12 Facts About Port Pirie

Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South Australia and is currently the second most important and second busiest port in the state.

Port Pirie is the eighth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Gawler, Mount Barker, Whyalla, Murray Bridge and Port Lincoln.

Port Pirie is the largest city and the main retail centre of the Mid North region of South Australia.

In 1846, Port Pirie Creek was named by Governor Robe after the John Pirie, the first vessel to navigate the creek when transporting sheep from Bowman's Run near Crystal Brook.

In 1913 the Russian consul-general Alexander Abaza reported that Port Pirie had a population of more than 500 Russians, mostly Ossetians, who had come to work at the smelter.

Related searches

Port Pirie was declared South Australia's first provincial city in 1953, and today it is South Australia's second largest port.

Port Pirie exists in a region with a semi-arid climate, outside Goyder's Line, surrounded by mallee scrub.

Freight line continues to operate into Port Pirie, feeding the metals plant with raw materials from Broken Hill, and transporting the processed material to Adelaide.

Port Pirie smelter conducted a project to reduce lead levels in children to less than 10 micrograms per decilitre by the end of 2010.

Port Pirie is home to the National Trust Historic and Folk Museum and Memorial Park.

Several radio stations cover Port Pirie, including ABC 639AM, ABC 891AM, 1044 5CS, 1242 5AU, triple j, Magic FM and Trax FM.

Port Pirie is part of the federal division of Grey, and has been represented by Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey since 2007.