Whyalla, city and port in South Australia, Australia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Adelaide. Whyalla is a port on the Indian Ocean, situated on the north-western shore of Spencer Gulf. It was founded in 1901 by the Broken Hill Proprietary Company to export iron ore mined in the Knob and Middleback ranges and was known as Hummock Hill, changing its name in 1914 when made a town; it was designated a city in 1961. Whyalla is a centre of heavy industry, manufacturing steel products including railway track, crude oil, industrial fabrication, and commercial salt, and has the world's largest plant producing natural beta carotene (vitamin A). There is some tourism locally, centred round fishing and diving off the Whyalla coast, and the Whyalla Conservation Park is 10 km (6 mi) to the north. The city is one campus of the University of South Australia. Population (1991) 25,526.
