16 Nov 2022 - Day 3: (Adelaide) Port Noarlunga Jetty

We checked out of The Retreat at West Beach Parks early this morning.  We will be catching a ferry from Cape Jervis to Kangaroo Island at 1pm and we need to be there by 12:30pm to load our vehicle onto the ferry.  As the journey from West Beach to Cape Jervis is about 1.5 hours, we had time to visit a few places of interest which are along the way.

Our first stop of the day is Port Noarlunga, a picturesque seaside village located approximately 30 kilometres south of Adelaide.

The red sandstone beach cliffs, long jetty and reef, make it one of the iconic diving destinations in the state.

The first jetty at Port Noarlunga was constructed for coastal trade. Work commenced in 1854 and on its completion the following year it was known as Port Onkaparinga.  The first jetty had fallen into disrepair by the turn of the 20th century.  Interest was expressed in repairing or replacing the jetty during the 1910s, but work did not commence until the conclusion of World War I due to difficulties obtaining government funding.  At its official opening in December 1921, it stood 1,250 feet in length and had been constructed at a cost of £6000-7000.

The present timber jetty extends from the shore over the beach and out towards the reef, which forms a natural breakwater. It is illuminated at night and features three staircases, one that leads down to the beach, and two that provide access to the water to swimmers, snorkelers and divers.

Under the jetty is a great place to take Instagram worthy photos.

We took a short stroll on the jetty and enjoyed the beautiful scenery all around us.

Port Noarlunga beach is popular with tourists and residents with safe swimming areas patrolled by two surf lifesaving clubs.

As we were about to leave this beautiful beach jetty, we saw an interesting vending machine selling frozen and live bait.

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