Port Broughton

History

The land around Port Broughton was initially used for grazing, however the local conditions were unsuitable and the land was divided up into acre lots and sold. Port Broughton was surveyed in 1871 to service the surrounding wheat and barley growers on the recommendation of Captain Henry Dale. It is on a sheltered inlet called Mundoora Arm Inlet at the extreme northern end of Yorke Peninsula. The town is named after the Broughton River (named by Edward John Eyre after William Broughton), the mouth of which is about north of the township.

Geography

Lying on the eastern side of Spencer Gulf, Port Broughton's coastline is relatively protected, resulting in large expanses of shallow water and seagrasses, tidal flats and vast areas of mangroves that flank the inlet on which the town is built. The small town of Fisherman Bay lies 5 km north of Port Broughton and has much the same coastal features. Between the mouth of Fisherman Bay and Port Broughton lies Shag Island, an important breeding site for several species of cormorant. The Broughton River lies further north toward Port Pirie, where its estuary is located. Further inland, most of the land is fairly featureless farming country, with only fragments of the original vegetation remaining.

Most-observed species

• Singing Honeyeater

  Gavicalis virescens (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  62
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  60
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  57
• Silver Gull

  Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) · Aves
  53
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  50
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  49
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  45
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  45

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2024-04-17
  8 km ENE of Jamestown, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2020-05-14
  15 km WSW of Burra, Australia
• M 3.3 — 2018-07-09
  9 km NNW of Jamestown, Australia
• M 4.1 — 2011-09-04
  16 km SW of Peterborough, Australia
• M 3.1 — 2008-12-04
  17 km ESE of Crystal Brook, Australia
• M 3.1 — 2007-07-08
  29 km NW of Jamestown, Australia