Victor Harbor, a city known for a excellent lifestyle, will be the first in South Australia to get the Federal Government's new high-speed fibre-optic broadband.  A $250 million priority rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) is due to start in September.

Victor Harbor is one of six "priority regional locations" around Australia to result in "new high-speed backbone links to stimulate competition and better broadband services in regional Australia," Broadband Minister Senator Stephen Conroy said.

"This is just the beginning, and the National Broadband Network will ensure high-speed broadband is also expanded to all homes, schools and workplaces across Australia," Senator Conroy said in a statement.

The Government has now called for tenders to construct, operate and maintain the links required to connect Victor Harbor with Adelaide, potentially giving towns between the two destinations competitive access to 100 million bit per second broadband speeds or better as technology evolves.

City of Victor Harbor Economic Development Officer, Mr Roy Ramage, said the news was the result of at least five years of lobbying and submissions by the City of Victor Harbor and Fleurieu Regional Development to improve broadband access for Victor Harbor's 15,300 residents.  "This is wonderful news ... it puts us on a level playing field with city dwellers.  We're no longer the second cousins," Mr Ramage said.  He expected improved broadband to increase the city's appeal to businesses and residents for relocation.

The city is growing faster that anywhere else in South Australia.  "Some of the fastest growing areas in the region are in the small business sector - in particular painters, architects and software developers.  Broadband is an absolute necessity for modern living," he said.

Other regions in the NBN priority list are Emerald and Longreach in Queensland, Geraldton in Western Australia, Darwin in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill in New South Wales and South West Gippsland in Victoria.