Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the

Spencer Gulf The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe an ...

, on the eastern coast of

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, north of

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the centre of an agricultural district farming cereal crops and sheep, as well as having established fishing and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

industries.

History

The

Barngarla The Barngarla, (historically also spelled as Parnkalla or Pangkala), are an Indigenous people of South Australia and the traditional owners of much of Eyre Peninsula. Their language, Barngarla is a Yura language and part of a revival effo ...

nation has long standing connections and are acknowledged as the traditional custodians of the area. The Nauo people also share a deep cultural and historical connection to this region. The bay was first explored and given the name ''Tumby Bay'' by

Matthew Flinders Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then ...

in 1802, after a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. In 1840

Governor Gawler Colonel George Gawler (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 July 1795, was t ...

renamed the bay ''Harvey('s) Bay'' after one other district's early settlers. Then on 15 November 1900 the town of ''Tumby'' was proclaimed by Governor Tennyson, and the name of the bay itself reverted to ''Tumby Bay''. On 14 June 1984 the town officially became known as ''Tumby Bay''. The earliest settlers to the district arrived in the 1840s, and farmed the area with

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and sheep predominantly. The town soon grew into an important grain storage and loading point, with a jetty constructed in 1874, only the second to be built on the

. This provided a much needed outlet for the copper ore which was coming from the Burrowing Mine. The original jetty was taken down in 1999 due to safety concerns, but the other newer jetty is still in use. The town's first school was opened in 1881 as 'Tumby', and the district's first

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

opened in 1913. Tumby Bay hosted the popular event

Triple J's One Night Stand One Night Stand is an annual music festival held in various regional Australian towns that is organised and promoted by national youth radio station Triple J. It started in 2004 in Natimuk, Victoria, and ran every year until 2019, with one brea ...

on 2 April 2011, featuring the bands

Birds of Tokyo Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth. Their debut album, ''Day One (Birds of Tokyo album), Day One'', gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Charts, AIR Independent Album charts and spendin ...

, Art vs. Science and

The Jezabels The Jezabels are an Australian indie rock band formed in Sydney in 2007. It consists of lead vocalist Hayley Mary, guitarist Sam Lockwood, pianist and keyboardist Heather Shannon, and drummer and percussionist Nik Kaloper. From 2009 to 2010, ...

and locally "Unearthed" musician Joshy Willo. The town's population swelled from 1,000 to over 12,000 for the event.

Heritage listings

Tumby Bay has a number of places listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

, including: * The historic Tumby Bay Hotel on North Terrace * The Bratten Plough Memorial on the foreshore * The War Memorial on the foreshore * Excell Blacksmith and Engineering Workshop Museum on Barraud Street * The Seabreeze Hotel on Mortlock Street File:Seabreeze Hotel, Tumby Bay 2024.jpg, Heritage listed Seabreeze Hotel, Tumby Bay 2024 File:Bratten Plough Memorial, Tumby Bay 01.jpg, Heritage listed Bratten Plough, Tumby Bay 2024 File:Tumby Bay Hotel, 2017 (02).jpg, Heritage listed Tumby Bay Hotel 2017 File:Soldiers War Memorial Tumby Bay, South Australia 01.jpg, Heritage listed Soldiers Memorial on the foreshore in Tumby Bay

Geography

Tumby Bay lies on the large, sheltered

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

of the same name on the western side of

. Much of the land surrounding Tumby Bay is used for agriculture. The coast is predominantly white, sandy beaches, on which the town itself is situated, as well as towering cliffs to the south. Inside the bay, Tumby Island is the only island but further offshore lie the

Sir Joseph Banks Group The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group ...

, a small

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

that is easily accessed by boat from Tumby Bay. Like much of coastal South Australia, Tumby Bay experiences a Mediterranean climate with warm to hot summers and moderately wet winters.

Economy

Since it was first settled, Tumby Bay has predominantly been an agriculturally driven town, with cereal crops, sheep and beef commonly farmed. As with many towns on the

, Tumby Bay also has a well-established professional fishing industry. Tumby Bay DSC04664

Tourism

Tumby Bay is a popular

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

destination during the summer months. One of the major drawcards to the area is its fishing, with a wide array of fish species available, including King George Whiting and Snapper. Up until late 2022 fishing could be enjoyed from the town

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

, but the jetty is now closed indefinitely for repairs. Fishing from surrounding beach and rock areas, as well as from a boat, is possible and allows access to the

. In 2001, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

was constructed to allow easy all weather boat launching for a range of

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

sizes, as well as opening up new real estate options. The safe, calm waters and the white sand of the bay lend themselves to a variety of watersports including swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving and water skiing for those with access to a boat. The town has a caravan park and a number of hotels and apartments offering tourist accommodation. The township affords easy access to a variety of facilities and shops.

Scuba diving

The ecological communities on and around the pylons supporting the Tumby Bay jetty make for an interesting and easy shore dive. Visiting divers must bring their own equipment, as no dive shop exists in the town. Alternatively, equipment can be hired from dive shops in Port Lincoln (45 km south-west) or Whyalla (221 km north-east).

Community

There are a number of churches in the town, including Anglican, Uniting, Church of Christ and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Churches. There are also a large number of sporting groups in the town, including football, cricket, netball, basketball, tennis, bowls and golf clubs, with most of the clubs competing in local leagues. The Tumby Bay Area School provides education for students from Reception through to Year 12. A public library is located on the school grounds. A hospital is also in place to serve the health needs of the town. The region's history is celebrated by a National Trust Museum which is staffed by volunteers. Social historian and Tumby Bay resident

Eric Kotz Eric Kotz is a South Australian fisherman, scuba diver, mariner and social historian. He is the self-published author of three books: ''The Jawesome Coast'' (2016) and ''The Butcher's Son from Tumby Bay'' (2015) and ''Sir Joseph Banks Group'' (2 ...

has also published two books about life in the region. Community worker Janette Octoman MBE JP lived here. She tried to be elected when it was a man's job, but she led the state's

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is a women's organisation in Australia, which seeks to advance interests of women, families, and communities in Australia, especially those in rural, regional, and remote areas. It comprises seven indep ...

. The local council planted an avenue in her name.

Media

The town was briefly the home to a newspaper, the ''Western People and Tumby Bay Times'' (19 June – 3 July 1912), which was printed locally by Walter Augustine Wade.

Government

Tumby Bay is encompassed in the District Council of Tumby Bay

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

with the current mayor being Geoff Churchett. The town is also incorporated in the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

electoral district of Flinders Flinders is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. It is named after explorer Matthew Flinders, who was responsible for charting most of the state's coastline. It is a 58,901 km² coastal rural elector ...

and the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

Division of Grey The Division of Grey is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in South Australia. The division was one of the seven established when the former Division of South Australia was redistributed on 2 ...

Transport

Tumby Bay is normally reached by private

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

via the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...

that runs along the east coastline of the Eyre Peninsula. Although the town does have a sealed airfield, it is not usually used for private flights, but for the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an aeromedical retrieval service in Australia and the largest of its kind in the world. It is a non-profit organisation that provides urgent and emergency medica ...

and

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...

spraying aircraft. As at April 2023, the town is serviced three times per week by

Stateliner Stateliner is South Australia's largest long-distance coach operator, running services from Adelaide across the state. History In 1966, Alan Crawford established Premier Roadlines. In 1980, Stateliner was purchased, with the business rebranded ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

services from

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Port and Rail

Land has been purchased north east of Tumby Bay for the purposes of developing a bulk commodities export port. The site has been referred to as Sheep Hill, and the project now bears the name of Port Spencer.

Centrex Metals Centrex Metals Limited is an Australian resources exploration and mining company. History Founded in 2001, Centrex Metals was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2006 with the aim of developing several iron ore projects on the Eyre ...

is the project proponent. The site is located immediately north of Lipson Cove. The proposed port (if approved) will be capable of loading

Capesize Capesize ships are the largest dry cargo ships with ball mark dimension: about 170,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) capacity, long, beam (wide), draught (under water depth). They are too large to transit the Suez Canal ( Suezmax limits) or ...

ships (either directly or by

transshipment Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination. One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...

) for export of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

and potentially, grain. The port will be completed by 2023. A potential rail connection to the

Eyre Peninsula Railway The Eyre Peninsula Railway is a track gauge, gauge railway on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. Radiating out from the ports at Port Lincoln and Thevenard, South Australia, Thevenard, it is isolated from the rest of the Rail transport in ...

at Ungarra, away, has been discarded in preference for a slurry pipeline for iron ore transport.

References

External links

Tourism Site

Council Site

Street-Directory.com Map

SD Map
{{authority control Coastal towns in South Australia Eyre Peninsula Bays of South Australia Spencer Gulf