Port Germein was once an important transport hub for the surrounding districts following the opening of its
jetty in 1881 – at the time known as the longest jetty in the
Southern Hemisphere. Due to the shallow water along the coast, the long jetty was built to allow sailing ships to be loaded with grain from surrounding districts. Bagged wheat came from the local area, the eastern side of the Southern
Flinders Ranges via Port Germein Gorge (opened in 1879), and from the west coast in smaller boats. About 100,000 bags of wheat were loaded per year. The jetty was extended to its full length of 1680m in 1883. With the opening of the port came an influx of workers from Adelaide, and by 1900 the town's population had grown to over 300. Use of the port declined when rail was extended to Port Germein in 1934, and the jetty was later reduced to its present length of 1532m due to storm damage. The historic
Port Germein Jetty Site is listed on the
South Australian Heritage Register. It formerly had its own municipality, the
District Council of Port Germein; since 1980, it has been part of the
District Council of Mount Remarkable. ==Transport==