Coastline and jetty at Wool Bay, South Australia.

Wool Bay is situated on the Yorke Peninsula coast between Stansbury and Coobowie. The town was established in 1876 with the name Pickering. In 1882 a jetty was built. Wide enough to roll wool bales out to the the ships, the locals came to know the jetty as Wool Bay jetty and by 1940, the town had a name change to Wool Bay. The town functioned as wool, grain and lime exporting port. Wool Bay still features heritage listed lime kilns, built by Charles Dry originally from Stansbury, which were the first to extract and export lime in the region.

The community lobbied for a jetty in 1879: the people believed that deep water in the bay would provide safer anchorage than other nearby locations. Eventually in 1882 construction of a jetty was undertaken by Frank George: 155 metres long it provided a depth of 2.1 metres at low tide. When lime burning became an established industry at Wool Bay the jetty was extended by a further 18 metres in anticipation of increased use. However the kilns built were never greatly successful and later Stansbury and subsequently Klein Point would be the major outlets for lime from the district.

Wool Bay today is a quiet holiday haven with the jetty popular with recreational fishermen. A population of leafy sea dragons can be found inhabiting the waters beneath the jetty.

Searcy, Alfred, 1854-1925

Wilson, J.G. Southern and central Yorke Peninsula: its industries, resources and attractions Adelaide: Sharples Bros., [1909]

Cook, Diana The striding years: a history of the Minlaton District Council area [Minlaton, S. Aust.?: Minlaton District Council?], 1980, t.p. 1975

Stansbury 1873-1973, 1986 [Stansbury, S. Aust.]: Stansbury Centenary Committee, 1986

Wool Bay Yorke Peninsula

Yorke Peninsula History and Heritage