PORT ADELAIDE

chief port of South Australia, on an estuarine-tidal inlet of Gulf St. Vincent, just northwest of Adelaide. Visited in 1831 by Capt. Collet Barker, the harbour, sheltered by a long sand spit to the west, was made the port for Adelaide in 1837. Port Adelaide was incorporated as a town in 1855 and became a city in 1901. The Inner Harbour, with extensive wharves, has a minimum depth of 33 ft (10 m) and is reached by a dredged channel between the spit and Torrens Island; it can accommodate vessels of up to 12,500 tons. Larger ships berth in the Outer Harbour, which has a passenger terminal and container handling facilities. Petroleum products, phosphate rock, and limestone are imported; bulk grain and soda ash are exported. The city centre has been designated a conservation area to protect its fine 19th-century stone buildings. Pop. (1981) 35,407.