The residents of Port Hughes petitioned for a jetty in 1876 arguing that their bay provided deeper anchorages than the adjacent Moonta Bay where a jetty of 400 metres gave a depth of only 2.1 metres at low water, whereas at Port Hughes a much shorter jetty of only 152 metres would give a depth of 3.9 metres and 213 metres the depth of 6.4 metres at low water. Despite these persuasive arguments no jetty was built at this time.

In 1907 the residents again urged the South Australian government to build a jetty at Port Hughes. At last in December 1911 construction began, and the new jetty was opened in May 1913 with a length of 430 metres. However sand ridges between it and the Moonta Mines meant the port never reached its potential with ores being shipped through Moonta Bay when a horse tramway was built from the mines to that bay.

Port Hughes did service its local farming community as an export point for grain, until bulk grain storage and loading facilities were opened at Wallaroo in 1958.

Collins, Neville C The jetties of South Australia: past and present Woodside, S.A. : Neville Collins, 2005

District Council of the Copper Coast: Port Hughes

SA Memory: Wooden Walls and Iron Sides: Developing trade and port histories: Jetties