From the earliest days of South Australia, anyone travelling between Adelaide and Melbourne was forced to cross the Murray River here at Wellington. The state’s first ferry crossing was established in 1839 by landowner and politician, John Morphett. Soon after, ‘Morphett’s Crossing’ was zoned as a township and named for the Duke of Wellington. The current, modern ferry can drastically reduce your travelling time if you’re heading to the Fleurieu Peninsula - and it’s free! Don’t miss the nearby Pangarinda Botanic Garden, home to 30 hectares of threatened plant species of southern mainland Australia.

FAST FACTS!

• Before the barrages were built at the mouth of the river in 1941, the river was often salty here and sharks and dolphins were sometimes seen
• The Wellington Hotel, founded in 1846, is one of the oldest continually operating hotels in South Australia; it has a National Trust listing
• The historic courthouse and police station houses a museum, tea rooms and B&B
• In the 1850s, much of the gold, escorted by South Australian Police from the Victorian goldfields, crossed the Murray River here