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Port Augusta Noticeboard, Port Augusta (2026)

01/09/2026

Happy first day of Spring!

To celebrate the first day of Spring here are some pictures of the Australian native Paper Daisies putting on a spectacular show in Port Augusta at the moment!

Did you know that William Dampier collected the first Australian daisy, a Brachyscome, in 1699 from Shark Bay in Western Australia and introduced into cultivation in Europe before the middle of the 19th century.

Grow your own...

Paper Daisies are best sown directly in autumn as the soil cools. They grow slowly through winter, developing strong roots before flowering prolifically in spring.

With a well-prepared, weed-free garden bed, good soil, plenty of sunshine and regular watering during establishment, you can create your own beautiful drift of Australian colour. And if you have a small garden, they can even be sown directly into tubs for a colourful spring display.

From September to November, these cheerful flowers bring a little bit of the Australian bush into our gardens, streets and public spaces.

Have you grown Paper Daisies in your garden? Please feel free to share them with us.

16/08/2026

How amazing is Saltia Creek after a little rain?

If you are looking for a little time in nature, you certainly can't go past this beautiful spot, just a short 15-kilometre drive east of Port Augusta towards Quorn. Turn left off the Flinders Ranges Way, just before the Pichi Richi Railway bridge, and you will find yourself entering a very different world, one where the landscape, the creek and the gorges seem to tell a story of their own.

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about Saltia Creek is that it doesn't always reveal itself. For much of the year, it may be little more than a dry creek bed winding quietly through the landscape. But when the rains come, everything changes. The creek begins to run. Water gathers in the rocky channels and pools, flowing beneath the gums and through the ancient landscape. The sound of running water seems almost out of place in this dry country, and that is what makes it so special.

But there is much more to Saltia than its beautiful scenery.

Long before roads, railway lines and modern-day visitors, this country was known by its Aboriginal name, Thaltja, meaning "the gums". The name was recorded as Thaltia as early as 1855, a fitting name for a place where river red gums and other native trees have long followed the course of the creek.

The story of the European settlement of Saltia began in the mid-1800s.

In 1859, Charles Simmons purchased land in the area, associated with Sections 901 and 902 of the Hundred of Woolundunga. That same year, he erected a hotel, and by 1862 he had laid out what was to become the little township of Saltia.
For a time, Saltia was a small but important settlement on the route between Port Augusta and the developing communities of the Flinders Ranges.

A post office opened around 1869, providing an important connection for the people who lived and worked in this remote part of South Australia. In those days, travelling through the ranges was a very different experience to the easy drive we enjoy today.

The railway itself is a reminder of an era when rail was vital to opening up the Flinders Ranges and connecting remote communities with the outside world.

Saltia was officially declared a place name on 13 December 1984. Its boundaries were later established across the City of Port Augusta and the District Council of Mount Remarkable, reflecting the way this small locality sits between the coastal plains and the rugged country of the Flinders Ranges.

Standing beside the creek, it is easy to imagine the generations of people who have travelled through this country before us. The traditional owners who knew this landscape long before the township was established. The early settlers who saw an opportunity to build a community here. The travellers who stopped at the hotel. The people who relied on the post office. The railway workers and passengers who passed through on their journeys towards Quorn and beyond.

So, the next time you find yourself travelling along the Flinders Ranges Way after rain, perhaps take a little detour into Saltia to sit by a gumtree, listen to the water and take in the rugged ranges surrounding you. For just a moment, you are not simply looking at a creek after rain. You are looking at a small piece of South Australia's history.

Saltia Creek may only run for a short time, but its story has been running through these ranges for generations.

28/07/2026

Please take the time to submit feedback to the Port Augusta City Council by this Friday 31st July to help keep all historic timber from the Great Western Bridge in Port Augusta. The more community voices that are heard, the stronger our message will be.

Below is my submission to the council. If you agree with the ideas I've put forward but don't have time to write your own, you're welcome to copy my submission and lodge it as your own, simply stating that you agree with the points raised.

Reuse of the Great Western Bridge Timber

The Great Western Bridge was far more than a piece of infrastructure. For generations it was one of Port Augusta's defining landmarks a gateway to the city, a vital transport link, and a place woven into the memories of thousands of residents and visitors. It represented connection, progress, resilience and community, becoming an enduring symbol of Port Augusta itself.

Although the bridge has now been removed, its story does not have to end. The reclaimed timber offers an extraordinary opportunity to preserve a tangible part of our city's history in the very landscape where that history was created.

I respectfully urge the Council to retain all reusable timber from the Great Western Bridge on the Port Augusta foreshore, ensuring this irreplaceable heritage material remains where it belongs. Once dispersed or discarded, its connection to place is permanently lost. Preserved locally, however, it can become the foundation of a unique public space that celebrates our history, strengthens community identity and creates lasting value for future generations.

This timber is not simply recycled building material, it is a significant cultural and historical resource. Every beam carries the marks of decades of service and tells the story of the people, industries, families and communities that relied upon the bridge throughout its life. That history cannot be recreated once it is removed from its original setting.

Retaining the timber on the foreshore would create one of the most distinctive heritage landscapes in regional Australia. Few communities have the opportunity to transform the fabric of an iconic bridge into a living public space that continues telling its story. Rather than becoming forgotten relics, the timbers could remain visible, accessible and meaningful within the community they served.

Heritage and Interpretation

The reclaimed timber could form the basis of a heritage precinct that allows residents and visitors to experience the bridge in entirely new ways, including:

• A Bridge Timeline Walk using timber posts and interpretive plaques documenting the bridge's construction, operation and eventual removal.

• Bridge Alignment Markers showing the original path of the bridge across the gulf, allowing visitors to visualise its historic scale.

• Historical photo displays featuring archival photographs, engineering information and personal stories contributed by local residents.

• Interactive digital interpretation through QR codes linking visitors to oral histories, videos and historical archives.
Rather than preserving history behind museum walls, these features would allow people to walk through it.

Tourism and Economic Benefits

Retaining and repurposing the bridge timber would create a destination unique to Port Augusta.

Across Australia, visitors increasingly seek authentic places that tell local stories. A heritage precinct built from the original bridge timber would become a landmark attraction unlike any other, encouraging travellers to spend more time exploring the foreshore and supporting local cafés, accommodation providers and businesses.

The project could become a heritage tourism attraction. A destination for school excursions and educational programs. A feature of walking tours and visitor experiences. A venue for festivals, markets and community celebrations or a showcase of adaptive reuse and sustainable design.

Investing in heritage is also investing in economic development. Well-designed public places encourage visitation, increase community use of public spaces and contribute to the liveability that attracts residents, businesses and investment.

Community Spaces

The reclaimed timber could create welcoming spaces where people continue to gather, just as the bridge once brought people together, including outdoor gathering areas with circular seating for storytelling, performances and community events, picnic shelters and pergolas built from bridge timber, landscaped reflection gardens acknowledging the bridge's significance to generations of Port Augusta residents, an outdoor amphitheatre for cultural performances, concerts and school activities, quiet seating areas overlooking the gulf. These spaces would strengthen social connection while honouring the bridge's legacy.

Nature, Landscape and Environmental Stewardship

Reusing the timber locally is also an important environmental decision. Rather than sending valuable material elsewhere, retaining it within Port Augusta demonstrates responsible resource management and circular economy principles.

The timber could become part of environmentally sensitive landscape design through boardwalks winding through native gardens, wildlife habitat structures supporting birds, insects and climbing native plants, large pergolas covered with shade vines, rain gardens improving stormwater management, timber edging for gardens and natural landscapes and water-sensitive design integrated throughout the foreshore.

This approach preserves both natural and cultural heritage together, creating a landscape that tells the story of people and place.

Public Art and Cultural Expression

The bridge timber also offers exceptional opportunities for artistic and cultural interpretation. Projects could include:

• Community carving projects involving local artists, schools and Aboriginal artists.

• Sculptures created directly from the reclaimed bridge timber.

• A memorial sculpture trail throughout the foreshore.

• A landmark gateway entrance constructed from the bridge's original timbers.

• Children's nature play spaces inspired by the bridge's engineering and history.

• Opportunities for Aboriginal communities to contribute cultural knowledge, interpretation and artistic expression, recognising the long history of First Nations connection to this landscape and ensuring the site reflects the full story of Port Augusta.

Interactive Community Features

The timber could continue bringing people together through interactive features such as:

• A Memory Wall featuring engraved community stories and recollections.

• A wishing well supporting local charities or environmental projects.

• Wind chimes or bell installations celebrating the movement and sounds of the gulf.

• A community time capsule preserved within a timber monument for future generations.
These elements would ensure the precinct continues evolving as a place where memories are created, not simply remembered.

Water Features

Water-sensitive landscape design could further reinforce the bridge's connection to the gulf through:

• Timber-edged ponds with aquatic plants.

• Small bridges crossing ornamental water features.

• Cascading water channels edged with reclaimed timber.

• Seating overlooking reflective water gardens.

These features would create peaceful spaces while strengthening the visual connection between the reclaimed timber.

Sustainability and Legacy

Retaining the bridge timber on the foreshore represents environmental responsibility, heritage conservation and sound community planning.

• It would preserve an irreplaceable part of Port Augusta's history

• Reduce waste by giving valuable materials a meaningful second life

• Demonstrate sustainable reuse of significant heritage materials

• Keep the timber connected to the landscape it served for generations

• Create educational opportunities for schools and visitors

• Strengthen tourism and economic activity

• Encourage recreation and healthy community use of the foreshore

• Support local artists, craftspeople and community organisations

• Create a lasting civic asset for future generations.

Most importantly, it would preserve something that cannot be replaced.

Once the bridge timber leaves Port Augusta, its story leaves with it. If it remains where history was made, it continues to tell that story for decades to come. The Great Western Bridge connected communities for generations. Although the bridge itself has been removed, its legacy can continue to unite people through places of learning, recreation, reflection, culture and environmental appreciation.

Council has a rare opportunity to transform the physical remains of one of Port Augusta's most significant landmarks into an enduring public legacy. Future generations will not remember the bridge because they crossed it, they will remember it because this generation chose to preserve its story.

I respectfully ask Council to recognise the exceptional historical, cultural, environmental, educational and tourism value of the reclaimed Great Western Bridge timber and commit to retaining all reusable material on the Port Augusta foreshore.

In doing so, Council will not simply preserve timber, it will preserve the identity, memory and shared history of Port Augusta itself.

Kendall Jones

Here is the link to the Port Augusta Council’s website to have your say>

https://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/enquiries/your-say/current-consultation/great-western-bridge-timber-repurposing

21/07/2026

Premier Malinauskas: We Urge You to Preserve the Port Augusta Wharf as a significant piece of South Australia's maritime history.

The Port Augusta Wharf is one of the last surviving links to our city's rich maritime history. It is far more than a structure of timber and steel; it is a place of immense historical, social and cultural significance. The Wharf tells the story of Port Augusta's thriving working port and holds generations of cherished memories for local families, visitors and the wider community.

For many years, the City of Port Augusta has acknowledged the Wharf's deteriorating condition through engineering assessments, inspections, emergency repairs and ongoing funding commitments. During this time, responsibility shifted between governments and critical decisions were delayed. These actions demonstrate a long-standing recognition that the Wharf is an important community asset worthy of investment and preservation, not abandonment.

Today, as the South Australian Government completes its final assessments and determines the Wharf's future, the people of Port Augusta respectfully urge the Government to invest in preserving this significant piece of South Australia's maritime heritage. Doing so is an investment not only in our past, but also in the identity, character and legacy we leave for future generations.

If sections of these historic structures cannot be preserved in their original form, every effort should be made to retain and reuse their heritage timber within Port Augusta. Historic materials could be incorporated into interpretive displays, public artworks, viewing platforms, shelters and other community projects that celebrate the city's maritime history. By recycling and reusing these materials within the Wharf precinct wherever possible, the story of Port Augusta's waterfront can continue to be shared, even where full restoration is no longer possible.

Over the past decade, our community has lost the Great Western Bridge and the Mill Jetty, while the Westside Jetty and Eastside Wharf remain fenced off to the public. The historic timbers that once formed part of Port Augusta's working waterfront were ultimately sold to a multi-million-dollar private estate hundreds of kilometres away. We must not allow the same fate to befall any historic materials removed from the Wharf in the future.

As early as 2018, engineering investigations were commissioned in response to growing concerns about the condition of the Wharf and Westside Jetty. Around the same time, the Eastside Mill Jetty was identified for demolition, marking the beginning of the gradual loss of Port Augusta's historic waterfront.

By 2019, marine engineers had confirmed severe structural deterioration caused by rot, marine borers and failing piles. They warned that, without urgent intervention, progressive collapse was inevitable. Although fencing was installed and limited emergency funding was provided, it was repeatedly acknowledged that meaningful long-term preservation would require State Government support.

Throughout 2019 and 2020, the City of Port Augusta continued seeking funding while it became increasingly clear that ownership of the Wharf rested with the South Australian Government. The Wharf was subsequently removed from the Council's Asset Register, leaving the future of this significant heritage asset increasingly uncertain.

Successive Asset Management Plans continued to warn that delaying maintenance would increase safety risks, restrict public access and significantly increase future restoration costs. Despite these repeated warnings, more of the waterfront disappeared behind security fencing.

In 2021, following years of community advocacy, the South Australian Government announced funding to refurbish the heritage-listed Wharf. The announcement acknowledged what local people had long understood—that the Wharf is central to Port Augusta's history, identity and sense of place. Community support was overwhelming, with most consultation responses coming from Port Augusta and surrounding communities.

Despite this commitment, progress remained slow. By 2023 and 2024, the Wharf was still inaccessible, the Westside Jetty remained closed to the public, and uncertainty continued to surround the future of Port Augusta's remaining maritime heritage.

In 2025, a new $15 million refurbishment package was announced during the election campaign. While this investment was welcomed, the community's focus has now shifted to ensuring that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. Consultation processes have been questioned, and there remains overwhelming public support for retaining and preserving the Wharf.

Port Augusta's Wharf is more than a historic structure—it is a symbol of our city's identity, resilience and connection to the sea. Once lost, it can never be replaced. We respectfully ask the South Australian Government to preserve this landmark for future generations and, where restoration is not possible, ensure that its historic fabric remains within Port Augusta so that its story continues to be told for generations to come.

If you agree with this post, please comment and share.

By Kendall Jones

11/07/2026

This life-size picture frame in Port Augusta might just be the most accidentally honest, government-funded "Expectation vs. Reality" tourist sign in Australia. 🤣🤪😜

One side of the life-sized frame paints a postcard view of the magnificent Flinders Ranges and Spencer Gulf, framed with vibrant colours that invite you to become part of the picture.

The other side shows the reality of Port Augusta: a damaged, graffitied picture frame overlooking a fenced-off historic wharf—another unofficial monument to decades of neglected maintenance and regional funding that never quite arrives.

You couldn't design a better metaphor for regional funding if you tried. The sign isn't broken... it's just telling the truth.

#

06/07/2026

Police have released footage from an armed robbery that took place at Port Augusta service station in May 2026.

Just after 4.30am on Tuesday 26 May, police were called to a service station on the Eyre Highway following reports that a man had entered the premises armed with an axe and threatened staff. The suspect stole ci******es and cash from the till before fleeing.

The employee was not physically injured.

Multiple patrols attended and searched the area, however, the suspect was not located.

Crime scene investigators and detectives attended the scene and have since released CCTV of the suspect>
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JkZD4bMJV/

Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at https://brnw.ch/21x3TCO or free call 1800 333 000. Quote reference 138278

01/07/2026

Port Augusta is emerging as a proposed hub for large-scale AI and digital infrastructure, centred around developments within South Australia’s Upper Spencer Gulf Renewable Energy Zone.

The precinct is designed for always-on, energy-intensive operations, with access to firmed renewable energy, high-capacity transmission, and purpose-planned industrial land. Projects linked to the area, including the proposed AI data centre developments near Stirling North and Port Paterson, are being positioned as part of Australia’s next wave of digital and energy infrastructure.

But as momentum builds, so do community questions.

Developments of this scale bring potential economic benefits — jobs, investment, and long-term regional activity — but also raise practical concerns that are still being unpacked, including:

•Electricity demand and long-term grid capacity

•Water use for cooling in a relatively dry region

•Infrastructure load and proximity to nearby communities

•Transparency around environmental and resource impacts

Another issue increasingly being discussed is council rates and local contribution.

Many large energy projects in Australia are treated differently from standard commercial or residential developments, with exemptions or negotiated arrangements that can significantly reduce or remove council rate obligations. That raises a broader question for communities like Port Augusta: if large-scale energy and data infrastructure is hosted locally, what is a fair model for contributions back to local councils that fund roads, services, and community infrastructure?

Supporters of exemptions often argue these projects are regionally or nationally significant, already delivering broader public benefit through energy transition and economic growth. Others question whether local communities carry enough of the ongoing cost burden without receiving proportional financial return.

As AI data centres and renewable energy precincts converge, the debate isn’t just about where these facilities are built, it’s also about how benefits, costs, and responsibilities are shared.

What do you think? Should AI and energy mega-projects contribute council rates like other major developments, or do exemptions make sense given their strategic importance? Do you support a large scale ai data centre being built in this location?

https://auroraenergyprecinct.com.au/ #:~:text=Firmed,-renewable%20energy%20for

29/06/2026

How does a publicly funded heritage restoration project end with historic jetty timber being used to build eight-bay horse stables, a tack room and a pergola on a multi-million-dollar private estate?

The story of the Eastside (Mill) Jetty is more than the loss of a historic landmark. It is a timeline of grant funding, repeated promises to restore a valued community asset, years of delay, changing decisions, and growing questions about accountability. As restoration funding sat largely unused and the jetty continued to deteriorate, Council resolutions, engineering reports and community consultation told a very different story from the eventual outcome.

Follow the timeline to see how events unfolded—and decide for yourself if opportunities to preserve this important piece of Port Augusta's maritime heritage were lost, and what lessons should be learned for the stewardship of public assets.

Eastside (Mill) Jetty – Infrastructure Management, Grant Funding and Accountability
The management of the Eastside (Mill) Jetty provides an important case study in infrastructure planning, asset management and the stewardship of public funds.

In 2015, Council secured an Open Space Grant of up to $550,000 for the restoration of the Eastside (Mill) Jetty, subject to Council contributing at least 50 per cent of the project cost. The grant was specifically intended to support restoration of the jetty, which had long been recognised as an important historical, recreational and community asset.

This followed a unanimous Council resolution on 27 January 2015 in which elected members acknowledged concerns regarding the closure of the Eastside Jetty, the deteriorating condition of the Westside Jetty and other timber maritime structures. Council recognised these assets as significant components of Port Augusta's maritime heritage and noted that they remained highly valued by the community. Members resolved that every effort should be made to resource their repair, reconstruction and ongoing maintenance.

Despite securing substantial restoration funding and publicly committing to preserving the structure, expenditure directed toward restoration appears limited.

Financial Year
Budget Allocation
Actual Expenditure

2014-15
$15,500
$61,306

2015-16
$15,500
$8,352

2016-17
$15,500
$98

2017-18
$158,500
Primarily budgeted for removal

These figures suggest that following the successful grant application, very little funding was invested in restoration works during the years when intervention may have been most effective.

A significant change in direction occurred on 23 May 2016 when Council received and noted a report seeking to surrender the jetty lease back to the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI). This represented a departure from the earlier commitment to repair and maintain the structure.

By the 2017-18 Budget and Business Plan, Council had allocated approximately $150,000 toward removal of the jetty despite having previously secured restoration funding.

At the same time, Council correspondence demonstrates continuing uncertainty regarding the future of the asset. Council records indicate that:

◦ On 27 March 2017, Council was still awaiting a response from DPTI regarding the jetty.
◦ On 27 November 2017, Council was advised that DPTI would not accept surrender of the lease.
◦ DPTI correspondence confirmed ongoing discussions regarding the existing grant funding available for jetty upgrades.

Importantly, elected members repeatedly resolved to investigate restoration or replacement rather than demolition.

Resolutions supporting a tender process for either restoration of the existing Eastside Jetty or construction of a replacement jetty were endorsed on:

◦ 13 November 2017 (Operations Committee recommendation)
◦ 27 November 2017 (Council endorsement)
◦ 18 December 2017
◦ January 2018
◦ 23 April 2018

These decisions demonstrate that Council continued to support restoration or replacement options well after concerns regarding structural deterioration had emerged.

A diving inspection undertaken by Whyalla Diving Services between December 2017 and February 2018 identified extensive deterioration, including:

◦ Broken and fractured piles.
◦ Split and rotted beams.
◦ Significant timber decay.
◦ Marine borer damage.
◦ Structural failures in crossbeams, headstocks and support members.
◦ Components assessed as Condition State 6 and 7 under the Wharf Structure Condition Assessment Manual, indicating end-of-life assets requiring rehabilitation or replacement.

The report concluded that substantial rehabilitation would be required and that much of the eastern section of the jetty had reached the end of its useful life.

However, this assessment occurred several years after the jetty was closed to the public in August 2014 and after restoration funding had already been secured.

Community consultation undertaken in 2016 received 102 responses and indicated:
◦ 50 per cent supported refurbishment.
◦ 30 per cent supported removal.
◦ 20 per cent expressed mixed views.

The consultation therefore demonstrated majority support for retaining the jetty, with many respondents supporting removal only because of concerns regarding cost and on the basis that alternative recreational infrastructure would be provided.

This history raises several questions that remain relevant to current budget discussions:

Why was the Open Space Grant for restoration not utilised sooner when Council had publicly committed to preserving the structure?

Why were annual restoration budgets minimal despite repeated Council resolutions supporting repair, reconstruction and replacement options?

Did delays in decision-making contribute to further deterioration and increased costs?

Were opportunities lost to undertake restoration works when structural conditions may have been more favourable?

What accountability measures should be implemented to ensure future grant-funded projects are delivered within reasonable timeframes?

How did the historic timber end up in a multi million dollar private estate sale 400km South of Port Augusta?

The Eastside Jetty matter is particularly relevant inlight of ESCOSA's concerns regarding asset management planning and infrastructure forecasting. It demonstrates the importance of maintaining accurate asset condition information, making timely investment decisions and ensuring that grant-funded infrastructure projects are actively managed to avoid avoidable deterioration.

The Eastside (Mill) Jetty was recognised by Council as an important historical and recreational asset. Significant grant funding was secured for its restoration and multiple Council resolutions supported restoration or replacement options. However, limited expenditure occurred during critical years while delays in decision-making coincided with further deterioration of the structure.

Given the community significance of the asset and the substantial public funding involved, a transparent review of expenditure, decision-making processes and lessons learned is warranted. Such a review would assist Council in improving future infrastructure planning, strengthening public accountability and restoring community confidence in the management of public assets.

Port Augusta Noticeboard

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