Marion Bay
Postcode: 5575
Marion Bay is a small township at the southern tip of the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, Australia.
It has a population of approximately 150 people, and is a popular holiday location. It is surrounded by beaches and is the gateway to the Innes National Park. Marion Bay has several fishing charters available and is home to the award winning Marion Bay Tavern.
The Warri clan of the Narranga Aborigines were the original inhabitants of this region. They lived off the riches of the sea (fish and crustaceans), left their artistic markings on the rocks and left shell middens where they camped.
The first Europeans into the area would have been the sealers who moved along the coasts of South Australia looking for seal colonies. They were followed in the late 1840s by settlers who had been attracted to the area by the discovery of copper further north in the Copper Triangle.
The town takes its name from the sailing ship Marion which was wrecked on Troubridge Shoal in 1851. There was a time when Marion Bay was an important port being used as a major transportation point for the local gypsum industry. Today it is a sleepy and attractive port which is popular with holiday makers who drive the length of Yorke Peninsula so they can experience and explore the beauties of Innes National Park. There is a safe swimming beach and the port and jetty area are used by a number of fishing craft. There are also dive and fishing charter vessels operating from the port. They tend to specialise in whiting and snapper fishing.