The jetty at Port Broughton. Dinghies tied up to the jetty, the town in the background.

Named by Captain Henry Dale in 1871, Port Broughton was established in response to a petition from local barley and wheat growers who required the delivery of supplies and the export of grain. It is located at the far north west of Yorke Peninsula on the sheltered Mundoora Arm Inlet. Captain Dale constructed a steamer, the Broughton, specifically to import and export from Port Broughton. She was later converted to a ketch. The grain was brought to town by a specially built, initially horse-drawn, railway constructed in 1876 and then transported to Adelaide and beyond by sea. The railway line was also used to transport passengers and mail from Port Broughton to Mundoora, from where other modes of transport took them on. This coach was known as the 'Pie Cart' and was in service until 1925. From 1939 grain was taken by truck to Port Pirie or Wallaroo and the railway line was finally closed in 1953. Grain shipments from Port Broughton ceased when bulk-handling facilities were established at Wallaroo in 1958 and at Port Pirie in 1962.

Port Broughton's original plan covered 71 acres. Early industries of the town included a flour mill, marine fibre collection and processing and of course the shipping business of the port. The first jetty at Port Broughton was built in 1873, but was in poor condition by 1876. The channel was dredged in 1877, deepening it to 1.5 metres, and a new jetty 379 metres long was built. It was extended in 1890 with the 'T-head' being extended allowing two vessels to be worked at once.

Collins, Neville. The jetties of South Australia: past and present, Woodside, S.A.: Neville Collins, 2005, pp. 140-141

Edwards, Gloria. The Port Broughton story, 1871-1971, Port Broughton, S. Aust: Oval Improvement Committee for the District Council of Port Broughton, 1971

Manning Index of South Australian History See: Place names: B: Broughton, Port-Broughton, River: Port Broughton

SA Memory: Wooden walls and iron sides: Broughton sunk at Wallaroo

SA Memory: Wooden walls and iron sides: Loading Wheat

Yorke Peninsula [South Australian Tourism Commission] See: Town directory: Port Broughton