Dampier

For a single-purpose town, designed and constructed by the Hamersley Iron mining company , Dampier is a particularly pretty settlement. Hamersley Iron Pty. Ltd. operates mines at Tom Price and Paraburdoo 290 km to the east in the Hamersley Ranges, shipping its ore through the Port of Dampier.

The town's impossibly regular design reflects the fact that it was specifically constructed in 1965 as a port and processing centre to meet the needs of the Hamersley Iron mining operations at Tom Price and Paraburdoo. However by 1968 it had outgrown its original plan and consequently the ever-increasing population was moved to the new town of Karratha.

The road from Karratha (and the North West Coastal Highway) out to Dampier runs through harsh desert landscapes and at one point runs for kilometres beside the huge salt pans which are part of the Dampier Salt Company's activities.

Dampier is one of the largest ports in Australia. In 1989, 506 vessels were loaded with over 49 million tonnes of iron ore from the Hamersley mines at Tom Price and Paraburdoo, making it the largest tonnage port in Australia. It is possible to visit and inspect the port facilities and all of the industries.

Dampier has beach frontage with an ocean pool, boat ramps, a boating and sailing club and barbecue and picnic facilities by the beaches. Offshore are the islands of the Dampier Archipelago, which have become something of a tourist attraction.

In the area

Natural features: Indian Ocean; King Bay; Mackerel Islands; Lowendal Islands Nature Reserve; Monte Bello Islands; Barrow Island Nature reserve; Mungaroona Range Nature Reserve

Heritage features: Trial shipwreck (1622), Trial Rocks, Dampier 'Climbing Men' Aboriginal art site (9 km north-east); Skew Valley, Kangaroo Valley, Hunter Valley, Happy Valley and Gum Tree Valley Aboriginal art sites.

Industry Tours

Tours are available of all the local industries. To undertake a two-hour tour of the Hamersley Iron Port Facility (with audio-visual presentation) ring (08) 9144 4600. The tour includes outstanding views of the harbour and the ship-loading facility. Covered shoes and bookings are essential.


Burrup Peninsula

If visitors to the area turn north before Dampier and continue along Burrup Road they arrive at the huge complex on the Burrup Peninsula known as the North West Shelf Project. Run by Woodside Liquefied Natural Gas this is Australia's largest resource project developing the gas reserves of the North Rankin and Goodwyn gas fields both of which lie 140 km off the coast.

Burrup Peninsula is where two dramatically different culture meet - close to the industrial developnent are hundreds of thousands of Aboriginal rock engravings that are distributed over an area of 88 sq. km, and to see them necessitates some four-wheeled means of transport.

The rock art ranges from small engravings of Emu tracks to very large ones representing a corroborree or ceremony, and even Aboriginal figures climbing a ship's mast. They depict a Tasmanian tiger, whales, kangaroos, emus and thousands of Aboriginal ceremonies.

Staircase To The Moon

Between March and October each year, when conditions are just right, visitors to the North West region of WA are treated to a natural spectacle. This natural phenomenon occurs only when the full moon rises over the exposed mudflats at times of extremely low tides, creating the optical illusion of a staircase reaching for the moon. The best viewing spots are at Roebuck Bay in Broome; Cooke Point in Port Hedland; the Lookout at Cossack; Hearson's Cove, located on the Burrup Peninsula between Karratha and��Dampier; and Sunrise Beach in Onslow.


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Where is it?

1,545 km north of Perth on King Bay facing the islands of the Dampier Archipelago.


Dampier Archipelago

Dampier Archipelago is a string of 42 pristine islands that lie off the coast of Dampier and Point Samson. The islands' white sandy beaches and blue waters also make them an ideal location for swimming or just lazing the day away.

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Hearsons Cove

Located on the Burrup Peninsula between Karratha and Dampier, Hearsons Cove is one of the many beautiful beaches in this region. This lovely sheltered cove is a popular swimming and picnic spot all year round and is ideal for children as its water is calm and clear.


North West Shelf gas project

The North West Shelf gas project is Australia's largest offshore operation. Its rigs may be sighted if they are in the bay for maintenance.

The North West Shelf Project Visitors Centre on Burrup Road features viewing areas of the plant complete with models and a theatrette where a film of the project is regularly screened. This replaces the bus tours of the works. It is an excellent overview of the scheme which, while hardly being a 'hands on' experience, offers the visitor an opportunity to understand the complexity of the project.

The centre looks across at huge green domes which hold vast quantities of liquefied natural gas which is shipped to Japan in LNG carriers. Contact (08) 9158 8292 for opening times etc.


Red Dog

One of the local characters of note was Red Dog, about which the popular feature film is about. Born in Paraburdoo in 1971 he travelled throughout the entire region from Perth to Broome to Port Hedland. However, his exceptional homing instinct always returned him to Dampier or Karratha. This kelpie/cattledog cross is honoured with a statue at the town's entrance. A book about him is available by ringing the Karratha Tourist Bureau on (08) 9144 4600.

Naming Dampier

The town's name recalls British sea captain William Dampier, who visited and explored the coastal region in 1688 aboard Capt. Swan's Cygnet, returning in 1699 aboard Roebuck. His findings were published in two volumes which were the first descriptions about the Australian continent to be published.

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