Port Augusta
Population 15,300
Port Augusta lies on saltbush plains between Spencer Gulf and the Flinders
Ranges, which are about 20km (12 miles) to the east.
Climate
Average temperatures: January max 32C (90F) - min 19C (66F); July max 17C
(63F) - min 7C (45F). Annual rainfall: 243mm (10 ins).
Characteristics
Known as the Crossroads of Australia and Gateway to the Outback, Port Augusta
was surveyed in 1852, and has a number of historical places of interest.
It is an ideal base for access to the attractions of the Flinders Ranges,
Eyre Peninsula and the Outback of South Australia.
How to Get There By Bus
Stateliner and Greyhound Pioneer stop here on their Adelaide/Perth and
Adelaide/Darwin routes.
By Rail
Trains arrive in Port Augusta from Perth, Alice Springs and Sydney.
By Road
Situated on the Eyre Highway, 339km (211 miles) from Adelaide, and 2,439km
(1515 miles) from Perth.
Tourist Information
The Port Augusta Tourist Information Centre is in the Wadlata Outback Centre
complex, 41 Flinders Terrace, (08) 8641 0793. It is open daily, Mon-Fri
9am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm. The centre contains the Interpretive Centre,
souvenirs, the Outback Tuckerbox and toilet facilities. Contact can also
be made by email at wadlata@portaugusta.sa.gov.au
Accommodation
Here is a selection with prices for a double room per night, which should
be used as a guide only. The telephone area code is 08.
Augusta Westside Motel, 3 Loudon Road, 8642 2488. 20 units, unlicensed
restaurant, swimming pool, spa, bbq $98-145.
Port Augusta East Motel, Highway One, 8641 1008. 15 units $59.
Port Augusta Hi-Way One Motel, Highway One, 8642 2755. 45 units, licensed
restaurant (closed Sunday), swimming pool, bbq $74-112.
Standpipe Golf Motor Inn, cnr Eyre & Stuart Hwys, 8642 4033. 87 units,
licensed restaurant $92.
Acacia Ridge Motor Inn, 33 Stokes Terrace, 8642 3377. 50 units, licensed
restaurant (closed Sunday), swimming pool, bbq $65-75.
Flinders Hotel/Motel, 39 Commercial Road, 8642 2544. 30 units, licensed
restaurant (closed Sunday) $66.
Myoora Motel, Eyre Highway, 8642 3622. 21 units, licensed restaurant (closed
Sunday), spa $74-112.
Motel Pampas, Stirling Road, 8642 3795. 8 units, unlicensed restaurant
$45.
Motel Poinsettia, 24 Burgoyne Street, 8642 2411. 23 units, bbq $61.
Caravan Parks
Port Augusta Big 4 Holiday Park, cnr Highway 1 & Stokes Terrace, 8642
2974. (No pets allowed) - powered sites $20 for two, cabins $30-40 for
two.
Shoreline Caravan Park, Gardiner Avenue, 8642 2965. (Dogs allowed at managers
discretion) - powered sites $18 for two, park cabins $50 for two, cabin
$39-50 for two, on-site vans $33 for two.
Port Augusta Caravan Park at Stirling North, 9 Brooks St, Stirling North,
8643 6357. (Pets on leash) - powered sites $17 for two, on-site vans $28
for two, park cabins $42-47 for two, cabins $38 for two.
Eating Out
Most of the motels and hotels have restaurants, and there are two clubs
offering dining rooms
The Cooinda Club, Flinders Terrace, 8641 0166, and the ETSA Club, Hannagan
Street, 8642 5853.
King Po Chinese, 88 Carlton Parade, 8642 5851 is a licensed restaurant
and Barnacle Bill Family Seafood Restaurant is in 78 Commercial Road, 8641
0000.
For coffee shops and takeaway food outlets, there is more variety, and
the Tourist Information Centre will have information.
Points of Interest
The Tourist Information Centre has organised a Heritage Walk, which commences,
naturally enough, at the Wadlata Outback Centre where their office is
located. The centre was originally St Joseph's Convent, which opened
in 1927. The Walk then takes visitors to 32 other places of interest,
including many classified by the National Trust or State Heritage, including
the Old Railway Station, the Curdnatta Art and Pottery.
Homestead Park Pioneer Museum in Elsie Street, features the only original
log station homestead in SA. It was transported from its original site
to Port Augusta and rebuilt as part of the museum. The 126-year-old Yudnapinna
Homestead is fully furnished in period style. For further information 8642
2035. The museum adjoins a park with large shady trees, a playground and
barbecue facilities, as well as kangaroos and other animals. There is also
a kiosk with cold drinks, ice creams and tea and coffee.
McLellan Lookout, Whiting Parade at the end of Edinburgh Terrace, has a
stone cairn marking the spot where Matthew Flinders stepped ashore on March
10, 1802. The lookout was named after Alan McLellan, an early settler of
the area, and from it there are good views of the Gulf, the Northern and
Thomas Playford Stations, and the picturesque Flinders and Bluff Ranges.
Red Cliff Lookout at the very end of McSporran Crescent, off the Woomera
Road on the Westside, provides an excellent view of the head of the gulf
and the Flinders Ranges. The adjacent area is the site of the Australian
Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, which, when completed, will be a unique attraction.
The first stage of Port Augusta's Playford Power Station was opened in
1954, powered by coal railed from Leigh Creek, and the second stage opened
in 1960. The adjacent Northern Power Station has two generators that will
each produce 259 megawatts. Ultimately the new and old power stations will
consume up to 4 million tonnes of coal annually. Tours of the Northern
Power Station are hconducted weekdays (except public holidays) commencing
10am, 11am and 1pm. Strong footwear should be worn. Turn of Highway One
at Truckers Tucker, approximately 5km each of Port Augusta. For further
information, 8642 0666.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Base at 4 Vincent Street, has tours for
visitors on weekdays hat 10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm, 8642 2044 for large group
reservations. The School of the Air, at the eastern end of Commercial Road,
in the grounds of the Central Primary School, has conducted tours on school
days at 10am. A small entrance fee is charged.
Festivals
The Australia Day Festival is held in January, the Apex Trade Fair in March,
and Race Week in June each year.
Port Pirie
Port Pirie is 95km (59 miles) south of Port August, and 229km (142 miles)
north of Adelaide, and has a population of around 14,000. In 1889 three
smelters were built near Port Pirie to refine the ore being railed from
Broken Hill. Today it is the largest lead smelter in the world, and produces
lead, zinc, gold, cadmium, antimony and copper by-products, and sulphuric
acid. Lead is South Australia's biggest single-produced export income
earner. Conducted tours of the smelting works are available, and the
Tourist Information Office at 3 Mary Elie Street, (08) 8633 0439 (by
email: tourism@ppcadc.sa. gov.au), has information on times and costs.
The Railway Museum in Port Pirie has detailed pictures, documents and memorabilia
of early days, and another specialist museum is Carne Brae, with a collection
of over 2500 dolls, superb stained glass windows and a lifetime's collection
of silverware and fine china.
The Northern Festival Centre is the cultural heart of the north and combines
live theatre, art exhibitions, visiting entertainers and social happenings
under the one roof.
Port Pirie has all the facilities you would expect for a city of its population,
including fishing, golf, greyhound racing, horse racing, sailing, squash,
swimming (beach and pool), tennis, trotting and water skiing.
Peterborough
Situated 162km (100 miles) south east of Port Augusta and 252km (156 miles)
north of Adelaide, Peterborough is one of only two known towns in the
world where three different rail gauges meet. Peterborough is the gateway
to the Flinders Ranges for travellers from NSW, or from Adelaide via
the historic mining town of Burra. The Visitor Information Centre is
located in a restored 1917 Railway Car on Main Street, 8651 2545, and
is open daily 10am-3pm. You can also email cwoodman@ iweb.net.au
The Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society officially commenced
operations during Easter 1981, almost 100 years to the day since the first
railway to reach Peterborough was opened. The Society runs steam passenger
trains at specified times on the narrow gauge line from Peterborough to
Orroroo, and the view enjoyed by passengers is one that shouldn't be missed.
Timetables for this attraction can be obtained by phoning 8651 3355.
Amelia Park, 11km (7 miles) east of Peterborough, has a picnic and barbecue
area, and playground. Victoria Park has a lake, an island and a large barbecue
area. Tank Hill lookout gives a panoramic view of the town.
Burra
Nestling in the Bald Hills Range, 157km (98 miles) north of Adelaide, and
approximately 90km (56 miles) south of Peterborough, is Burra, where
copper was discovered in 1845. The mines closed down in 1877, but the
era of the mining days has been preserved in the unique old buildings
around Paxton Square, the nearby Bon Accord Mining Museum, the 10 metre
timber junker which transported the huge boiler for the mine's engine
house, the ruins of the mine buildings, and the restored Morphetts Engine
House. Other interesting places to visit are the Redruth Gaol, the courthouse
and the underground Unicorn Brewery. The movie Breaker Morant was filmed
in the hills around Burra, and Redruth Gaol was used to portray Fort
Edwards in the film.
The Burra Tourist Information Centre is at 2 Market Square, (08) 8892 2154.
Clare
The historic township of Clare is 135km (84 miles) north of Adelaide, and
approximately 43km (27 miles) south-west of Burra, and is set in a thriving
agricultural district, known especially for its wines. Each of the 31
wineries in the district produce wines with a special character, and
offer cellar door tastings and sales of internationally acclaimed vintages.
Special events in the valley are the Clare Valley Easter Festival, and
the Gourmet Weekend in mid-May. Both events provide the opportunity to
sample a range of the regions finest wines, while top restaurateurs complement
the new vintages with plates of their best fare.
Full details of all wineries can be obtained from the Tourist Information
Centre Clare Valley, 229 Main North Road, Clare, (08) 8842 2131 or 1800
242 131. It is open daily 9am-5pm (except Sun when it opens at 10am). Browse www.clarevalley.com.au
for more information.
Moonta
Moonta is situated on the Yorke Peninsula, 167km (104 miles) north-west
of Adelaide.
Yorke Peninsula is part of a copper heritage that is uniquely South Australian.
It was copper that saved the young colony and gave the place a distinctive
Cornish heritage in the triangle of mining towns at the top of Yorke Peninsula.
The many thousands of Cornish miners, who came to mine the precious metal
during the 60 year boom, left a legacy which is now celebrated in the biennial
festival of Kerneweck Lowender. It is held over the long weekend in May
in every odd-numbered year, in the copper triangle towns - Moonta, Kadina
and Wallaroo.
Moonta is virtually a monument to mining, its architecture belonging to
a by-gone era. Of particular note is the gothic-influenced Uniting Church.
Nearby at the mines site, there are mine buildings and relics to explore,
and at Moonta Mines Museum, 8825 1944, in what was once a school, there
are exhibits of the life of the miners, and some typical cottages. The
deepest shaft in the area is Taylor's Shaft at 767m (2516 ft).
The Yorke Peninsula Tourist Information Centre is in the old Moonta Railway
Station, Moonta, (08) 8825 1891 or 1800 654 991. It is open 9am-5pm seven
days and can be reached be email at tourism@yp-connect.net
Outback South Australia
There are only four main routes through the Outback, each with an individual
character and history. There's the famous Birdsville Track, along which
stockmen once drove herds of cattle south from Queensland. And there's
the Strzelecki Track, through remote sand dune country of the Moomba
Gasfields to Innamincka on the Legendary Cooper Creek. Either way crosses
the famous 'dog fence' - the world's longest protective wire fence, extending
more than 3000km (1864 miles) across the centre of Australia to keep
wild dingoes from entering the southern pastoral zones.
Following the Stuart Highway or the Oodnadatta Track takes visitors into
opal country and three of the world's most prolific opal mining areas -
Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Mintabie.
Andamooka
Andamooka is 287km (178 miles) north of Port Augusta (597km [371 miles]
from Adelaide), to the west of Lake Torrens. It is an opal field which
although far smaller than Coober Pedy is famous for the quality of the
gemstones. The opal was discovered by two drovers in 1930, but activity
has been declining over recent years.
The mining is concentrated around the edge of the town on the broad flat
spurs formed by Opal Creek and its tributaries, and extends about 5km to
the Lunatic Hill workings north of the town. Facilities in the town include
a hotel/motel, motel, guesthouse, caravan park, camping areas, restaurant,
hospital, general store, garage, post office, public phone, swimming pool
and an airstrip.
The Opal Gleam dugout home may be inspected, and a local landmark is the
unique Duke's Bottlehouse, built from discarded beer bottles. A petrified
plesiosaur measuring 9m in length has been found in the diggings, and is
on display. Historical cottages have been restored and are used as tea
rooms in the cooler weather. At nearby White Dam is the late Bill McDougall's
famous Ettamoggah Pub, a great place for a cooling ale. The road from Woomera
to Andamooka passes the turn-off to Roxby Downs Township, which was established
as a centre for the employees of the Olympic Dam Mining Project. Roxby
Downs grew at a rate of 1000 persons per year, and was one of the two newly
developed townships in the north of the state during the 1990s. The other
was Leigh Creek.
Coober Pedy
South Australia's biggest and oldest mining town, Coober Pedy is 610km
(379 miles) north-west of Port Augusta, and 850km (528 miles) north-west
of Adelaide. The town was established in 1915, and the name is thought
to be derived from the Aboriginal words Kupa (white man) and Piti (waterhole,
or hole).
To put it mildly, Coober Pedy is very hot and very dry, and the early miners
very intelligently decided the best place to live was underground. But
the so-called dugouts lack nothing in comfort and furnishings, and a tour
through one of those open for visitors is a must. It is also possible to
stay in underground accommodation in the town, for example at the Underground
Motel, 8672 5324. If this doesn't appeal to you, there is a hotel/motel
and a camping ground above ground. Apart from the opal shops vying for
your patronage, there are a few other places to visit. The underground
churches are unique, and really beautiful, and the water desalination plant
interests some people. There are plenty of local companies offering tours,
and for information on these contact the Tourist Information Centre, Council
Offices, Hutchison Street, ph (086)725 298. The office is open Mon-Fri
9am-5pm. Visit www.opalcapitaloftheworld.com.au further
information, 8672 5298 or 1800 637 076 (free call).
If you are feeling lucky, you can try 'noodling' for opal. This means that
you must not be on a pegged claim, and must not use a pick, shovel or any
digging device. It must be remembered, though, that there is a great danger
of unprotected mine shafts on the opal fields, and you really have to look
where you are walking. It is also especially important to keep an eye on
children, and don't let them wander off the beaten track.
Oodnadatta
One of the few centres with real outback character, Oodnadatta was an important
railhead between 1891 and 1929 when the rail link to Alice Springs was
completed. Before then, camels were used to transport freight from Oodnadatta
to Alice Springs. The railway has now been replaced by a new line 100km
further to the west, but the sandstone railway station built in 1890
remains. 'Utnadata' means 'Blossom of the Mulga'.
The town has a hotel, caravan park, general stores, post office, public
telephone, mechanical repairs, police station, medical services and an
airstrip. There is also good swimming in some of the nearby permanent waterholes.
North of Oodnadatta lies the Witjira National Park which surrounds the
Dalhousie Mound Springs. However, some tracks in the Park are not maintained
and their condition can change rapidly. The area is recommended for 4WD
vehicles only, and visitors are advised to enquire at Oodnadatta Police
Station in Oribee Avenue before setting out, 8670 7805.
