Sarah Herrmann, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Businesses on southern Yorke Peninsula have been hit by a tourism downturn amid the ongoing algal bloom.
Stansbury has been affected by brevetoxin, closing the town’s oyster farms for over six weeks, which Dalrymple Hotel owner Rob Rankine said had influenced visitation to the town.
“I can’t remember our hotel ever being this quiet, even for winter,” he said.
“We’re significantly down on takings, by almost 10 per cent, compared to last year, at a time that’s pretty tough anyway.”
“It has to have something to do with the fact that we’re unable to fish.”
Edithburgh Caravan Park manager Sarah Witt said clientele were not staying as long as they usually would.
“The park’s quite empty at the moment, probably the past six weeks we’ve noticed a big drop in numbers,” she said.
“Our annuals and casuals have not been coming to stay, and that has an effect on not only the caravan park but all the businesses around town.”
“There’s still no fish around and obviously we’re a fishing destination, and the diving has gone down as well.”
“It’s not just about catching the fish, it’s the memories of going away, enjoying yourself, going out fishing, having a few beers — it’s the whole experience and people are just not doing it.”
Across the peninsula at Point Turton, fishing charter skipper Kevin Sweeney said he had not seen any signs of the bloom, but the rumour of it was affecting tourism.
“A lot of tourists thinking of visiting the region are categorising all of Yorke Peninsula in the same devastation as Stansbury and Edithburgh, when in reality at this stage we’ve missed the bullet,” he said.
“Our fishing is good at the moment.”
“We’re about to enter our prime time for winter whiting, which is always a major drawcard for tourists to the area.”
“It’s really unfortunate that our small local economy is certainly taking a hit.
This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 24 June 2025.
Related stories: ‘Our worst fears’: oyster farms remain closed, Algal bloom threatens entire marine habitats, Algae concerns close oyster farms
