During Captain Matthew Flinders’ voyage of discovery around the South Australian coast in 1802, he anchored his ship off Corny Point but was dissuaded from landing by campfires on the beach and the barking of dogs.

Before the coming of the European pastoralists, Yorke Peninsula was the home of the Narungga people, who occupied the land from near Port Wakefield in the east, over to Port Broughton in the west, and all the way down to the southern tip of the Peninsula. The Narungga consisted of four clans, Kurnara (north), Windera (east), Wari, (west) and Dilpa (south). It is believed that the Narungga maintained large settlements along the coast throughout much of the year. These coastal camps would have provided a regular supply of food and fresh water, as well as a gathering place for social and religious ceremony.