Port Pirie is a city located in South Australia, Australia with a population of 15,200. It was founded in 1845 as a settlement. Located 225 kilometres north of Adelaide, Australia.

Geography

Port Pirie is located at a Latitude of 33°10' South and Longitude of 138°00' East and at an elevation of 4 metres above sea level.

Port Pirie operates the smelters for the wealthy Broken Hill lead and zinc mines, see BHP.

Railways

From 1938 to 1970, Port Pirie had the dubious distinction of being a break-of-gauge railway junction between railways of three different gauges:

• 3' 6" to Broken Hill.
• 4' 8&frac12" to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia (trans-continental 'Indian Pacific' service).
• 5' 3" to Adelaide.

In 1970, the line from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was converted to standard gauge, reducing Port Pirie to having two gauges, but creating three-guage stations at Gladstone and Peterborough. In 1982, the line to Adelaide was also converted to standard gauge.

External link

• Port Pirie, South Australia reference