Whyalla Steel Works tour: On the Eyre Peninsula in the West Coast region of South Australia

Whyalla is at the top of Spencer Gulf at that point where the tourism brochures tell you, "The Outback Meets the Sea". It has a rich history and has played a pivotal role in the industrial development and defence of Australia.

Matthew Flinders named it Hummock Mount. Nearly one hundred years later, it became the Port of Hummock Hill and by 1914 it was renamed Whyalla.

“During the war years it was actually a secret city - called SMC 47,” explained our guide, Les Jones. “It stood for small munitions centre number 47. As a result because of the war years they did not want to tell anybody what was happening here. And so it became the name.”

By 1941 they were making ships here. The first was the corvette, The HMAS Whyalla which takes pride of place at the entrance to the city. The raw product for the ships and the steel made here for many years comes from massive iron ore deposits way out there on the horizon at Iron Knob and Iron Baron in the Middleback Ranges.

“As a result of the iron ore at Iron Knob BHP decided to go into the iron and steel making business. And they built the Newcastle Steel Works,” said Les.

This part of SA has had a profound impact on the Australian economy. Just how profound becomes apparent on A Cuttle Fish Capital tour of the steel works. The One Steel company now owns the steel plant - ending the Big Australian's association, which lasted more than a century.

While the steelmaking process has been refined the basics remain pretty much the same. The Pellet plant sends a composite, which is 60 percent iron along with dolomite and limestone. Later, the mountains of pellet find their way into the furnace where the iron is separated from impurities. The impurities known as slag are dumped in one of the highpoints of Les Jones' tour.

“You can't see this anywhere else in Australia. That's about fourteen hundred and fifty degrees celsius and it's liquid rock - It's lava,” said Les.

“We tip two and a half of those every two hours so to see it is very rare. But we try to make sure that you can see it. That's just an example of what you can see.

Meanwhile, we’re back on the Tour Bus as the liquid iron continues on it's journey to the steel making plant and Les gives us another quick update on the plant's contribution to Australian ship building.

“From 1941 to 1978 we had sixty six, an oil rig and a number of barges actually built here.”

We arrive at the blast furnace, which is fueled by the million tonnes of coal delivered each year by the Iron Chieftain from Port Kembla. Eventually we make our way to the rolling mill. Its constant hissing, banging and clattering display raw power.

“There’s lots of action lots of noise, colour and movement. It's got the ‘wow factor’ - the drama of steel,” smiled Les. “Visitors love the noise, they love the action - there's just so much happening here.

Les is right - the rolling mill plant churns out about four hundred thousand tonnes of structural steel and other products per year. This is where the steel for the Alice to Darwin rail link came from.

The more you wander around the plant the more you realise the impact of the steel works on everyday life. If you potter about in the shed at home, much of what you work with, will have come from here - steel for nails, fencing wire, nuts and bolts. A trip to the hardware store will never seem the same after a tour like this.

The Cuttlefish Capital Tours operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact the Whyalla Visitor Centre on 1800 088 589.

Cuttlefish Capital Tours
OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks Tour
Tours Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Contact 1800 088 589

If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au