Louth Bay, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louth Bay South Australia
Louth Bay Location in South Australia
Established	24 June 1909 (town) 16 October 2003 (locality)
Postcode(s)	5607
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	247 km (153 mi) W of Adelaide 21 km (13 mi) N of Port Lincoln
LGA(s)	District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
Region	Eyre Western
County	Flinders
State electorate(s)	Flinders
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 21.2 °C 70 °F 11.3 °C 52 °F 383.2 mm 15.1 in
Localities around Louth Bay: Whites Flat Whites River Whites River Whites Flat Louth Bay Spencer Gulf Poonindie Poonindie Spencer Gulf
Footnotes	Location Adjoining localities

Louth Bay (formerly Laurence) is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after the bay named by Matthew Flinders on 26 February 1802 which itself is derived from a place in Lincolnshire. At the 2006 census, Louth Bay had a population of 408.

A town was surveyed in March 1909 and proclaimed on 24 June 1909. It was named 'Laurence' after Laurence O'Loughlin, a South Australian politician. In November 1940, the District Council of Lincoln formally endorsed a recommendation to rename the town 'Louth Bay' in order to be in line with common use. The name change was gazetted on 20 February 1941. Boundaries were created in October 2003 for a locality with the name 'Louth Bay and which included the site of Government Town of Louth Bay.

Louth Island is a large privately owned island located within Louth Bay. 3 km to the south east of Louth Island lies the smaller Rabbit Island, which is part of the Lincoln National Park.

History

The bay was a popular picnic destination in the early 20th century, but retained its serenity and wildness throughout.

In the early 20th century, the bay was dredged for oysters.

A jetty was proposed for Louth Bay in the 1878, and was constructed around that time. In 1908, the structure was damaged, allegedly by a ship. In 1949, the Government announced that it was seeking to demolish the Louth Bay jetty, and called for tenders. This was met by objections and a petition, leading to a delayed decision.

In the late 20th century, aquaculture became an important industry for Louth Bay, though fishermen and local residents have expressed concerned about stock escapees and pollution impacts from existing operations. Concerns included algal growth and seagrass degradation, plastic pollution and the loss of amenity.