This small town of around 400 people, which was established around the area’s pastoral industry, quadruples in size when summer visitors arrive to enjoy the spectacular waters of Waterloo Bay. Elliston is known for some of the most spectacular and dramatic coastline on the Eyre Peninsula and as a great place for fishing, swimming, surfing and bush walking. The Elliston Coastal Trail highlights the spectacular coastal scenery including cliffs, surf beaches and bushland as well as a number of interesting sculptures. The town’s spectacular 427m jetty is not only great for fishing, but it’s been heritage-listed for its steel pylons which were screwed into the seabed by a horse-drawn winch in 1900.

FAST FACTS!

• A number of indigenous groups are the traditional custodians of the Eyre Peninsula, including the Wirangu, Nauo, Barngarla and Mirning tribes
• The towns bay was named Waterloo Bay in 1865 on the Golden Jubilee of the Battle of Waterloo, hence the names Wellington Point and Wellesley Point at its entrance
• It’s unclear who Elliston was named after. It might have been Sir Samuel Burdon Ellis (a friend of Governor Jervois); Sir Henry Walton Ellis, who died of wounds at Waterloo or Ellen Liston (a governess for a local pioneering family)
• The Australian Salmon Fishing Championship is held annually and the heaviest salmon to hit the scales in Elliston wins $1000
• The community hall features the largest community mural in the Southern Hemisphere, this 500 square metre mural depicts the early history of Elliston through to the present day