Western Australia Tourism & Accommodation Guide

Dampier and Karratha

Mines and Ancient Treasures

Perched high above the Archipelago National Park,
Dampier is yet another coastal town of outstanding beauty.
There are several flights a day to and from the nearby Karratha airport.

KARRATHA
Karratha is approximately 1600km north-west of Perth along the North West Coastal Highway and has a population of around 10,000.

The town is the gateway to the Burrup Penisula, the stunning Dampier Archiepelago and the famous Millstream-Chichester National Park. Scenic waterfalls, 52 tropical Islands, Spectacular marine life and breathtaking gorges are all within an hour of Karratha. Karratha has a range of accomadation and restraunts. The Best time to visit is May - August for the cooler tempatures. Colin Browning

With near-to-perfect warm winter temperatures, Karratha is a great place to escape the southern cold and soak up the sun in a clean, modern town. Most visitors use Karratha as a base while touring nearby Dampier, Roeboume, Wickham, Cossack and Samson, or as a base for fishing trips, exploring the offshore islands, rock collecting, or enjoying the scenery in the neighbouring hills and gorges.

The view from Queens Lookout on the island will give you a lasting impression of some of the 42 islands that go to make-up the Dampier Archipelago .

Visit Deep Gorge, an area rich in Aboriginal Rock engravings.

DAMPIER 
The town of Dampier was built to service the iron ore mines of Tom Price and Paraburdoo. Dampier is a company town with excellent facilities. The typical North-West tropical weather makes it a popular tourist centre. 

Aborigines were well established on the islands and mainland and their large shell middens and magnificent rock art are found throughout the area. The major attractions revolve around the water, with boating, sailing, fishing, diving, windsurfing and swimming, but there are other attractions. The Pilbara Historical Society Museum features historical locomotives and rollingstock from the Pilbara, a large model track and a miniature rail line. 

The Backpackers Guide to WA says:- 
A booking service is available for tours of the Karajini National Park and its gorges, Chichester National Park and its oasis-like Millstream Pool, along with advice on all other features of the area. 

Dampier was developed as the port for export of iron ore mined at Paraburdoo and Tom Price by Hamersley Iron. Cost-free tours are run daily of the pelletising plant where visitors can see giant ships taking on thousands of tonnes of iron ore for overseas shipment. Bookings for these tours can be made through the King Bay Holiday Village. For the angler, the fishing either from the shore or boat can only be described as excellent. 

Nearby Karratha was established when the iron ore boom saw Dampier run out of building blocks. This was followed by the start of the multi-million dollar North-West Gas Project. Built on part of the original Karratha Station (Aboriginal for “good country”), the town is the fastest growing and most modern in the North West. 
Karratha is an ideal base for several tours into the spectacular hinterland. 

Full commentated tours on offer include the incredible Millstream in the Chichester National Park, which is akin to an oasis with tropical palms and growth surrounding a lake which was the original water supply source for Karratha. 
Other tours include the Karajini National Park with its magnificent gorges and the chance to view iron ore mining and enormous machinery in action. 

The giant North West Shelf Gas Project is the largest and one of the most important natural resource developments yet undertaken in Australia.  The operators, Woodside, have a centre for visitors which has a most informative display of models and audio visuals covering their operations. Definitely worth the small fee. 
Located on the Burrup Peninsula, near the port of Dampier and the town of Karratha in the remote north of Western Australia, the project has been supplying gas to domestic and industrial users since August 1984. In July 1989 the project began exporting liquefied natural gas to Japan.

Return to the Pilbara Region Page