Located on Spencer Gulf South Australia, Port Pirie is only 220 kilometers north of Adelaide, in close proximity to the Southern Flinders Ranges. Easily accessible by both land and sea, the city was founded in 1853 and has a growing population of approximately 17,000.

Port Pirie is the largest city in the State’s Mid North Region and plays an important role as a regional service centre, with many of the surrounding smaller towns relying on Port Pirie for education, healthcare, retail and employment.

The CBD comprises a broad range of services and facilities typical of a large country town/small city, including a wide range of community facilities, commercial operations, offices, medical services, automotive services, short term accommodation and personal services, as well as substantial retail floor space.

The City has excellent education and healthcare options, an array of sporting clubs and recreational areas, and is also a centre for regional tourism. Together with a thriving retail sector, Port Pirie offers a range of business and lifestyle opportunities.

Port Pirie also benefits from being located strategically to the increasing mining activities in northern Southern Australia, one of Australia’s most promising mineral frontiers. Potentially, this includes not only mineral prospects in the region, but also the potential future development of unconventional gas resources located in the Cooper Basin.

The city is home to the worlds largest lead smelter and also produces and handles zinc and other concentrates which are transported using the existing port facilities. Having such a large facility located in the region provides ready access to a skilled workforce, metal fabrication businesses and a large range of mining and support services.

Primary production in the form of cropping, viticulture, and livestock, is also important to the local economy along with industries and businesses supporting the smelting activities. The other key area of employment is service industries.

Port Pirie’s main areas of employment include resources and manufacturing, education, retail, hospitality and healthcare.  In addition to the growing mining and resources sector in the region, key business sectors in Port Pirie include:

• Construction
• Retail trade
• Property and business services
• Health care and social assistance
• Agriculture, forestry and fishing.

The lifestyle advantages offered by Port Pirie include a broad range of services and facilities, good proximity to Adelaide, and affordable housing. Increasing employment opportunities in the region will be an important attraction for returning locals and opportunity seekers.

Business and industry expansion opportunities identified in the plan applicable to Port Pirie include:

• Value adding to agriculture
• Intensive livestock
• Aquaculture
• Service industries particularly in support of new mining activities
• Building and construction
• Mining and mineral processing
• Manufacturing
• Renewable energy and alternative water sources
• Knowledge intensive industries.

Tourism and mining do provide key opportunities for the local region to respond and diversify its economic base, as do expansions in the community services sectors. Tourism has been identified as a growth opportunity and over the period 2001 – 2006, employment in tourism industry related jobs increased.

Growth in the community services sector will also be in part reliant upon an increased population base both from within Port Pirie and the surrounding catchment areas. Major investment and service upgrades and or expansions are likely also to provide increased employment opportunities in this sector.

The city is relatively well positioned with respect to many areas where mining or exploration is occurring. Port Pirie is particularly well located for mining exploration to the east. The industry base within the City to date has resulted in the workforce having numerous skills and resources that are directly transferable to the mining industry during exploration work, construction and operation phases. In particular Port Pirie has a strong base in engineering, fabrication and construction businesses and associated trades. It also has a ready workforce.