Whyalla Steelworks

The Whyalla Steelworks is a fully integrated steelworks and the only manufacturer of rail in Australia. It produces 75% of all structural steel in Australia. Iron ore is mined in the Middleback Range to feed the steelworks, resulting in the distribution of finished steel products of over 90 different grades. It occupies a 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) site on the shore of False Bay, Spencer Gulf and is the largest employer in Whyalla, South Australia.

Opened in 1941, along with a major shipyard, the steelworks were owned by BHP, and many of the vessels were produced for the use of BHP Shipping. The shipyards were closed in 1978. OneSteel, later Arrium was a company spun out from BHP in 2000, and owned the steelworks until the company went into administration in 2017. It was bought by Liberty House Group, a subsidiary of the British company GFG Alliance, owned by Sanjeev Gupta, and the OneSteel brand was changed to Liberty OneSteel. After the company had incurred massive debts, the South Australian Government forced it into administration in February 2025, and the federal government announced a $2.4 billion joint state-federal support package for Whyalla and its steelworks.