Travel Guide Port Augusta

With a population of over 13,500, Port Augusta is an active city in the Flinders Ranges region. It's an essential communications hub between Adelaide (320 km away), Western Australia (via Ceduna), the Eyre Peninsula (via Whyalla) and the Northern Territory (via Coober Pedy). Accommodation, food and supplies are readily available, with a large Woolworths supermarket in the city center.The main attractions are the Outback Visitor Centre, the botanical garden with its desert plants, and the marina area, with its promenade offering beautiful views over the bay. On either side of the Port Augusta Bridge, which crosses the waterway, there are two swimming areas with outdoor showers, as well as picnic areas with barbecues and toilets. The Great Western Bridge, the former pedestrian bridge that runs parallel to the Port Augusta Bridge, takes you from one bank to the other. The huge factory that can be seen at the entrance to the city on the edge of the bay is the Alinta Power Station, whose tower lights up the approach to the city. It's a power plant that gobbles up thousands of tons of coal from the Outback every day. The ore arrives by rail. The Indian Pacific, which runs between Sydney and Perth, and the Ghan, which runs between Adelaide and Darwin, stop at Port Augusta once a week in each direction.