Wallaroo is a prosperous town and one of the busiest ports in South Australia. It’s home to the Spencer Gulf prawn fleet and is regularly visited by international ships to load up with locally-grown grain and seeds. Do a walking tour around town to see ornate public and commercial buildings including the fabulous Town Hall, the former Courthouse and a number of historic Hotels – a testament to wealth generated when Wallaroo smelted ore from copper mines in Kadina and Moonta. Don’t miss Wallaroo’s popular swimming beaches; the sheltered marina is a lovely fishing spot for yellowfin whiting, bream and blue swimmer crabs.

FAST FACTS!

• The 40 metre-high ‘Big Stack’ is the only surviving chimney out of 12 that operated in Wallaroo during its peak copper production years (1861 to the 1920s)

• AFL footballer and 2014 Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes was born in Wallaroo. His mother was of Nharangga descent, the traditional custodians of Yorke Peninsula

• The Wallaroo Heritage and Nautical Museum in the town’s first post office, is home to George the Giant Squid, a creature from the ocean deep. Taken from the stomach of a whale in the 1970s, George measures 1.5m and 8.5m with tentacles outstretched!

• The name Wallaroo comes from the Nharangga word ‘wadlu waru’ meaning wallaby’s urine