DESTINATION: WhyallaSouth Australia's largest regional city, Whyalla is located near the top of Spencer Gulf. It prospered on iron ore discovered at nearby Iron Knob in the late 1880s. A rapid period of expansion followed when BHP set up their fully integrated steelworks in the town. Today, Whyalla is one of the nation's best-known industrial cities. Originally known as Hummock Hill, after the hill named by Matthew Flinders in 1802, the town was proclaimed Whyalla, from an Aboriginal word of unknown meaning, in 1914. Main AttractionsVisit Whyalla Maritime Museum with its impressive displays, including HMAS Whyalla, the largest ship in Australia permanently 'docked' on dry land. The museum also houses collections, displays and artefacts relating to BHP shipbuilding and WWII. The Onesteel Steelworks (previously BHP) is an interesting but unconventional tourist attraction; tours run Mondays and Wednesdays. The formal landscaping of Ada Ryan Gardens and extensive open areas with recreational facilities line Whyalla's foreshore beach area. On the other side of the jetty, Whyalla Marina has a 4-lane launching ramp and offers every facility to boat owners. A drive up Hummock Hill and walk to the lookout was developed by BHP to commemorate the company's centenary; the lookout offers magnificent 360? views over the town and Onesteel. Mount Laura Homestead Museum houses pioneering memorabilia, folk history and a telecommunications museum. Whyalla Wildlife and Reptile Park covers 100ha of bushland near the airport and is home to a range of native animals, monkeys and local venomous snakes. |
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Whyalla CP protects original Myall and bluebush woodland of the northern Eyre Peninsula. Walk up Wild Dog Hill for a great view of the park and surrounding areas. Other tracks lead to Point Douglas and to the lighthouse and beach at Point Lowly. The temperate waters around Whyalla create a diverse marine ecosystem for divers to explore. Each year from early May to mid-August, the shallow waters around the coast witness the annual migration of the giant Australian cuttlefish, known as the 'chameleons of the sea'.
latest storiesCuttlefish Boatdivenaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | We met the dive boat down at the marina, and were soon on our way. Our first dive was on a massive stone breakwater just off from the steelyards. | read more Whyalla: Cuttlefish Capital of the Worldnaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | Rough weather dictated that we try a shore dive. We set off with three other divers, and followed each other by car to an area called the crab pots. This is close to where the old lighthouse is, and the lighthouse keepers’ cabins are sometimes rented out by divers and scientists doing research on the cuttlefish. | read more Why Whyalla?naturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | After spending a day in Port Augusta cleaning out the dust from our campertruck, doing five loads of washing, and having the oil changed in our car; we headed down the road a piece to Whyalla. Why Whyalla, you may well ask? | read more top storiesCuttlefish Boatdivenaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | We met the dive boat down at the marina, and were soon on our way. Our first dive was on a massive stone breakwater just off from the steelyards. | read more Why Whyalla?naturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | After spending a day in Port Augusta cleaning out the dust from our campertruck, doing five loads of washing, and having the oil changed in our car; we headed down the road a piece to Whyalla. Why Whyalla, you may well ask? | read more Whyalla: Cuttlefish Capital of the Worldnaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | Rough weather dictated that we try a shore dive. We set off with three other divers, and followed each other by car to an area called the crab pots. This is close to where the old lighthouse is, and the lighthouse keepers’ cabins are sometimes rented out by divers and scientists doing research on the cuttlefish. | read more
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by the Contributing Authors.
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cmsadmin. (2005, May 20). Whyalla. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Plan Book Travel Australia Web site: http://www.exploreaustralia.com/australia/sa/whyalla.
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editors picksCuttlefish Boatdivenaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | We met the dive boat down at the marina, and were soon on our way. Our first dive was on a massive stone breakwater just off from the steelyards. | read more Why Whyalla?naturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | After spending a day in Port Augusta cleaning out the dust from our campertruck, doing five loads of washing, and having the oil changed in our car; we headed down the road a piece to Whyalla. Why Whyalla, you may well ask? | read more Whyalla: Cuttlefish Capital of the Worldnaturalwanders | 2008-01-31 | Rough weather dictated that we try a shore dive. We set off with three other divers, and followed each other by car to an area called the crab pots. This is close to where the old lighthouse is, and the lighthouse keepers’ cabins are sometimes rented out by divers and scientists doing research on the cuttlefish. | read more |
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