Whyalla, city and port in southern Australia, in the state of South Australia. Located on the northwest shore of Spencer Gulf, an arm of the Indian Ocean, Whyalla is a center of heavy industry, with gas refineries and chemical industries. Its main exports are salt, gas, liquids, clothing, and iron ore from the Middleback Ranges. The steelworks of Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) were the largest in Australia before they closed in 1980. There is some tourism locally, centered around fishing and diving off the Whyalla coast. Whyalla is connected to Port Augusta to the northwest and Port Lincoln to the southeast by the Lincoln Highway. A railway also runs through Whyalla, and an airport is located nearby. BHP founded the settlement in 1901, and it was designated a city in 1961. Whyalla is an Aboriginal word meaning “deep water place.” Population (1996) 23,382.
