Port Germein, South Australia

Port Germein is a small sea-side town in the Australian state of South Australia located about north of the state capital of Adelaide and about north of the city of Port Pirie on the eastern side of South Australia's Spencer Gulf overlooking Germein Bay. Port Germein was named after Samuel Germein, who discovered it in 1840. though some credit his brother John with the discovery. The township was proclaimed in 1878. Port Germein's population in the was 249.HistoryPort Germein was once an important transport hub for the surrounding districts following the opening of its jetty in 1881 – at the time known as the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Due to the shallow water along the coast, the long jetty was built to allow sailing ships to be loaded with grain from surrounding districts. Bagged wheat came from the local area, the eastern side of the Southern Flinders Ranges via Port Germein Gorge (opened in 1879), and from the west coast in smaller boats. About 100,000 bags of wheat were loaded per year. The jetty was extended to its full length of 1680m in 1883. With the opening of the port came an influx of workers from Adelaide, and by 1900 the town's population had grown to over 300. Use of the port declined when rail was extended to Port Germein in 1934, and the jetty was later reduced to its present length of 1532m due to storm damage. The historic Port Germein Jetty Site is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.