Dampier, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Dampier 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. Rio Tinto
exports large volumes of iron ore through the port, and in September 2010 announced plans to expand capacity. At the 2006 census
, Dampier had a population of 1,370.
Aboriginal people
, including the Yaburara and Ngarluma tribes, have lived in the area for many thousands of years. The town derives its name from the nearby Dampier Archipelago
, named after the English
buccaneer
William Dampier
, who visited the area in 1699.
The town was built from 1965 onwards, to serve the railway transporting iron ore from Tom Price
and Paraburdoo
. By 1968, the further expansion of Dampier had been constrained by geographical factors and the new town of Karratha
was established as a result.
s (ancient rock art) in the world.
There are 42 islands within the Dampier Archipelago.D-day for Dampier 19 December 2005. The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 3 December 2006. There is a hugely diverse marine ecosystem
around these islands where the fauna includes whales, dugongs, turtles, coral and sponges. Green turtles, (Chelonia mydas) are also known to nest in the Dampier Archipelago.
", a red kelpie
/cattledog well known for roaming the area in the 1970s and hitching rides to nearby towns. The statue reads "Erected by the many friends made during his travels". Other attractions include the fishing not far off the coast, the most commonly targeted species being barramundi
(Lates calcarifer).
was transported via the Hamersley & Robe River railway
to Parker Point and loaded on ships. The port at East Intercourse Island opened in 1972.
The port has an annual capacity to handle 140 million tonnes of iron ore, in comparison to Rio Tinto's other iron ore port, Cape Lambert
, which is able to handle 80 million tonnes. It takes between 24 to 36 hours to load a ship at port.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The Dampier Port is part of the Dampier Archipelago
Dampier Archipelago
The Dampier Archipelago is a group of islands near Dampier, Western Australia. It is named after William Dampier, an English buccaneer and explorer who visited in 1699. Dampier named one of the islands, Rosemary Island.-History:...
. The port services petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, iron ore and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
export industries. Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
exports large volumes of iron ore through the port, and in September 2010 announced plans to expand capacity. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Dampier had a population of 1,370.
History
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, including the Yaburara and Ngarluma tribes, have lived in the area for many thousands of years. The town derives its name from the nearby Dampier Archipelago
Dampier Archipelago
The Dampier Archipelago is a group of islands near Dampier, Western Australia. It is named after William Dampier, an English buccaneer and explorer who visited in 1699. Dampier named one of the islands, Rosemary Island.-History:...
, named after the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
buccaneer
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
William Dampier
William Dampier
William Dampier was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer...
, who visited the area in 1699.
The town was built from 1965 onwards, to serve the railway transporting iron ore from Tom Price
Tom Price, Western Australia
Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range...
and Paraburdoo
Paraburdoo, Western Australia
Paraburdoo is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The name of the town comes from the Aboriginal word for 'white cockatoo'. It is located 1,536 kilometres north of Perth and 79 kilometres southwest of Tom Price. Paraburdoo was developed in the early 1970s to support Hamersley...
. By 1968, the further expansion of Dampier had been constrained by geographical factors and the new town of Karratha
Karratha, Western Australia
-Facilities:A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan/RV accommodation is available for visitors. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by.The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs...
was established as a result.
Environment
The nearby Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) which means "Hip Bone Sticking Out" in the Ngarluma/Yaburara language, is home to what is believed to be the largest collection of petroglyphPetroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s (ancient rock art) in the world.
There are 42 islands within the Dampier Archipelago.D-day for Dampier 19 December 2005. The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 3 December 2006. There is a hugely diverse marine ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
around these islands where the fauna includes whales, dugongs, turtles, coral and sponges. Green turtles, (Chelonia mydas) are also known to nest in the Dampier Archipelago.
Attractions
At the entrance to the town is a statue of "Red DogRed Dog (Karratha)
Red Dog was a Kelpie/cattle dog cross that was well-known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier, which is one of the towns to which he often returned...
", a red kelpie
Australian Kelpie
The Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog successful at mustering and droving with little or no command guidance. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours...
/cattledog well known for roaming the area in the 1970s and hitching rides to nearby towns. The statue reads "Erected by the many friends made during his travels". Other attractions include the fishing not far off the coast, the most commonly targeted species being barramundi
Barramundi
The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
(Lates calcarifer).
Port
The port of Dampier, opened in 1966, when the first iron ore from the Mount Tom Price mineMount Tom Price mine
The Mount Tom Price mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara...
was transported via the Hamersley & Robe River railway
Hamersley & Robe River railway
The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Group, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. The network is larger than any other Australian heavy freight rail network in private ownership. The...
to Parker Point and loaded on ships. The port at East Intercourse Island opened in 1972.
The port has an annual capacity to handle 140 million tonnes of iron ore, in comparison to Rio Tinto's other iron ore port, Cape Lambert
Cape Lambert
Cape Lambert is a port facility operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located 40 kilometres north of Karratha.-Overview:...
, which is able to handle 80 million tonnes. It takes between 24 to 36 hours to load a ship at port.
Panoramas
External links
- Dampier Port Authority
- The Burrup Peninsula The National Trust of Australia
- The World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch List page for the Dampier Rock Art Complex
- Dampier Port Authority
See also
- Pilbara historical timelinePilbara historical timelinePilbara historical timelineThis timeline is a detailed list of events and locations of the development of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.-References:* Hamersley Iron Diary titled Hamersley Iron. The Pilbara Flora Collection 1984...
- Red Dog StoryRed Dog (Karratha)Red Dog was a Kelpie/cattle dog cross that was well-known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier, which is one of the towns to which he often returned...