Named after George Strickland Kingston, a former government surveyor, Kingston SE, a quiet coastal town located adjacent to Lacepede Bay and at the northern junction of the Princes and Southern Ports Highways. Established in the 1850s, Kingston was settled by sheep grazers until a jetty was built in the 1860s and port operations commenced. The town steadily grew as the railway from the east was extended from Naracoorte and by the mid 1900s, Kingston had become an important fishing base. Its name was changed in 1940 to Kingston SE (South East) to distinguish it from Kingston-on-Murray (near Barmera).

Today Kingston SE remains a key fishing village and although significant port operations have dwindled over time and the railway removed, the town has become a popular holiday destination due to its coastal position and proximity to the Coorong National Park. Of interest in the area include the Big Lobster (one of Australia's well known "big" icons - hard to miss as it accompanies a service centre at the northern entrance to town), the Coorong National Park (20 km north) and Cape Jaffa (20 km southwest). The town itself is quite pleasant, has several interesting 19th century buildings still standing, good fishing jetty, foreshore parkland and retains a sleepy atmosphere despite offering a wide variety of amenities for tourists.

Population:

1637 ¹

Postcode:

5275

Location:

297 km southeast of Adelaide

Main Roads:

Princes Highway (B1) and Southern Ports Highway (B101)

Radio Stations:

FM:
5THE FM (107.7 MHz), ABC Classic (104.1 MHz), ABC News Radio (105.7 MHz), ABC Radio National (96.9 MHz), Flow FM (97.7 MHz and 107.3 MHz), RadioTAB (88.0 MHz), Triple J (102.5 MHz) and Vision Christian Radio (87.6 MHz)

AM:
ABC Radio Adelaide (891 kHz), ABC South East SA (1161 kHz) and ABC Wimmera (594 kHz)

The Big Lobster:

The Big Lobster at Kingston SE, December 2001.

Image © Jamie Scuglia

Maria Creek:

Looking north along the Princes Hwy from Maria Creek, Kingston SE, December 2001.

Image © Jamie Scuglia

Kingston Town Centre:

Holland Street, looking north-west from James Street, Kingston SE. Note the historic post office in the distance. December 2001.

Image © Jamie Scuglia

Kingston SE Jetty:

The Kingston SE jetty, December 2001.

Image © Jamie Scuglia

Lacepede Bay:

View south across Lacepede Bay from the Kingston SE jetty, December 2001.

Image © Jamie Scuglia

NEW Cape Jaffa Lighthouse:

Cape Jaffa Lighthouse, taken from Marine Pde, Kingston SE, December 2015.

Image © Michael Greenslade

NEW Hanson Street:

View of Hanson St in the Kingston SE town centre, December 2015.

Image © Michael Greenslade

NEW Town Centre:

Looking along Agnes St in the Kingston SE town centre, December 2015.

Image © Michael Greenslade

NEW Apex Park:

Looking southwest from the Watson St side of Apex Park towards the Kingston SE town centre, December 2015.

Image © Michael Greenslade