Port Elliot, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Port Elliot is a seaside town on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, set on Horseshoe Bay between Victor Harbor and Goolwa. It was laid out in 1852 as a sea port for the Murray River trade and named after Charles Elliot, a British naval officer and colonial administrator. To carry goods between the river wharves at Goolwa and the anchorage here, South Australia built one of the colony's first public railways, a horse-drawn line that survives today as the heritage Cockle Train. Rough seas and a string of shipwrecks eventually pushed the main harbour along the coast to Victor Harbor, and Port Elliot settled into life as a holiday town, its bay, beaches and clifftop walks still drawing summer crowds.
Less advantaged than the national average
Port Elliot is more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 951, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Port Elliot at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,251
- Median age
- 61
- Median weekly household income
- $1,073
- SEIFA score
- 951
- Coordinates
- -35.5085, 138.6754
Port Elliot demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Port Elliot using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 44%, 22% of homes are rented, and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 272 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 140 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 319 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 529 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 992 | 44% |
Share of the 2,252 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 414 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 218 | 23% |
| Rented | 209 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 879 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 29 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 41 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 957 occupied private dwellings in Port Elliot.
- Median weekly rent
- $280
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,210
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,306
- Median weekly personal income
- $592
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 451 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 69 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 31 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 916 (47%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 331
- Employed part-time
- 368
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Port Elliot
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Port Elliot is January (average daytime high around 25.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.6°C). The area receives roughly 443 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.9°C | 16.3°C | 34 mm |
| Feb | 24.7°C | 15.8°C | 25 mm |
| Mar | 23.4°C | 14.8°C | 18 mm |
| Apr | 21.2°C | 12.9°C | 34 mm |
| May | 17.5°C | 10.9°C | 43 mm |
| Jun | 15.2°C | 8.9°C | 37 mm |
| Jul | 14.6°C | 8.3°C | 48 mm |
| Aug | 15.2°C | 8.3°C | 46 mm |
| Sep | 17.7°C | 9.4°C | 42 mm |
| Oct | 20.7°C | 11.1°C | 38 mm |
| Nov | 22.2°C | 12.9°C | 41 mm |
| Dec | 24.4°C | 14.6°C | 37 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Port Elliot
Where is Port Elliot?
Port Elliot is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Port Elliot?
At the 2021 Census, Port Elliot had a population of about 2,251.
Is Port Elliot an advantaged area?
Port Elliot has an ABS SEIFA score of 951, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 30 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Port Elliot?
Port Elliot has average daytime highs of about 20.2°C and overnight lows of about 12°C, with roughly 443 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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