Port Augusta

Port Augusta South Australia
Welcome to Port Augusta: The crossroads of Australia
Port Augusta
Population:	13,257 (2006 Census)
Established:	1852
Postcode:	5700 [1]
Coordinates:	32°29′S 137°46′E / 32.483°S 137.767°E / -32.483; 137.767Coordinates: 32°29′S 137°46′E / 32.483°S 137.767°E / -32.483; 137.767
Location:	322 km (200 mi) from Adelaide via
LGA:	City of Port Augusta
State District:	Stuart
Federal Division:	Grey

Port Augusta is the fifth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Murray Bridge. It is a seaport located on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and is located at the head of the Spencer Gulf, 322 km north of the state capital.

It is natural harbour which was settled on 24 May 1852 by Alexander Elder and John Grainger. The port was named after Augusta Sophia, Lady Young, the wife of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Edward Fox Young.

Demographics

According to the 2006 Census the population of the Port Augusta census area was 13,257 people, making it the second largest urban area after Whyalla on the Eyre Peninsula. Approximately 50.2% of the population were female, 85.2% are Australian born, over 88.6% of residents are Australian citizens and 17.3% were native born indigenous people.

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 approx. 7%. The median weekly household income is AUD$789 or more per week, compared with $924 in Adelaide. 17.4% of the population identify themselves as Catholic, while a higher 26.2% identify with no religion at all. ^[2]

Politics

State & Federal

Port Augusta is part of the state electoral district of Stuart which has been held since 1997 by Liberal MP Graham Gunn. The seat is held by a margin of 1%. 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 local government area (along with some of the sparsely inhabited areas around it).

Transport

In 1878, the town became the southern terminus of a proposed North South transcontinental line, headed for Darwin 2,500 km away. This 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway was later taken over by the Commonwealth in 1910 and later renamed the Central Australia Railway. In 1929 it was extended to its last terminus at Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

Between 1913 and 1917, a 2,000 km long east–west transcontinental railway (the Trans-Australian Railway) was built from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. 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 at Port Augusta until it was extended to Port Pirie in 1937.

The standard gauge Adelaide-Darwin railway was finally completed in 2003. Port Augusta is a stop on the Indian Pacific trans-continental train service on the Sydney–Perth railway and on the Ghan service between Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin. Two services a week for each train in each direction serve the station.

In the 1990s the narrow gauge line between Port Augusta and Quorn was re-opened as the Pichi Richi heritage Railway.

Port Augusta is served by Port Augusta Airport. Sharp Airlines connects the city to Adelaide twice daily.

Climate

Port Augusta has a warm desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh).

Tourism

Port Augusta has been able to capitalise on the growing eco-tourism industry due to its proximity to the Flinders Ranges. The Pichi Richi Railway is a major drawcard, connecting Port Augusta to the town of Quorn through 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 town, on the Stuart Highway, are the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden. The gardens have a cafe/restaurant with views across the saltbush plains to the escarpment of the Flinders Ranges. The PACC annula report shows more than 100,000 people visited the gardens in 2006.

South-west of town, on the El-Alamein army base, is the Baxter Immigration Detention Centre.

Shopping

Commercial Road is the main shopping street. Some of the stores situated in or near Commercial Road include:

• Supermarkets and chain stores: Big-W, Woolworths, Target
• Banks: ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB and BankSA
• Clothing: Just Jeans, uptown girl
• Food and drink: Wendys, French Hot Bread Shop, Tassie tavern, Cafe Primo, Thirsty Camel
• Leisure: Sanity Music, Sportscene, Saltbush Surf and Leisure
• Consumer goods: Telstra dealer, Radio Rentals, Home Hardware, Truscotts
• Other: Chemmart, Australia Post, Oasis Apartments, KD's Hair Flair, Ben Jenkin CPA

Schools

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, which has two campuses:

• Seaview Campus (previously known as Augusta Park High School) now caters for year 8 to 9 students, and
• Stirling Campus (previously known as Port Augusta High School) now has year 10 and higher students.

There is one private school for reception to year 12 students called Caritas College.

Sister Cities

• Concepcion de la Vega, Dominican Republic

Port Augusta also has:

• Port Augusta Special School,
• Port Augusta School of the Air and
• TAFE (tertiary technical college), Port Augusta Campus.

See also

• Point Paterson Desalination Plant

References

External links

• Terraserver.com satellite image of Port Augusta
• FallingRain Map - elevation = 6m (Red dots are railways)