Gulf St Vincent

The Gulf St Vincent is a large inlet in South Australia bordered by Yorke Peninsula to its west and the Fleurieu Peninsula on its east side, with Adelaide, the South Australian capital, midway along the gulf’s east coast.

When explored by Matthew Flinders in March 1802, he named it, “In honour of the noble admiral who presided at the Board of Admiralty when I sailed from England … I named this new inlet, the Gulf of St Vincent. To the peninsula which separates it from Spencer’s Gulf, I have affixed the name of Yorke’s Peninsula, in honour of the Right Honourable Charles Philip Yorke.”

Other towns on the gulf’s shores include Edithburgh, Stansbury, Port Vincent, Ardrossan, Port Wakefield, and Normanville. Straddling the opening to the Southern Ocean lies Kangaroo Island.

Lying fully within the temperate zone, the gulf experiences four seasons. Summers can be quite hot, with land and sea breezes modified by the prevailing summer easterlies. Mornings are often calm. Winters on the other hand, herald winds from all points of the compass. Depressions usually begin with a northerly swinging to the NW before hitting with full force from the west, and then after the front passes, turning SW. The sea can then get choppy, but only dangerously so nearer the southern opening.

The east coast of Gulf St Vincent

Regard all GPS locations as approximate.
South of Adelaide, it is open roadstead, which in summer may be fine overnight. Adelaide yachts often take the night breeze off the land to sail to Kangaroo Island, a distance of about 70 nm. Or they may choose to spend the night at Wirrina.

Wirrina Cove Marina
35°29.90’S ~ 138°14.36’E, is a man-made harbour a day sail south of Adelaide. A strong SW gale can set up a surge, but in all other conditions, it is perfectly safe. There are NO facilities nearby. A bus to Adelaide passes once a day, takes an hour and half, costs $20, and can be boarded after an hour’s walk up to the highway. We had considered wintering Banyandah there, and had negotiated a reasonable fare, but found alternative accommodation nearer the city. Weekly rates vary from $100 for a 10m berth to $140 for a 14m, in a modern floating fingers marina with security gates. Overnight is something like $50.
Contact Mark Richards 0488 154 540 or sales@wirrina.com.au

The west coast of Gulf St Vincent

Prior to European settlement, the whole of the Yorke Peninsula (which was always marginal land) was inhabited by the Naranga Aborigines. It is estimated there were about 500 in the 1840s, but their numbers had been reduced to a mere 40 by 1880. They lived on a diet of oysters and fish supplemented by the kangaroos, which abounded on the peninsula.

The first settler in the district was Alfred Weaver who brought 7,000 sheep with him. He was constantly confronted with problems in terms of disease, reliability of water and the penchant of the Aborigines to kill the sheep whenever they needed meat. Alfred Weaver built a shearing shed where Stansbury now stands.

Stansbury, about 35 nm west across the gulf opposite Adelaide, is a quiet place fronting Oyster Bay, which has a 3 nm long sand spit ensuring protection from NW through S to ESE. Anchor north of the jetty. Holding however, is mostly poor. Extensive weed patches cover a limestone substrate. There are quite a few private moorings in this area and three new RSAYS moorings, marked with red and yellow. We used one of these overnight, 34°54.00’S ~ 137°47.97’E. Be sure to find the lit mark defining the tip of the sand spit, somewhere near, 34°52.72’S ~ 137°50.88’E and give it a wide berth to the north, especially at low tide.

Facilities and Things to see:
Majestic stands of Norfolk Pines are one of the defining characteristics of Stansbury (population 550). Stansbury has a caravan park, fuel (petrol and diesel), groceries, and the Dalrymple Hotel, established in 1875.

Stansbury Museum in Dalrymple House, which was completed in 1878 and was originally the old school house, is now a folk museum with the original schoolrooms containing lots of interesting educational memorabilia. Opens Wed & Sun 2pm to 4pm or by appointment Tel: (08) 8852 4231 – 0408 142 875 Admission $2

The original jetty was built in 1877. Its replacement, sited in deeper water, was built in 1905, when the port was alive with workers moving grain from the surrounding farms onto the clipper ships that called into the port.

Edithburgh, less than 20 nm south of Stansbury by sea, is near the southern tip of the Yorke Peninsula. Popular belief is that wind is made there. A huge wind farm announces Edithburg’s position from 10 miles out. To find the anchorage, head south past the town and its main jetty, then pass the boat ramp and its breakwater, and into a blind channel. Watch your draft. The further south and closer to Sultana Point is the better shelter from SE winds. The holding, soft mud and weed, is not good. But there are a number of moorings on the shore side of the blind channel, laid for RSAYS members and others by the CYC. We borrowed one at 35°05.80’S ~ 137°44.93’E for a few nights midweek on two separate occasions, both times withstanding a feisty westerly gale with no problems. We were polite, and posted our mobile number conspicuously whenever we left our vessel.

Edithburgh has about the same population as Stansbury. It’s 233 km west of Adelaide via the Princes Highway and 255 km south of Port Pirie, and is one of the major holiday destinations on the Yorke Peninsula. We enjoyed great fishing from the wharf where we joked and caroused with the regulars, then found that squid loved chasing our jig in the tape weed around our anchorage. The snorkelling in the Troubridge Shoals proved exciting although we spent a fair time looking over our shoulders for white pointers.

The first European to explore the area was Matthew Flinders when he sailed along the coast, naming Troubridge Shoal near Edithburgh. First surveyed in 1869, the area was named after Lady Edith Fergusson, the daughter of the Governor-General of India and wife of the South Australian governor at that time. After the survey, people began to buy farming land in the area and Edithburgh started to prosper as a major supplier of salt from saltpans that lay inland from the town. This industry peaked in the late 1920s when up to 24,000 tonnes of salt was exported every year and the town’s population peaked at around 1,000.

The Troubridge lighthouse was opened in 1856, but it still did not prevent shipping accidents in the area. Over the years, the town has experienced a number of shipwrecks. None more devastating than the Clan Ranald that sank off Troubridge Hill with the loss of 40 lives, some buried in the town’s cemetery. Today the town, a healthy walk from the anchorage, is characterized by a substantial number of impressive historic buildings. While perusing these, we also enjoyed several 3-course hot lunches in the town’s pubs for under $10. Plenty of photo opportunities in Edithburg.

The Troubridge Island Lighthouse, about 5 nm from the Edithburgh anchorage, was the second lighthouse built in South Australia, the first being Cape Willoughby on Kangaroo Island. In the late 1970s, it was decided to build a new lighthouse on Troubridge Hill, which was completed in 1980, and in 1981, the Troubridge Island light was downgraded in power and automated. In 1982, the island and lighthouse was sold to the South Australian Government who wished to create a bird sanctuary, and the light, extinguished in March 2002, was replaced by a beacon on Marion Reef. Ironically, this was the very same month that Australia Post honoured the light with a postage stamp. Troubridge lighthouse is very much under threat. Erosion has now reached the base of the lighthouse, and winter high seas threaten its foundations.

Anchoring on the eastern side of the shoals, directly off the lighthouse, is good only in calms or westerly winds, 35°07.01’S ~ 137°50.05’E . Further from the lighthouse, but inside the shoals, the Cutter Patch provides protection from SE through E to N at 35°07.23’S ~ 137°49.13’E in 3 metres over sand.

Passage west from Edithburgh

It is a long 11 nm diversion around Troubridge Shoals, and unless a visit to the lighthouse is planned, there is a passage through the shoals only 4 nm long, called Sultana Passage. The falling tide generally sets south through the well-marked channel, but beware of a set across the channel. Strong south winds can make the southern exit a bit dangerous and scary amongst the shallow patches.

If approaching from the west, finding the southern entrance requires good eyes and an accurate GPS. This southern entrance is marked by a green lateral mark, cone point up, which is right amongst the shoals. Having said this, we found it once in pea soup mist, albeit motoring with no wind.

Anchorages not visited

There are several other anchorage in Gulf St Vincent that we did not visit.
Black Point, 34°36.47′ S ~ 137°53.82′ E , we have heard provides protection from WNW through S to ESE  in a bay open to the north. No facilitates, just a peaceful sandy beach. We’ve heard the holding can be poor, sand over limestone with weed.

Port Vincent, 34°46.00 ‘S ~ 137°52.00′ E’, shelter from NW through S to ESE, looks similar to Stansbury with a 2 nm long sand spit heading NE from the town. Unlit beacon marks its outer end, hard to see in afternoon sun. Our mate Master John says you can stroll in the shallows to rake for blue swimmer crabs, dive for scallops just off-shore, or throw out a line for mullet, salmon, flathead, bream, garfish, whiting or squid.
There is also a marina at Port Vincent managed by the CYC. Popular destination for Adelaide vessels. Visitors welcome. Amenities building, fully equipped laundry, secure berths, picnic and bbq facilities. Rob Marner Ph: 0414 611 110

Video

For the price of a cheap pizza, we have a video of Banyandah’s winter cruise from Adelaide to Port Lincoln and back again to Adelaide that will keep you entertained for a bit more than an hour. For more details: http://jackandjude.com/dvds/

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