It was a 9,258 km2 rural electorate located on the Yorke Peninsula and taking in the towns of Ardrossan, Bute, Edithburgh, Kadina, Maitland, Minlaton, Moonta, Port Wakefield, Wallaroo and Yorketown.

James Ferguson, the last member for Yorke Peninsula, retained Goyder at the 1970 election for the conservative Liberal and Country League.

Hall resigned in 1974 to run for the Australian Senate at the 1974 federal election, and his seat was successfully held for the Liberal Movement by David Boundy at a 1974 by-election.

However, Boundy's preselection opponent, Keith Russack, subsequently contested and won the election as an independent Liberal, and was later accepted back into the party.

Meier retired at the 2006 election and successor candidate Steven Griffiths held the seat on equally comfortable margins.