The Porter Bay slipway, as it was formally known, opened in August 1959. Prior to the Slipway being built, locally owned vessels had to travel to Adelaide for painting and repairs. Due to the low quality of the Antifouling the boats would be repainted as often as every 6 months which was not cost or time effective.
The original Slipway jetty was 625ft long. From the shore line it projected 390ft into the sea. In recent times the timbers of the jetty have been replaced with steel and concrete.
When the Porter Bay Slipway first opened it was operated by Union labour so fisherman could not work on their own boats.
The Slipway was and still is vital infrastructure for the Port Lincoln and surrounding fishing industry.