Port Lincoln

Port Lincoln

Port Lincoln, city, south-central South Australia. It lies on a protected embayment of Spencer Gulf on the east shore of Eyre Peninsula, about 150 miles (240 km) west of Adelaide. Visited in 1802 by the explorer Matthew Flinders, this fine natural harbour with deepwater anchorage was named by him for his native English county of Lincoln. The city was surveyed in 1839. The port is the principal outlet for wheat, barley, wool, and mutton produced on the peninsula. It is also one of Australia’s largest fishing centres, with catches of tuna, whiting, and salmon, and holds a popular annual Tunarama Festival. The city is linked by rail with Penong and has fish canneries, railway workshops, a fertilizer factory, and other processing plants. Tourism and sport fishing are also important to the economy. Pop. (2006) 13,603; (2011) 14,086.