James Well Rogues Point

Price

Price was claimed on 3 August 1882. It was named by Governor Jervois after Florence Annie Price, daughter of pastoralist Henry Strong Price who married John, his second son.

Allotments, each of one rood, were offered by auction on 17 August 1882 and demand was strong. Next auction was on 24 April 1884.

Price became a lively shipping place when a wharf was built at Wells Creek with a causeway connecting it to the town.

The town of Price seceded from the District Council of Yorke Peninsula in August 1892, becoming part of the Clinton District Council area.

Source: Salt Winds Across Barley Plains, Beryl Neumann, 1983, Gillingham Printers, page 39

 

Port Price has just celebrated its Centenary Year, having been proclaimed on 3rd August, 1882. The township takes its name from Florence Anne Price who married a son of Major-General Sir Wm. Francis Jervious.

The causeway, which extends from the township through the mangrove swamps to Wells Creek, a tidal inlet, is about 1,600 metres (1 mile) long. It connects to the 78.6 metre (258 feet) long wharf where the ketches from Port Adelaide moored when they brought provisions for the township. In the early days the ketches back-loaded with the mallee roots for the fires of people in Adelaide.

Farmer, in hard times, sold the stumps for 56 cents (5/6d) a dray load. Pioneers recalled seeing up to 12 ketches waiting to load.

Fresh water was always scarce on the Peninsula and local people had to obtain and carry their water the 14 kilometres from Tiddy Widdy Well, situated in the sand dunes, between Port Price and Ardrossan.

When water eventually arrived at Port Price from Beetaloo Reservoir in 1914 it was conveyed in pipes made of wood. These were later replaced by concrete pipes.

Because of the shortage of water many of the earlier houses were built of mortar made from salt water. As can be imagined salt damp was quite a problem.

Source: Price Centenary 1882-1982

 

The Ocean Salt Company here employs 70 people and their product is marketed under the "Crown" brand label.

Harvesting of salt commenced here on 1st October, 1917, when the Gulf Salt Company took out the first lease. In those days the salt was harvested manually, providing casual work for labourers for five months of the year.

In 1919 the company harvested 700 tonnes of salt. In 1982, 70,000 tonnes were processed.

Known as the Solar Process, it is begun by pumping sea water into large embanked paddocks. Sun and wind evaporate most of the fluid and the resulting heavy brine gravitates through sluices to other paddocks until it reaches the crystallizing area. Here the bottom of the lake of paddock has been covered with a layer of specially washed fine sand which has been heavily rolled and levelled. The walls are timbered. As the remaining liquid in the brine evaporates, the salt is deposited in a crust about 16 centimetres thick. A special machine picks up the crust and stacks it into heaps. When required it I crushed, washed, sieved, sterilized, graded and packed.

Said to be the largest salt refinery in the Southern Hemisphere it produces over 1000 tonnes of refined salt per week. This is transported all over Australia and overseas.

Source: Pamphlet of the Ocean Salt Company

 

On both the approach and departure sides of the main roads to Port Price are plantations of native trees. These were planted by public-spirited citizen Eric Gianakos who has a small farm in the area. It has been estimated that in 18 years he has planted 30,000 trees and shrubs in the vicinity of Port Price. At his own expense he has obtained seeds and seedlings from Western Australia, North Australia and the far north of South Australia. These were planted in an endeavour to re-afforest this area which has been denuded of its natural She-oak, native pine and mallee over the last 100 years.

In 1981 he was awarded an O.A.M. in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Source: The Advertiser, 27th January, 1981
Top of Page
Print Friendly Page