Dampier & Karratha
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Mixing mines with Ancient
Treasures
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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
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.
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Chichester Ranges.
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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.
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