Dampier, Western Australia

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Dampier
Western Australia

Map of Dampier, Western Australia and surrounding area.

Population:

1,810

Established:

1960s

Postcode:

6713

Elevation:

48 m

Location:

19 km from Karratha
1,562 km from Perth

LGA:

Shire of Roebourne

State District:

North West Coastal

Federal Division:

Kalgoorlie

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
30.6 °C ^{87 °F}	22.7 °C ^{73 °F}	310.3 mm ^{12.2 in}

Dampier (20°40′S 116°43′E) is a major industrial port in the north-west of Western Australia. The Dampier Port is part of the Dampier Archipelago. The port services petrochemical, salt, iron ore and natural gas export industries.

1 History
2 Environment
3 Attractions
4 Photos
- 4.1 Panoramas
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

William Dampier

Aboriginal people have lived in the area for many thousands of years. They include the Bardi. The town is named after the archipelago which in turn got its name from the English buccaneer William Dampier,^[1] who visited the area in 1699.

As the expansion of Dampier reached a limit in the 1970s nearby Karratha was fully developed to cater for the overspill from Dampier.^[2]

[edit] Environment

The nearby Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) is home to what is believed to be the largest collection of petroglyphs (ancient rock art) in the world.^[3]

There are 42 islands within the Dampier Archipelago.^[4] There is a hugely diverse marine ecosystem around these islands where the fauna includes whales, dugongs, turtles, coral and sponges.^[4] Green turtles, (Chelonia mydas) are also known to nest in the Dampier Archipelago.^[5]

[edit] Attractions

At the entrance to the town is a statue of "Red Dog", a red kelpie/cattledog well known for roaming the area in the 1970's and hitching rides to nearby towns.^[6] The statue reads "Erected by the many friends made during his travels".