Port Augusta

Port Augusta, city and former port, South Australia, at the head of Spencer Gulf. Founded in 1852 and named for the wife of Sir Henry Fox Young, an early colonial governor of South Australia, Port Augusta was incorporated as a town in 1875 and in 1878 was linked by rail to Adelaide, 191 miles (307 km) southeast; it became a city in 1963. Port Augusta is a terminus of both the Central and Trans-Australian railways, and its port facilities, somewhat restricted by a shallow approach, still serve some coastal shipping, but it ceased to be registered as a port in 1973. Its Aboriginal name, Kurdnatta, means “place of drifting sand.” An important service centre for a large area of the Outback (backcountry sheeplands), Port Augusta provides an outlet for wheat and wool produced in those districts. The city’s industries include railroad workshops, salt manufacture, and power generation. The last is based on low-grade coal brought from Leigh Creek (150 miles [240 km] north) and accounts for much of the state’s electricity. Port Augusta is also the location of the state headquarters of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air. Pop. (2006) 13,874; (2011) 13,985.