4 reasons to visit Port Pirie
Port Pirie has so many reasons to visit, whether for a couple’s weekend getaway or for a family roadtrip full of fun. It’s a great day trip from Port Augusta, where you can get pet friendly accommodation (call to confirm which accommodation is pet friendly before booking).
Port Pirie is an hour from Port Augusta and is a great location for water sports like fishing, photography, historical sightseeing with buildings that are over 100 years old and perhaps a spot of lunch at the local pub.
What are the top sights in around Port Pirie
We’ve put our top four at the end of this article, but here are some ideas to get you started:
- Swim at Solomontown
- Scare yourself in the virtual reality shark cage dive. Wow! It’s at the Port Pirie Tourism and Arts Centre as well as come face to face with a reconstructed 5.5 metre shark – Shakka The Shark.
- Use it as a launch pad into the Flinders Ranges.
- Head out to Crystal Brook (the Big Goanna) or Redhill.
- Use the community pool – outside in summer and a heated pool inside in winter.
- On your drive from Port Augusta to Port Pirie, or on the way home, pull into the Mount Remarkable National Park only 30 minutes away.
Here are four more reasons to help convince you to check South Australia’s Port Pirie out.
1. Food and Shopping
Markets
The Port Pirie Producer’s Market is a great place to kick the day off. Producers sell anything from home décor to baked goods, with local and fresh vegetables. Bacon and egg breakfast is also on offer, along with coffee, at the markets, so even if you don’t buy anything, you can definitely claim your breaky as supporting the locals.
Port Pirie Producer’s Market takes place every second Sunday of the month, from 8:30am to 12pm and is easy to access from Port Augusta.
Family Hotel Port Pirie
This pub serves great food and promotes a happy family environment. It is a stunning Victorian building with all the trimmings. This is one of Port Pirie’s most popular locations for lunch, so be sure to drop by if you’re starting to feel the pang of hunger.
2. Port Pirie’s Historical Sites
Take the National Trust Walking Tour to see the best sites Port Pirie has to share with you.
Returned Services League Museum
Head to Port Pirie’s RSL Museum for an interesting military lesson that will inspire you. The RSL showcases an Iroquois Helicopter that was used in the Vietnam War, which has been dubbed the ‘Huey’, and is one of just 6 groups in Australia to have a relic from the Vietnam of this standard. The iconic ‘Huey’ acted as the workhorse for soldiers going into battle; it delivered them to the battle and brought those who survived home.
The National Trust Museum
The National Trust Museum is home to Captain Harry Butler’s Story, a highly trained aerial fighter and Captain in the First World War. His story is a short but nonetheless impressive one; with war, love and daring stunts mixed throughout. This is only one component of the National Trust Museum, so be sure to stop in to learn more about the settlement days and check out the historic records of the area. This Museum is made up of the old Customs House and Central Police Station, built in 1882, and serve as historical sites.
3. Art
Northern Festival Centre
This centre holds art shows, theatrical events such as cabaret, and dramatic productions like Kelly, an intimate depiction of Ned Kelly’s last night alive. The centre also hosts live music with the likes of Roy Orbison & the Everly Brothers and Athol Guy. The Northern Festival Centre is open Monday to Friday and is worth a visit to see what’s happening in the arts scene.
4. Fishing and Walks
Fishing
- Weeroona Island is 13km from the centre of town, and offers deep water for great fishing experiences.
- Port Germein has one of Australia’s longest jetties where you can be sure to catch something off the edge of.
- Make sure you know in advance which species you can’t catch (yes, there are restrictions in place) and also check with locals – such as the bait shop – what areas you shouldn’t fish in because of contamination concerns.
Walks
- Port Pirie’s Self Guided Heritage Walk introduces you to the stories of the heritage buildings in Port Pirie. The Information Centre will be able to provide a map for this walk.
- If you want to get a jump on the route, use this link to plan the walk.
- The Port Pirie War Cemetery is located at the general cemetery. It’s a good place to pay respects to the men who lost their lives to protect Australia.
For pet friendly accommodation that’s smack bang in the middle of all the things you will want to see, check out Discovery Parks - Port Augusta.
