Fine crops and fair winds

The towns of Minlaton and Port Victoria on SA’s Yorke Peninsula celebrate 150 years of agricultural and nautical history in 2026.

Story + Photos Mark Muller

There’s a chill wind blowing through the town cemetery on the outskirts of Minlaton, SA. It does nothing to impair the productivity of the group of dedicated volunteers working to repair fences, tidy up plots and, most importantly, identify and place plaques on the unmarked graves. This endeavour is part of the wider preparations afoot as this Yorke Peninsula town gears up for its 150th celebrations in March 2026. “We’re expecting a lot of people to come back to Minlaton for the events, and for a lot of locals to come out and visit their forebears here, too,” says Minlaton 150th Committee member Bruce Cook. The anniversary was the impetus for this restoration effort – there were about 145 unmarked graves and around 1,580 people interred here, with the oldest grave being from 1881. This is just one undertaking in the lead-up to what promises to be a very lively affair, one made even more far-reaching with the decision to collaborate closely with the 150th Committee from nearby Port Victoria, which is also celebrating its sesquicentennial in March.

The Yorke Peninsula – long the home to the Nharangga people – has during the past 150 years established itself as one of the most productive agricultural areas in Australia. It is a vibrant hub for wheat, barley and, more lately, lentil farming. Other crops, such as canola and a variety of pulses, also figure prominently.

The history of both Minlaton and Port Victoria is steeped in these endeavours, with Minlaton’s role as a service centre for the agricultural sector at the heart of its economy, while Port Victoria (so-named in 1940, having previously been known as Wauraltee) was a major port for the fleets of ‘windjammer’ tall ships that sailed from Europe to Spencer Gulf to load grain and then sail back to England via Cape Horn. It was always an unofficial race – with captains each year vying for the kudos of being the fastest ship.