NEW TOWN / OLD TOWN - the development of Penneshaw township.

The settlement of Penneshaw, or Hog Bay as it was called in the early days, grew up around Christmas Cove. This was the only safe landing place before the jetty was built. Surbiton-at-the-Cove was built by the Christie family who had the first contract to carry the mail from Cape Jervis to Hog Bay in 1876. By 1880 they had added the front villa room and operated a small store. Around the turn of the century Harry Bates took over the mail contract, bought the house, and for the next 100 years it was the residence of various members of the Bates family. They ran a small boarding house in conjunction with the mail contract and even had a liquor licence before the Penneshaw hotel was built in 1903. Hence the reference to the villa part of the house as the “Wine Parlour”.

As might be expected, all commercial activity took place around the Cove; the school, churches, Post Office and shops were all there. With the burst of economy activity that Federation brought in 1901, there began a gradual shift to New Town . The Hotel was built in 1903, as was the first leg of the jetty. Later the Post Office and shops appeared in close proximity. Today Christmas Cove is used for recreational fishermen, charter boats and a small-scale passenger service, although with the advent of the Tourist Information Centre and housing development behind, new life has been breathed in the area.

The New Town too has enlarged and spread eastward. The holiday housing development that took place around the beach in the 1960's was how Talinga-on-the-Bay came into existence. It is the classic beach house; square and flat roofed, made of Besser bricks and with floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors back and front to make the most of the fabulous views and the cooling sea breezes.