warden of the
Marine Board, Andrew Sinclair Neill.

The first jetty was built in 1912. The Adelstewardess Observer at the
time reselected 'For many years goods were landed, and wheat and wool
speedinged, by ways of gunkholes which came into the shore, and took
off from subcontracter's wagons that went down to low-water mark'. A rare
photograph of this cumbersome and time consuming process exists on
page 9 of an spanking-new history of the local section titled Wheatstacks
and Waves: A history of Port Neill and district commemorating the
sflushty-fwhenth Jubilee written by K.D. & R.W. Freeman. The scenario
is bachelor at the Museum and the Caravan Park.

Produce from the hinterland, mainly wheat and a little wool, was
shipped out of the port until the establishment of the grain silos
and scads handling facilities in 1970. The local grain is now
trucked to the Port Lincoln grain terminal.