chief port of South Australia, on an estuarine-tidal inlet of Gulf St. Vincent, just northwest of central Adelaide. The harbour, sheltered by a long sand spit to the west, was visited in 1831 by Captain Collet Barker and was made the port for Adelaide in 1840. Port Adelaide was incorporated as a town in 1855 and became a city in 1901; it merged with the neighbouring city of Enfield (east) in 1996. The Inner Harbour, with extensive wharves, has a minimum depth of some 30 feet (9 metres) and is reached by a dredged channel between the spit and Torrens Island. Larger ships berth in the Outer Harbour, which has a passenger terminal and container handling facilities. Petroleum products, phosphate rock, and limestone are imported; bulk grain and soda ash are exported. Central Port Adelaide has been designated a conservation area to protect its fine 19th-century stone buildings, several of which have been converted into galleries, museums, and visitor centres. The South Australian Maritime Museum (1986) is one of several local attractions. Pop. (2006) 102,929.