Port Broughton is a small South Australian town located at the northern extent of the Yorke Peninsula on the east coast of Spencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north-west of Adelaide, and 56 km south of Port Pirie. At the 2016 census, the town of Port Broughton had a population of 1,034.

Built in 1876, the T-shaped jetty was serviced by an isolated 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway line from Mundoora, 16 km inland and uphill. The Port Broughton railway line, officially opened on 11 March 1876, brought the grain down to the port. Horses were used to tow the empty wagons uphill, but they were sent downhill powered only by gravity, with a driver to operate the brakes. The passenger service ceased on 17 September 1925, but the grain traffic continued. During January, 1926, a Fordson rail tractor displaced the animal power. From 1931, the railways contracted out the service to a private operator.