Port Macdonnell

Port MacDonnell, originally known as Ngaranga is the southernmost town in South Australia.

Port MacDonnell, originally known as Ngaranga is the southernmost town in South Australia.The small port located in the Limestone Coast region about 477 kilometres (296 mi) southeast of Adelaide and 28 kilometres (17 mi) south of Mount Gambier in the District Council of Grant local government area. The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that the locality of Port MacDonnell had a population of 847 of which 671 lived in its town centre.Once a busy shipping port, the town now relies heavily on its fishing and summer tourism industries, particularly rock lobster harvest industry, proclaiming itself "Australia's Southern Rock Lobster Capital".

The area was originally inhabited by the Bungandidj Aboriginal people, who referred to it as Ngaranga, possibly meaning "noisy" or "caves". Their oral history recorded that the dry land previously extended southwards from this area, before it was flooded.The first Europeans to see the area were led by explorer Lieutenant James Grant in HMS Lady Nelson on 3 December 1800. In 1860 the area was proclaimed an official port, was given a name, and was surveyed. It is named after Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell who was Governor of South Australia from 1855 to 1862.In the 1880s, it was one of Australia's busiest ports, shipping large quantities of wheat and wool to Europe.

The port was, however, exposed to the weather and the site of many shipwrecks. Across the border in Portland, Victoria, 85 km southeast, is a much more sheltered port.

The following have been listed as state heritage places on the South Australian Heritage Register – the Cape Northumberland Lighthouse, the Dingley Dell Museum and the Former Port MacDonnell customs house.