Cape Hardy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cape Hardy South Australia
Cape Hardy Location in South Australia
Postcode(s)	5604
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Location	215 km (134 mi) WNW of Adelaide
LGA(s)	District Council of Tumby Bay
State electorate(s)	Flinders
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Cape Hardy: Mount Hill Port Neill Spencer Gulf Ungarra Cape Hardy Spencer Gulf Sheep Hill Lipson Cove Spencer Gulf

Cape Hardy is a tall, rocky point of land in South Australia. It's about 20 meters (66 feet) high. This headland sticks out into the Spencer Gulf from the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. You can find it between the towns of Port Neill and Tumby Bay. It's also about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north-northeast of Lipson Cove.

What is Cape Hardy Like?

The cape itself doesn't have much plant life. It's mostly covered in low, bushy plants. North and south of the cape, you'll find white sandy beaches. These beaches are backed by low sand dunes and farmlands. It's a quiet area, and there aren't many public facilities there right now. The beaches usually have small waves, less than 1 meter (3 feet) high.

How Did Cape Hardy Get Its Name?

Cape Hardy is named after a surveyor named Alfred Hardy. He lived from 1813 to 1870.

Early Explorers

The first European to explore this coastline was a British navigator, Matthew Flinders. This was in 1802. He named many places, but not this cape. Later in 1802, a French navigator, Nicolas Baudin, also sailed past. He called it Cap Portalis, after a French jurist named Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis. However, that name wasn't used for long.

First Land Expedition

The first time Europeans explored this area by land was in April 1840. That's when the cape was named after Alfred Hardy. At the time, he was an aide-de-camp (a personal assistant) to Governor George Gawler. Governor Gawler was leading an expedition along this coast. He was joined by explorer John Hill and Deputy Surveyor General Thomas Burr. Ships like the brig Porter and the government cutter Water Witch helped them by sea.

Farming and Fishing History

In 1898, some politicians from South Australia, A. Poynton and William Tennant Mortlock, asked the government to build a dog fence. They wanted it to go west across the Eyre Peninsula, from Cape Hardy to Mount Misery. This was because farmers in the Lower Eyre Peninsula were having trouble with pests like wild dogs.

In April 1932, a piece of wood was found near Cape Hardy. People thought it was a hatch-cover from a missing boat called the Vivid. The Vivid was last seen leaving Tumby Bay on April 9, 1932. As of 2014, no one knows what happened to the ship or its crew.

Plans for a New Port

In December 2012, it was announced that Cape Hardy might become the site for a new deep water port. A deep water port is a port where very large ships can dock. This port would help a mining company called Iron Road Ltd export its products. It's part of a bigger project called the Central Eyre Iron Project.

The government of South Australia gave this project "Major Project Status" in August 2013. This means it's considered very important. In November 2015, Iron Road said they had submitted plans for the port. As of 2018, the project has been approved by environmental and planning groups. However, construction hasn't started yet. Iron Road Ltd is still committed to building the port.

Other Port Ideas

Another mining company, Centrex Metals Ltd, had an idea for a different port. It was called Port Spencer and was planned to be about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) southwest of Cape Hardy, near Lipson Cove. But that plan was stopped in 2016. In 2019, Centrex Metals sold the site to another company, Peninsula Ports. This company now plans to build Port Spencer as a deep-water port just for grain.