Penneshaw, South Australia facts for kids

For Pennshaw in the UK, see Penshaw

Quick facts for kids Penneshaw South Australia
Penneshaw harbour
Penneshaw Location in South Australia
Population	276 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	5222
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location	107 km (66 mi) south of Adelaide
LGA(s)	Kangaroo Island Council
Region	Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island
County	Carnarvon
State electorate(s)	Mawson
Federal Division(s)	Mayo
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 18.1 °C 65 °F 12.8 °C 55 °F 538.4 mm 21.2 in
Localities around Penneshaw: Backstairs Passage Backstairs Passage Backstairs Passage Kangaroo Head Penneshaw Ironstone Kangaroo Head Dudley East Ironstone
Footnotes	Location Climate Adjoining localities

Penneshaw is a township in the Australian state of South Australia located on the northeast coast of the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island about 107 kilometres (66 mi) south of the state capital of Adelaide. It is the island's main ferry port with regular services from Cape Jervis. Penneshaw features a Maritime and Folk Museum, and evening tours to a colony of little penguin, the only species of penguin to breed in Australian waters. At the 2011 census, Penneshaw had a population of 276.

Originally known as Hog Bay due to the pigs released by French Commander Nicholas Baudin, Penneshaw was named after a combination of the names of Dr. F.W.Pennefather, private secretary to Governor Jervois, and Flora Louisa Shaw, The Times colonial editor, a visitor to Government House.

South Australia's first modern seawater desalination plant was established at Penneshaw in the 1990s, to supplement the town's limited dam water supply.

Penneshaw jetty

Attractions

• Anglican Parish of Kangaroo Island Church of St Columba
• Christmas Cove
• Frenchman's Rock – In 1803 the French explorer Nicolas Baudin anchored in Hog Bay and one of his crew noted the arrival of the expedition by carving on a rock. The rock was later removed and is now located in the Gateway Information Centre. A replica now occupies the rock's original location on Penneshaw Beach.
• Gateway Information Centre
• Hog Bay
• Maritime and Folk Museum
• Penneshaw Penguin Centre - Nocturnal tours of the local little penguin colony with experienced guides are offered.
• The Uniting Church (formerly Methodist) built c. 1883, the first church established on Kangaroo Island.

Heritage places

Frenchman's Rock, Penneshaw 1803

Penneshaw includes the following places that are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register - Christmas Cove, Frenchman's Rock Monument and Penneshaw Cemetery.

Little penguin colony

As of June 2011, the number of little penguins in the section of the colony which is monitored by the Penneshaw Penguin Centre appears to have declined over the prior 10 years. In 2008, the population was 216 birds.

Restoration work to provide improve habitat for little penguins near Penneshaw is ongoing. As of 2013, an 800m coastal strip between Frenchman’s Rock and Baudin Conservation Park is the focus site. Works include the removal of weeds, planting of native plants and installation of nesting boxes.

In July 1984, two dogs killed 80 penguins at the Penneshaw foreshore in a single night. The mortality event reduced the population there by almost half. A dog attack at Penneshaw in March 2003 resulted in over 30 penguins being killed.