Nukunu Country
Tarparrie (muddy creek)
Now a busy street and wharf, you are standing on what was once the high tide water mark of a shallow tidal creek that was difficult to navigate. Dredging deepened the harbour and produced the soil to backfill this area. Called Tarparrie by the traditional owners, it was named Samuel’s Creek from the mid-1840s and following the 1871 survey, the new town took its name from the ship called the John Pirie – credited with taking the first load of wool from nearby pastoral stations.
Port Pirie was destined to become a large wheat port and transport hub. It was the preferred location for the receival, processing and dispatch of the silver, lead and zinc mined in the Barrier Ranges and carried via the railway line from Broken Hill. Social and economic prosperity has ebbed and flowed through droughts and strikes, war and downturn but this resilient city remains a significant port, processor of ore and a vibrant and culturally diverse community.
Port Pirie & Galloway’s Jetty at low tide early 1870s.
Photo: SLSA B3137.
Queen’s Wharf
Work on the Queen’s (or Government) Wharf began in December 1876. Silt placed behind the structure from dredging allowed for the building of the Custom’s House, Railway Station, Court House & Institute adjacent to the structure. Photo: Port Pirie Wharf Scene c.1896. SLSA B11894