Pioneers of EllistonPrint Page

The sculpture "Elliston Lighthouse" commemorates the pioneers of Elliston.

The first inhabitants of the land that is now Elliston were the Nauo. 

Edward John Eyre explored the area on land in 1840 and 1841 on a journey to Western Australia from Port Lincoln. Originally named Waterloo Bay, the township was later named by Governor Sir William Jervois on a plan for the town on 23 November 1878. Locally it is believed to be named after the writer and educator Ellen Liston who was born in England in 1838 and emigrated to South Australia in 1850. She was a governess working on a local property (Nilkerloo) owned by John Hamp.

It has also been suggested that Jervois, who had a military background chose to honour Sir Henry Walto Ellis  (1783–1815) who was a hero of the Battle of Waterloo during which campaign he died of his wounds. The area was settled in the 1840s with Elliston being the central port from which the early settlers transported their wool and wheat to market. Sailing ships and later steam ships crossed Waterloo Bay's notorious reefed entrance. A number of ships foundered in the bay due to its narrow entrance and variable tides.

The Nauo people were hit extremely hard by the effects of European settlement. There was a very great deal of violence against Aboriginal people in this area (and a good deal of violence against white settlers also). The Waterloo Bay Massacre is thought to have occurred close to Elliston, and there are also many better-documented murders and other violent acts towards Aboriginal people in this area.

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