Port Giles, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Port Giles Coobowie, South Australia
Grain silos at Port Giles
Port Giles Location in South Australia
Established	28 May 1970
Location	3 km (2 mi) south of Town of Wool Bay

Port Giles is a very important port located in South Australia. It sits on the Yorke Peninsula, which is a farming area. You can find Port Giles in the town of Coobowie, between the towns of Stansbury and Edithburgh.

What is Port Giles?

Port Giles is a special port built to handle huge amounts of grain. It has a very long jetty (a pier that goes out into the water). This jetty is equipped to load grain directly onto large ships.

Who Operates Port Giles?

The port facility is run by a company called Flinders Ports. There's also a big storage area for grain, which is managed by Viterra. These companies work together to make sure grain can be stored and shipped efficiently.

When Was Port Giles Built?

Port Giles was officially opened on May 28, 1970. The person who opened it was Steele Hall. He was the Premier of South Australia at the time. A Premier is like the leader of the state government.

Why Was Port Giles Built?

Port Giles was built for a very important reason. Before it existed, many smaller ports on the Yorke Peninsula were used. However, these older ports had problems:

• They were not deep enough for big, modern ships.
• They could only handle grain in bags, not in bulk (loose grain).
• Only small boats, like ketches (sailing boats) and coastal steamships, could use them.

Port Giles changed all that! It was designed to be deep enough for very large ships. These ships can be as big as "Panamax" size or even larger. Panamax refers to the maximum size of ships that can fit through the original Panama Canal locks. This means Port Giles can load grain much faster and more efficiently onto huge vessels.

How Did Port Giles Change Things?

Because Port Giles could handle bulk grain and larger ships, it made many of the smaller, older ports on the peninsula less needed. This led to some of those smaller ports closing down.

Fun at Port Giles

Sometimes, the jetty at Port Giles is opened to the public. People who love fishing, called anglers, can come and try to catch fish. The jetty provides a good home for many different kinds of fish.