Port Hughes was developed as the port for the once flourishing Moonta cooper mines located 5 km to the east. While the 400 m long jetty no longer services ships, the port area remains a popular recreational centre and focus of boating in the adjacent gulf. The port settlement sits partly on a low 400 m wide promontory bordered by South beach, the jetty and beach to the west, and the harbour and main beach to the north. All beaches are accessible by sealed roads with beachfront parking and access.
Port Hughes jetty extends west across a 300 m long high tide sand beach (508) fronted by 50 m wide intertidal rock flats, then seagrass meadows. It is backed by a caravan park and large car park, which also services the adjoining boat ramp in the small 50 m long harbour beach (509). This beach was created when the harbour was excavated in the rocks and tidal flats, with two 200 m long harbour walls almost encircling the usually calm beach. The boat ramp is located at the western end of the beach.
Beach Length: 0.3km
Patrols
There are currently no services provided by Surf Life Saving Australia for this beach. Please take the time to browse the Surf Safety section of this website to learn more about staying safe when swimming at Australian beaches.
Click here to visit general surf education information.
SLSA provides this information as a guide only. Surf conditions are variable and therefore this information should not be relied upon as a substitute for observation of local conditions and an understanding of your abilities in the surf. SLSA reminds you to always swim between the red and yellow flags and never swim at unpatrolled beaches. SLSA takes all care and responsibility for any translation but it cannot guarantee that all translations will be accurate.