Port Augusta, South Australia, Australia

View of Port Augusta with the Flinders Range in the background
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacaranda_Time_Port_Augusta.jpg
Author: GeorgieSharp


Port Augusta is a city on the southeastern part of South Australia. It is located on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula. The city has a population of 13,500 people, making it the fifth most populous city in the state after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Murray Bridge.

Port Augusta was founded in 1852 by Alexander Elder and John Grainger as it is a choice location for a harbor. Grainger, who was then a member of the Government of Adelaide, named it in honor of Augusta Sophia, Lady Young, the wife of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Edward Fox Young.

Railway cars at Tent Hill, north of Port Augusta
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G530_TentHill_Aug07.jpg
Author: Samuel Wittwer


Port Augusta is the second most populous urban area on the Eyre Peninsula after Whyalla. Its economy is supported by power generation and tourism, the main employer in town. This comes in the form of many direct and subsidiary industries, from eco-tourist guides to hotels and restaurants.

Port Augusta is the start of highway A87, also called Sturt Highway. This is the highway that leads north into the outback, towards the town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For that reason, the city is often called the Gateway to the Outback.

Visiting Port Augusta

From Adelaide, take the A1 (Princes Highway) to reach Port Augusta. The journey takes about four hours.

Places of Interest in Port Augusta

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