About Whyalla

Welcome to Whyalla

Whyalla lies on the beautiful shores of the upper Spencer Gulf, hence the phrase by which the city is known. "Where the Outback meets the Sea". Whether you are travelling across Australia, or to the Eyre Peninsula, Whyalla is the logical place to stop and relax.

With a fabulous climate that provides around 300 days of clear and sunny skies each year, Whyalla's range of attractions is sure to appeal. From the heritage of the Whyalla Maritime Museum featuring the largest permanently land-locked warship in Australia to the relaxing lawns of the foreshore, from the Health & Leisure Centre with its indoor pools to the energetic pursuits of enthusiasts at the skate park, Whyalla has a lot to offer.

Whyalla boasts enviable year-round fishing and is proud to host a renowned snapper fishing competition each Easter. Why not throw in a line and see if you can hook a "Big Red", or perhaps King George whiting is more to your liking.

Diving or snorkelling amongst the cuttlefish (May to August) is an amazing and truly unique experience. These 'chameleons of the sea' are one of the most spectacular natural events in the Australian marine environment. a growing number of snorkelers, scuba divers, scientists and documentary teams from all over Australia and overseas have travelled to Whyalla to marvel at this extraordinary annual mass gathering and ritual of mating and spawning.

When it comes to accommodation you will be delighted with the options - caravan parks with en-suite units, cosy bed and breakfasts, country style hotels, plus a great choice of self contained accommodation options and a good range of motels.

Whyalla is the regional shopping centre for the northern and western areas of the State, so whether you're strolling along a beach, exploring our parks and visitor attractions, or just sampling the taste of country life in a city, we're sure you'll enjoy the friendliness and hospitality of Whyalla locals.

History of Whyalla

The northern Spencer Gulf was first navigated by Matthew Flinders in 1802, followed by Frenchman Louise-Claude de Freycinet in 1803. In 1840, land explorer Edward John Eyre reported the presence of iron stone in the Middleback Ranges, fifty kms west of the city of Whyalla. The first attempts to mine the area began in the 1890's. The city itself started as a tiny work camp on the shore at the foot of Hummock Hill in 1901. The camp was set up as a service base for the iron ore jetty constructed by Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP).

The settlement, then known as "Hummock Hill" gradually expanded until 1914 when Whyalla was proclaimed a town, BHP Co Ltd. extended its industrial activities in Whyalla by building shipyards and a blast furnace in 1940. The booming town was proclaimed a city in 1961. The steelworks started production in 1965. After construction of sixty-six ships, the Whyalla shipyard closed in 1978. On October 28th, 2000 the steelworks became the independent company OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks.

Aboriginal Heritage

Artefacts discovered at Point Lowly indicate that the area has been occupied by Aboriginal tribes for a least 6,000 years. The Whyalla area itself was visited by semi nomadic tribes of Malkaripangala people who were a subdivision of the Barngarla aboriginal group culturally linked to the Lake Eyre and Lake Torrens tribes. Some of the landscape features of mythological importance were also recognised by the Kokatha and Adnyamathanha tribes. The most important sites were the hills and caves at Cultana Range, Tregalana salt lake, Weeroona Bay, Stony Point, Black Point, Fitzgerald Bay, Hummock Hill, Mount Young and Mount Laura.

One of their most important mythological stories is the travelling of the Moon and Seven Sisters (the Pleiades start constellation), Barngarla people wore cloaks made from kangaroo skin turned fur inside during winter. In summer, they smeared their bodies with fat and ochre. The hunted both land and marine animals; however they never included oysters and shellfish in their diet. By the 1870's, the majority of Eyre Peninsula aboriginals lived at the fringe camps near the white settlement. The Malkaripangala virtually disappeared.

Origin of the name "Whyalla"

In 1914 the town of Whyalla was proclaimed in the SA Parliament. The origin of the name is open to debate, but it is believed to have been named after a nearby ridge, Mount Whyalla. However, it could also have evolved from a similar word in the Barngarla language - 'Kayalla' which means 'Northern Country'.

Manning's Place Names of SA, 1990 edition by Geoffrey H. Manning refers: Whyalla - Before the town was proclaimed on 16 April, 1914, a hill about 15 kms from the town was called "Whyalla Hill". Prof N. B. Tindale disagrees with the suggestion that it means "place of water". He said an Aboriginal tribe near Port Pirie had a work wajala meaning "west" while a tribe near Port Augusta had a word waila meaning "I don't know".

Attractions and Tours

Whyalla Maritime Museum

The Whyalla Maritime Museum features WWII naval history, the BHP shipbuilding industry, Aboriginal settlement, early maritime heritage and natural history of the upper Spencer Gulf.

The prime exhibit is the former HMAS Whyalla, the first modern warship built in South Australia in 1941, which stands on dry land 2kms from the sea. Thousands of visitors every year enjoy the experience of actually walking under the ship before boarding with their tour guide.

In the museum building, a permanent exhibition documents the story of the four WWII corvettes built in Whyalla (HMAS Whyalla, HMAS Pirie, HMAS Kalgoorlie and HMAS Gawler). The museum also exhibits artefacts that reflect the BHP shipbuilding era in Whyalla and the early maritime heritage of the first European exploration of the upper Spencer Gulf, including the 1814 edition of Matthew Flinders' journals and charts.

The natural history gallery features the Gulf's diverse marine environment, while the Aboriginal section reveals the 6,000 year history of tribes in the area and their unique rituals connected to the sea.

Discover one of the largest H0 gauge model railways in Australia with 226 metres of track. The model landscape reflects the countryside along the railways to and from Whyalla, Iron Knob, Port Augusta, Snowtown and Adelaide.

Mount Laura Homestead Museum

The museum is operated by the Whyalla branch of the National Trust and is in the centre of the city.

The museum grounds include the Gay Street cottage - built by the BHP Company in 1914 for rental to its employees.

Other attractions include a steam locomotive which in 1902 hauled iron ore from Iron Knob to Hummock Hill, the Nicolson Engine Shed which houses more than 60 stationary engines, the first police "lock up," and a blacksmith's display.

A telecommunication museum featuring an extensive display of items and information from the Overland Telegraph era of 1872 to modern day satellite communications is one of the latest acquisitions, having been relocated from Adelaide.

Other major developments include a collection of horse drawn vehicles and agricultural implements in "Barber's Barn" and a beautiful heritage rose garden.

Another item of interest is the Women's Memorial Sculpture by Iron Knob artist Yvonne Dorward and Whyalla artist Dianne Turner.

Whyalla Foreshore & Marina

Facilities include a Foreshore Centre with change rooms and toilets, a lifesaving and rescue headquarters, extensive lawns, free BBQs, beach volleyball area and large popular playground area with shade-sail. The playground is accessible to people with disabilities due to the installation of a Liberty Swing - this is a revolutionary concept in playground swing equipment which allows children in wheelchairs to enjoy the fun and recreation of swinging. The swing enables a wheelchair to access it by a ramp which is then detached and the wheelchair locked into position - free keys to unlock the mechanism can be borrowed from the Whyalla Council office on Darling Terrace during business hours.

The linking of the foreshore with Ada Ryan Gardens provides a large recreational area.

The beach offers swimming in relatively shallow waters, and there is also a safe swimming enclosure in the deeper waters of the marina. A nearby fishing jetty is the ideal place to catch tommy ruff, garfish, some species of whiting, squid and blue swimmer crabs. At low tide you can walk out to the "blue line" in search of a feed of fresh crabs.

A marina launching fee applies at the boat ramp to assist with ongoing maintenance. Access to the launching area is controlled by a ticket machine.

Other facilities include beach shelters, car park, and public toilets with showers next to the nearby yacht club. Wheelchair access to the jetty is available via a concrete path from the car park to the jetty.

Whyalla Wetlands

A combined recreational and stormwater recycling facility being developed by Whyalla Council.

The final development will include almost 10 hectares of artificial lakes fed by a combination of underground seepage and stormwater runoff. Water from the lakes is recycled to irrigate trees, lawns and parklands.

The Whyalla Norrie Rotary Club has been heavily involved in working with the City Council to develop many of the existing facilities. A viewing and parking area with a BBQ, shelter, picnic benches, lawn and special landscaping has been established. In keeping with the innovative theme of the Wetlands, there are environmentally friendly hybrid toilets (which are virtually waterless). The toilet area also includes baby change facilities and disabled access wheelchair ramps all the way to the toilets.

Other facilities include extensive pedestrian paths around the lakes, park benches strategically located along the paths and a gazebo atop the central hill. Two disabled access ramps have been constructed from the car park and the BBQ shelter, giving access to paths around the lakes.

Already, birdlife not usually seen in Whyalla is being attracted. Sightings have included reed warbler, native hen, various species of duck, herons, cormorants, ibis, pelicans, red necked avocet and ravens - to name a few. Small native fish (hardyheads from the Flinders Ranges) have been introduced to establish a balanced ecosystem.

The Wetlands Walk is part of Whyalla Heritage Trailways, and as such interpretive signs are interspersed throughout the wetlands providing information about the city's water management initiatives, the Whyalla Strategic Bicycle Plan and a wealth of historical information.

The information on this webpage is courtesy of the Whyalla Visitor Centre, Visitor Guide and images courtesy of Russell Bambridge.

AUCEA National Conference, 8-10 July 2009 Whyalla South Australia, proudly acknowledges the following sponsors: