Port Augusta is a small
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Formerly a
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
, it is now a road traffic and
railway junction
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge), provided by ''points'' ( ...
city mainly located on the east coast of the
Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state capital,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. The suburb of
Port Augusta West is located on the west side of the gulf on the
Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.
Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
. Other major industries included, up until the mid-2010s, electricity generation. At June 2018, the estimated urban population was 13,799,
[ Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.] having declined at an average annual rate of -0.53% over the preceding five years.
[
]
Description
The city consists of an urban area extending along the Augusta and Eyre Highway
Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It ...
s from the coastal plain on the west side of the Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.
The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabit ...
in the east across Spencer Gulf to Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.
Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
in the west. The urban area consists of the suburbs, from east to west, of Port Augusta and Davenport (on the eastern side of Spencer Gulf), and Port Augusta West on the Eyre Peninsula.
History
Port Augusta is part of the NukunuBarngarla
The Barngarla, formerly known as Parnkalla and also known as Pangkala, are an Aboriginal people of the Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Port Augusta areas. The Barngarla are the traditional owners of much of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.
Languag ...
Aboriginal country. Its original Barngarla name is ''Goordnada''.
It is a natural harbour, which was proclaimed on 24 May 1852 by Alexander Elder (brother of Thomas Elder
Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...
) and John Grainger
John Grainger (1830, Belfast– 1891) was an Irish cleric and antiquarian.
Grainger was educated at Belfast Academy and Trinity College, Dublin. After gaining a Doctorate of Divinity he became Rector of Broughshane, County Antrim. He was an in ...
, having discovered it while aboard the Government schooner '' Yatala'', captained by Edward Dowsett. The port was named after Augusta Sophia, Lady Young, the wife of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Edward Fox Young
Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG (23 April 1803 – 18 September 1870) was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861. ...
. Lady Young was the daughter of Charles Marryat Snr., who had been a slaveholder in the British West Indies
The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...
. Her brother was the Anglican minister Dean of Adelaide
St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Anglican Diocese of Adelaide, Adelaide and Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan of the Province of South Australia. The c ...
Charles Marryat
Charles Marryat (26 June 1827 – 29 September 1906) was the Dean of Adelaide from 1887 until his death. Early life
Marryat was born in London on 26 June 1827, the son of a former slaveholder in the British West Indies, Charles Marryat Sr. of ...
.
Flora and fauna
Marine species include resident species and migrating visitors. Occasional sightings are made of whales, sunfish, swordfish and turtles.
Demographics
According to the 2016 Census, the population of the Port Augusta census area was 12,896 people, making it the third largest urban area after Whyalla
Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
and Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
on the Eyre Peninsula. 49.3% of the population were female, 83.7% are Australian born and 19.2% were Aboriginal.
The most popular industries for employment were Technicians and Trades Workers (16%), Community and Personal Service Workers (15.4%) and Clerical and Administrative Workers (13.8%), while the unemployment rate is approximately 7%. The median weekly household income is A$789 or more per week, compared with $924 in Adelaide. 17.4% of the population identify themselves as Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, while a higher 26.2% identify with no religion at all.
Transport
Spencer Gulf is a natural barrier to land transport, so Port Augusta has naturally become the "crossroads of Australia". It is at the junction of major road and rail links.
Road
Port Augusta is located at the eastern end of the Eyre Highway
Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It ...
to Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
and at the northern end of the Augusta Highway
Augusta Highway is the part of Australia's ring route (Highway 1) located in South Australia between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta.
Route
Augusta Highway starts at the intersection with Eyre and Stuart Highways in Port Augusta West, then ...
to Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. It is situated at the southern end of the Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway is a major Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and southern extremities are segments of Aus ...
to Darwin. Virtually all road traffic across southern Australia passes through Port Augusta and over the Joy Baluch AM Bridge
The Joy Baluch AM Bridge is a bridge across Spencer Gulf between Port Augusta and Port Augusta West in South Australia. It carries Highway 1 and is a key road link on both east–west and north–south road routes in Australia. The western en ...
across the top of Spencer Gulf.
Rail
In 1878, the town became the southern terminus of a proposed North South transcontinental line, headed for Darwin away. This narrow gauge railway was later taken over by the Commonwealth in 1910 and later renamed the Central Australia Railway
The former Central Australia Railway, which was built between 1878 and 1929 and closed in 1980, was a 1067 mm narrow gauge railway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. A standard gauge line duplicated the southern section from Port Aug ...
. In 1929, it was extended to its last terminus at Alice Springs.
Between 1913 and 1917, a long east–west transcontinental railway (the Trans-Australian Railway
The Trans-Australian Railway, opened in 1917, runs from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, crossing the Nullarbor Plain in the process. As the only rail freight corridor between Western Australia and the east ...
) was built from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. This was built to standard gauge as part of a long term plan to harmonise gauges between the mainland states, causing a break-of-gauge
With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...
at Port Augusta until the standard gauge track was extended to Port Pirie
Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...
in 1937.
The standard gauge Adelaide-Darwin railway was finally completed in 2003. Port Augusta is a stop on the ''Indian Pacific
The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – thus, like ...
'' transcontinental train service on the Sydney–Perth railway and on ''The Ghan
''The Ghan'' is an experiential tourism oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin on the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor. O ...
'' service between Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin. One service a week for each train in each direction serve the station.
In the 1990s, the narrow gauge line between Port Augusta and Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
Quorn is sold as b ...
was re-opened as the Pichi Richi Heritage Railway.
Aviation
Port Augusta is served by Port Augusta Airport
Port Augusta Airport is an airport located west of Port Augusta, South Australia.
Overview
The airport serves as a gateway to the city of Port Augusta, as well as isolated mineral projects in the north of the state. Other operations include ...
. Sharp Airlines
Sharp Airlines is a regional airline founded in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia in 1990. Sharp operates scheduled airline services in the southern states of Australia. Its main bases are Essendon Airport, Adelaide Airport and Launceston Airport. ...
used to connect the city to Adelaide twice daily, however this service ceased to operate on 31 May 2017.
Climate
Port Augusta experiences a hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
( Köppen: ''BWh'', Trewartha: ''BWal''); with hot, dry summers; mild to warm, dry springs and autumns; and mild, dry winters. However, some authors define it as semi-arid steppe climate (''BSk''). In terms of vegetation the same is given as desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
, although counterintuitively the city maintains with governmental aid with some plants adapted to arid
A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...
ity. Considered desert also by the city hall. A record high temperature of 49.5 °C was recorded on 24 January 2019. The city is sunny, where it features 142.1 clear days annually.
Economy
Electricity generation
From the mid-1920s, the town was supplied with direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or eve ...
electricity, which changed to alternating current
Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...
in 1948.
Electricity was generated at the Playford B (240 MW) and Northern power stations (520 MW) from brown coal
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north. The only coal-fired electricity generating plants in South Australia, in 2009 they produced 33% of the state's electricity, but over 50% of the state's CO2 emissions from electricity generation.
Playford B has not been operational since 2012. In October 2015, Alinta Energy announced the permanent closure of both Northern and Playford B in early 2016, following which the Northern Power Station went offline on 9 May 2016.
In 2016, a local community group was lobbying for assistance to replace the coal-fired plants with a solar thermal power station. The premier of South Australia
The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is ...
, Jay Weatherill
Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian politician who was the 45th Premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham as a member of ...
announced on 14 August 2017 that construction would commence in 2018 and was expected to be completed in 2020. The Aurora Solar Thermal Power Project
Aurora Solar Thermal Power Project was a planned solar power tower solar thermal power plant to be located north of Port Augusta in South Australia. It was planned to generate 150 MW of electricity after it was completed in 2020. Storage ca ...
is expected to cost to build, including a loan from the Federal Government, and deliver 150MW of electricity. SolarReserve
SolarReserve was a developer of utility-scale solar power projects which include Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The company has commercialized solar thermal energy storage technology that enables solar power tow ...
has a contract to supply all of the electricity required by the state government's offices from this power project.
Arid-zone horticulture
Separately, Sundrop Farms
Sundrop Farms is a developer, owner and operator of high tech greenhouse facilities which grow crops using methods which reduce reliance on finite natural resources when compared to conventional greenhouse production. Sundrop Farms opened its first ...
has a combined solar power tower
A solar power tower, also known as 'central tower' power plant or ' heliostat' power plant, is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors (called heliostats) to focus the sun's r ...
, greenhouse
A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
and desalination plant
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltw ...
which is used to produce tomatoes near the old power station site. It opened in October 2016 and produces 39MW of thermal energy from over 23000 mirrors and a tower, used for heating, electricity, and desalination to irrigate tomatoes in greenhouses. Sundrop has a 10-year contract to supply Coles Supermarkets with at least 15,000 tonnes of truss tomatoes per year.
Tourism
Port Augusta has been able to capitalise on the growing eco-tourism industry due to its proximity to the Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.
The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabit ...
. The Pichi Richi Railway
The Pichi Richi Railway is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in the southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia between Quorn and Port Augusta. For much of its length the line lies in the picturesque Pichi Richi Pass, where the line was complete ...
is a major drawcard, connecting Port Augusta to Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
Quorn is sold as b ...
via the Pichi Richi Pass.
Within Port Augusta is the City of Port Augusta's Wadlata Outback Centre, providing tourists with an introduction to life in the Australian outback. The centre recorded over 500,000 visitors in 2006.
North of the town, on the Stuart Highway, is the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
__FORCETOC__
The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden is located on the Stuart Highway, 1.4 kilometres north of the Eyre Highway in Port Augusta West, South Australia. The garden was established in the 1980s and opened in September 1996. It is ...
, a unique and award-winning garden, opened in 1996, which "showcases a diverse collection of arid zone habitats in a picturesque setting of more than 250 hectares". The gardens have a cafe/restaurant with views across the saltbush plains to the escarpment of the Flinders Ranges. The PACC annual report shows more than 100,000 people visited the gardens in 2006.
Southwest of town is the El-Alamein army base.
Proposed multi-commodity port
In February 2019, the site of the former Playford power stations was sold by Alinta Energy
Alinta Energy is an Australian electricity generating and gas retailing private company owned by Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE). It was sold for $4 billion and was approved Treasurer Scott Morrison in 2017. Alinta Energy has an ...
to Cu-River Mining
Cu-River Mining Pty. Ltd. is a privately-owned Australian resources company with interests in iron ore mining and port development projects in South Australia. It is the smaller of two iron ore exporters operating in the state, the larger being ...
as a prospective port development site. The company intends to construct a transshipment facility suitable for the export of iron ore, wheat and other commodities.
Media
The major publication of the town is ''The Transcontinental
''The Transcontinental'' is a weekly newspaper published in Port Augusta, South Australia which dates from October 1914. It was later sold to Rural Press, previously owned by Fairfax Media, but now an Australian media company trading as Australi ...
'', a weekly newspaper that was first issued in October 1914, and whose office is located on Commercial Road. In 1971, a brief experiment, known as the ''Northern Observer'' (7 July – 30 August 1971), occurred when ''The Transcontinental'' and ''The Recorder'' from Port Pirie were published under a combined title in Port Pirie.
Historically, the town also published the ''Dispatch'' (1877–1916), which, as was common at the time, evolved through a series of name changes: ''Port Augusta Dispatch'' (18 August 1877 – 6 August 1880); ''Port Augusta Dispatch and Flinders' Advertiser'' (13 August 1880 – 17 October 1884); ''Port Augusta Dispatch'' (20 October 1884 – 16 March 1885); and, ''Port Augusta Dispatch, Newcastle and Flinders Chronicle'' (18 March 1885 – 21 April 1916). For a short period, due to the short-lived discovery of gold at Teetulpa, a sister publication ''Teetulpa News and Golden Age'' (1886–1887) was also printed by the ''Dispatch''.
Another publication. the ''Port Augusta and Stirling Illustrated News'' (1901) was also printed briefly in the town by James Taylor, but was stopped so he could focus on his printing business.
Education
There are six public primary schools:
*Augusta Park Primary School,
*Carlton R-9 School,
*Flinders View Primary School,
*Port Augusta West Primary School,
*Stirling North Primary School and
*Willsden Primary School.
There is one secondary school, Port Augusta Secondary School, located on Stirling Road. There is one private school for reception to year 12 students called Caritas College.
Port Augusta also has:
*Port Augusta Special School,
*OAC:Port Augusta School of the Air
*The University of Adelaide and
*TAFE (tertiary technical college), Port Augusta Campus.
Politics
State and federal
Since the 2020 redistribution, Port Augusta was split between the state electoral district of Stuart
Stuart is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. At 323,131 km², it is a vast country district extending from the Spencer Gulf as far as the Northern Territory border in the north and the Queensl ...
and electoral district of Giles
Giles is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. Named after explorer Ernest Giles, it is the largest electorate in the state by area, covering of South Australian outback. Its main population centre is th ...
. In federal politics, the city is part of the division of Grey, and has been represented by Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey since 2007. Grey is held with a margin of 8.86% and is considered safe-liberal. The results shown are from the largest polling station in Port Augusta – which is located at Port Augusta TAFE college.
Local
Port Augusta is in the City of Port Augusta
The City of Port Augusta is a local government area located at the northern end of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is centred on the town of Port Augusta. The city was the site of South Australia's main power supplier, the Port Augusta p ...
local government area. The City of Port Augusta is believed to have had the longest serving mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
in Australia, Joy Baluch
Nancy Joy Baluch (10 October 1932 – 14 May 2013) was an Australian politician who served as Mayor of Port Augusta from 1981 to 1993 and from 1995 until her death. Her term as mayor of 29 years is believed to be an Australian record.
Baluch ...
, who died after 30 years of service on 14 May 2013. The council is based at the Port Augusta Civic Centre; prior to 1983, it operated out of the now-disused Port Augusta Town Hall.
Heritage listings
Port Augusta has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Beauchamp Lane: Port Augusta Waterworks
* Beauchamp Lane: Beatton Memorial Drinking Fountain
* Beauchamp Lane: Gladstone Square Bandstand
* 9 Church Street: St Augustine's Anglican Church, Port Augusta
* Commercial Road: Old Port Augusta railway station
* 52 Commercial Road: Port Augusta Institute
* 54 Commercial Road: Port Augusta Town Hall
* 34 Flinders Terrace: Port Augusta School of the Air
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
* 1 Jervois Street: Port Augusta Courthouse
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
* Stirling Street: Port Augusta railway station
Port Augusta railway station is a rail station located on the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line in Port Augusta, South Australia.
History
In 1878, the first railway line in to Port Augusta was when it became the southern terminus of a propo ...
* off Tassie Street: Port Augusta Wharf
* 12 Tassie Street: Bank of South Australia, Port Augusta
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
See also
* Point Paterson Desalination Plant
__NOTOC__
The Point Paterson Desalination Plant was a planned municipal-scale solar-powered desalination plant with land-based brine disposal near Point Paterson in the locality of Winninowie in the Australian state of South Australia
Sout ...
* '' The Sundowners'' (1960), partly filmed on location in Port Augusta"America's Best, Britain's Finest: A Survey of Mixed Movies" – Google Books
John Howard Reid, pub. Lulu.com, March 2006. , p. 241
*
List of extreme temperatures in Australia
The highest temperature ever recorded in Australia is , which was recorded on 2 January 1960 at Oodnadatta, South Australia and 13 January 2022 at Onslow, Western Australia. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Australia is , at Charlotte Pa ...
References
External links
Big Stories, Small Towns – Online documentary featuring video, photos, digital stories and archival film from Port Augusta
{{Authority control
1852 establishments in Australia
Coastal cities in Australia
Coastal towns in South Australia
Eyre Peninsula
Far North (South Australia)
Populated places established in 1852
Port cities in South Australia
Spencer Gulf
Trans-Australian Railway