Lucky Bay is a locality in the District Council of Franklin Harbour, on the Spencer Gulf coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

[9] The development of a ferry terminal at Lucky Bay was approved by South Australian planning minister Paul Holloway in November 2005.

The ferry service received an Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) award in 2006 "for its potential to save more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually from road traffic by providing a cross-Gulf alternative to the lengthy round-Gulf car trip.

In 2019, SeaSA advised that their vessel, the Aurora V which had been sold to a Venezuelan then bought back again,[13] was stuck in Venezuela due to problems arising from political instability there.

[15] The ferry service resumed in November 2020 using the vessel Aurora V. The ship sails under the Spencer Gulf Searoad business name.

[21] One of the responsible parties, Ironclad Mining had previously sought government approval to haul ore from Wilcherry Hill via road to a rail siding at Lincoln Gap near Whyalla.

[22] A week later, Ironclad Mining lodged a formal Development Application to expand the existing ferry terminal at Lucky Bay and export iron ore from there.

On 5 April 2012, the Lucky Bay proposal was approved by Robert Kleeman, acting as a delegate for the South Australian Minister for Planning.

[36] The Maritime Union of Australia has unsuccessfully attempted to meet with T-Ports to discuss concerns they have over the operation's compliance and safety given the exposed nature of the transshipping location within Spencer Gulf.

[37] On 31 March, the bulk carrier Wave Friend was being loaded at the transshipping point directly south of Lucky Bay within the Franklin Harbor Marine Park.

[42] In December 2021, the project's owner ICAM Duxton Port Infrastructure Trust (IDPIT) announced it would receive $40 million in a refinancing deal with Merricks Capital.

[43] The region is adjacent to the Franklin Harbour wetlands, and two tidal creeks bracket the shack settlement and recently developed grain-loading facilities.

The sand flats, dunes and beaches are home to or visited by many threatened species, including various migratory waders, the banded stilt, hooded plover and white-bellied sea eagle.

It is also home to blue swimmer crabs, prawns, King George whiting, sardines and several other commercially important scalefish species.

[46] Environmentalists are concerned that the sound and dust pollution from proposed iron ore exports could disturb birds' established feeding behaviors and roosts.

Persons involved with the development listed various mitigation plans to address the problems, and expressed the need to work with bird habitat conservationists.