Port Augusta West is a settlement in the extreme northeast corner of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, on the western side of the head of Spencer Gulf. It is now a suburb of Port Augusta, however it has a separate early colonial history. The Corporate Town of Port Augusta West was gazetted on 6 October 1887, and only merged into the Corporate Town of Port Augusta on 28 April 1932. The bridge across the head of Spencer Gulf connecting Port Augusta West to Port Augusta was built in 1926, replacing a punt.
Port Augusta West contains the junction of the Eyre Highway (to Eyre Peninsula and Western Australia), Stuart Highway (to the Far North and Northern Territory), and Augusta Highway (to Adelaide).
Location, description and land use
Port Augusta West is a suburb of the city of Port Augusta which is the only part of the city to be located on the western side of Spencer Gulf on the Eyre Peninsula. It is about 2 kilometres north of Adelaide city centre.
Port Augusta West consists of an urban area on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula immediate west of the suburb of Port Augusta. It is dissected by the following major highways - the Augusta Highway which branches in the middle of the suburb to become the Stuart Highway which heads north and the Eyre Highway which heads south. The Whyalla-Port Augusta railway line passes to the north and west of the suburb’s urban area.
The majority land use is residential which accounts for most of the built development on the eastern side of the suburb. The area between the Eyre Highway and the Stuart highway on the west side of the suburb’s built area is zoned for industrial use. The Port Augusta Airport is located to the south end of the suburb and is separated from the residential area by open space and a “vegetation buffer”.
The suburb also includes the following facilities - the Port Augusta Golf Club and the Port Augusta West Primary School The suburb also includes the following public parks and gardens - the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, the West Side Foreshore, the Westside Lookout Tower, the Rotary Park, the Northey Crescent and the Sid Welk Park.
History
The historic Port Augusta West Water Tower in Mitchell Terrace is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.
Governance
Port Augusta West is located within the federal division of Grey, the state electoral district of Stuart, and the local government area of the City of Port Augusta. The suburb is also located within the South Australian Government region of the Far North.