Port Elliot Maritime Heritage Trail - Port Elliot
Direct Phone Number : (08) 8124 4960
Return to Port Elliot
The Port Elliot Maritime Heritage Trail consists of five interpretive signs and a colour brochure that highlight Port Elliot's role as the first seaport for the River Murray trade.
From 1851 to 1866 more than 500 vessels used the areas facilities as a seaport. Unfortunately the wrecking of seven vessels, between 1853 to 1864, confirmed Horseshoe Bay's growing reputation as a ship-trap, resulting in nearby Victor Harbor replacing Port Elliot as the coastal outlet for the River Murray trade.
Four of the vessels wrecked within the bay (Harry, Josephine Loizeau, Lapwing and Flying Fish) are often exposed within the surf zone at Horseshoe Bay and continue to interest many visitors on the beach.
Mystery surrounds the exact location of the remaining shipwrecks, The Emu, Commodore and Athol sites which are thought to lie outside Horseshoe Bay.
