Establishing regular and reliable shipping services was vital to get South Australian wheat to overseas markets. Early exporters using small ships which were unsound on the high seas found that if their grain or flour was damaged en-route their costs would not be covered. Therefore, large ships with dry holds were necessary and regular services to major ports were established from the mid-1940s.

Situated on the Yorke Peninsula, Wallaroo became a bustling port because of its proximity to the mines of the copper triangle and wheat-growing farms of the Peninsula.