The town was largely initiated by wheat farmers and wheat transporters in the late 19th century who needed infrastructure to ship their produce across the Gulf St Vincent to Port Adelaide.
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It was named by Governor Fergusson after the Ardrossan seaport in Scotland and it was proclaimed on 5 November 1873.
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After the depression in the 1930s, the town and its businesses were largely stagnant until a large open-cut dolomite mine was opened by the Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) in the 1950s for use in its steel manufacture at Whyalla on the Eyre Peninsula and Port Kembla in New South Wales.
In addition to the shipbuilding and engineering centres up river of Glasgow, Govan, Clydebank, Dumbarton and Renfrew the lower river developed major yards at Greenock, Port Glasgow and smaller ones at Irvine, Ardrossan, Troon and Campbeltown and boatyards including Hunters Quay, Port Bannatyne and Fairlie.
From the short runs such as Balloch to the north, and Gourock to the south west, they can range up to the long and demanding runs such as Crianlarich, Ardrossan or Tighnabruaich.