Beachport Visitor Information Centre

Beachport is located 37kms north-west of Millicent on the Southern Ports Highway (Alternate Highway One) and 80kms west of Penola. The main local industries are agriculture, viticulture, tourism, aquaculture, fishing, surfboard manufacturing and kelp fertiliser manufacturing.

The first industry in the South East of South Australia was a whaling station at Beachport. Beachport was named after M.E. Hicks Beach MP and was officially proclaimed a port on the 21st November 1878. In that year, the lighthouse and two houses on Penguin Island were completed. Despite a lack of facilities, trade and the handling of cargo developed. A week after the tragedy of the Geltwood (1876), parliament passed a bill to establish a port at Beachport.

In November 1878 the railway line to Mt Gambier was completed. The railway closed in 1956. The bay is now home to a thriving fishing fleet and is a popular tourist destination.