Port Augusta, South Australia
Port Augusta is a city in the Australian state of South Australia. It is located about 320 km north- west of Adelaide on the northern end of Spencer Gulf.
History
On 24 May 1852, the settlement of Port Augusta by Alexander Elder and John Grainger was founded close to the natural harbor at the Spencer Gulf. It was named after Augusta Sophia Young, the former South Australian Governor's wife Sir Henry Edward Fox Young.
In 1878 the settlement and its port became the starting point for the construction of kapspurigen ( later called ) Great Northern Railway, which was to pass through to Darwin Australia. The railway reached "only" Alice Springs and failed to deliver these targets. 1917 Port Augusta eastern terminus of the Trans- Australian Railway standard gauge, which led from here to Kalgoorlie. For the onward journey had to be switched in Port Augusta on the narrow gauge railway. 1956/57, the southern part of the railway was umgespurt between Marree to Alice Springs and Port Augusta to standard gauge. This Port Augusta lost the first narrow gauge railway.
Traffic
Railway
The station of Port Augusta is located on the section of the continent by crossing railway lines, which is shared by the Trans Australian Railway and the Central Australian Railway. The station is equipped with a large depot. At the single platform of the passenger station keep the long-distance trains Indian Pacific and The Ghan.
Road
The city is the eastern starting point of the Eyre Highway ( A1) to Western Australia and southern starting point of the Stuart Highway ( A87 ) in the Northern Territory, Alice Springs and Darwin.
Traffic
Port Augusta has an airfield, which is occasionally used for domestic flights. He is also a major station of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.
Shipping
The city is located on Spencer Gulf and has a natural harbor, but plays for the cargo shipping today almost no role.
Economy
In the harbor bay is a large coal-fired power plant that is fired with only coal from the mine at Leigh Creek. You will be approached from there over the past operated section of the Great Northern Railway train.
Attractions
Tourist interesting the city is due to the approximately 40 km north -lying Flinders Range National Park.
The Pichi Richi Railway is a heritage railway which is operated again on a section of the original route of the Great Northern Railway Pichi Richi Railway Preservation of the Society since the 1990s. First, the section between Quorn and Woolshed Flat was put into operation, then extended to Stirling North and extended in 2002 to Port Augusta. To this end, the narrow- gauge track was repaired. The train is named after the Pichi Richi Pass, you crossed.
North of town is the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, is shown in the desert and steppe vegetation of the Australian Outback and explained in guides.
Famous people
- Kerry O'Brien