Whyalla

Whyalla is a city in the Australian state of South Australia and lies about 75 km south of Port Augusta on the western side of the Spencer Gulf. The distance to Adelaide is about 390 km.

The city's history is closely connected with the iron and steel production. 1901 she was established as a terminus of the iron ore shipments from the Middle Ranges ( until 1920 it was called Hummock Hill ). The ore was transported by ferry across the Spencer Gulf to Port Pirie, where they were used in the lead foundry. In the following years, the iron ore was also transported to Newcastle on the east coast for use in steel production. Only in the late 30s of the 20th century was one in Whyalla blast furnace and a shipyard, first, built only to ships of war, which led to a sharp growth of the city.

Mid-70s had the largest shipyard in Australia Whyalla, a coking plant, a steel plant, and up to 33,000 inhabitants and was the second largest city in South Australia. After the collapse of the ship and the iron and steel industry, it went down just as quickly to develop and still live about 21,000 residents in the city.

In Whyalla is the only manufacturer of railway sleepers in Australia; since 1972, there is a railway line to Port Augusta.

The great Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama ) can be observed between May and September.