Boat Ramp Locations
The District Council of Grant operates four boat ramps at the following locations:
- Blackfellows Caves - Features two 4.1m wide launching lanes incorporating a central fixed landing.
- Donovans - Located on the Glenelg River at Donovans.
- Dry Creek - Located upstream from Donovans on the Glenelg River.
- Port MacDonnell - Boasts a four lane boat ramp with two floating concrete pontoons, and wharf for heavy tonnage vessels.
Additional boat ramps are situated within the District Council of Grant area but are not under Council's care and control. More information and a map showing their locations can be found at the Australian Boat Guide.
Support for recreational boaters
As part of the State and Federal Governments’ Algal Bloom Summer Plan, the State Government has developed a long-term plan to protect fish stocks while providing immediate support to recreational boat users.
To support South Australian recreational boat owners, the program includes:
- Discounted boat registration: for all recreational boats and light boat trailers registered between 1 December 2025 to 1 December 2026, the State Government is providing a 50% discount on registration.
- Free access to boat ramps: From 1 December 2025, the State Government is providing 12 months of free boat ramp access across South Australia.
If your recreational boat or light boat trailer is:
- registered in South Australia, the 50% reduction will be applied to the registration fee on your renewal notice
- unregistered, you will need to wait until 1 December 2025 before renewing to receive the reduced fee. However, if you wish to use your boat or boat trailer before 1 December 2025, you will need to register it before use as normal.
Free boat ramp access
Boat ramps at Port MacDonnell and Blackfellows Caves are participating meaning all local ramp fees are suspended during this period. You will not need to purchase a permit to launch.
Current Annual Boat Ramp Permit Holders
Council recognises that some community members have already purchased annual permits beginning 1 July 2025.
To ensure fairness, existing permits will be extended after the free access period. This means no new permits are needed for current annual boat ramp permit holders until 1 July 2027.
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Boat ramp locations can be found on the Location SA Map Viewer.
Read more about these initiatives on the Service SA website.
Read more about the current algal bloom and the Summer Plan.