Halls Creek, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Halls Creek is a small town situated in the East Kimberley region
of Western Australia
. It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing
and Turkey Creek (Warnum) on the Great Northern Highway
. It is the only sizeable town for 600 km on the Highway.
The town functions as a support centre for remote cattle stations in the area and is also a major welfare hub for the local indigenous population
.
Halls Creek is the administration centre for Halls Creek Shire Council
.
. The town would have ended had it not moved to its current location. Halls Creek was initially a gold mining town, named after prospector Charles Hall. In 1885, he and others in his prospecting party found the alluvial gold that led to the Kimberley gold rush, the first gold rush in Western Australia.
Today, some gold mining is still carried out by local prospectors; however, large-scale mining has ceased with the closure of the White Elvire River Mine.
peoples from the desert to the south of the town. They represent over 60% of the town's population.
In 2006, The West Australian
newspaper ran a series of articles highlighting the living conditions and health of the Halls Creek indigenous population. However, Halls Creek is by no means unusual in this regard, with many other towns and communities in the Pilbara, Kimberley, and other parts of the state facing the same issues. It is estimated that 90 percent of pregnant women in the town are alcoholic, with nearly a third of babies suffering Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
.
In May 2009 the state Director of Liquor Licensing imposed a "prohibition on the sale of packaged liquor with an alcohol content greater than 2.7 per cent from licensed premises" in the town. In September 2009 it was reported that assaults and drink driving arrests had decreased dramatically as a result of the bans.
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
of Western Australia
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...
. It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing
Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia
Fitzroy Crossing is a small town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 400 km east of Broome and 300 km west of Halls Creek. It is approximately 2,524 km from the state capital of Perth....
and Turkey Creek (Warnum) on the Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
. It is the only sizeable town for 600 km on the Highway.
The town functions as a support centre for remote cattle stations in the area and is also a major welfare hub for the local indigenous population
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....
.
Halls Creek is the administration centre for Halls Creek Shire Council
Shire of Halls Creek
The Shire of Halls Creek is one of the four Local Government Areas in the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia, covering an area of , most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's seat of government is the town of Halls Creek...
.
Tourism
For tourists, there are several nearby attractions such as:- China Wall
- Old Halls Creek
- Duncan RoadDuncan RoadDuncan Road is a generally northeast-southwest former highway in the northeast of Western Australia and northwest of Northern Territory which links the Victoria Highway with Halls Creek...
- Wolfe Creek craterWolfe Creek craterWolfe Creek Crater is a well-preserved meteorite impact crater in Western Australia., It is accessed via the Tanami Road south of the town of Halls Creek...
, 200 km to the south on the Tanami Road - Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles)Purnululu National ParkPurnululu National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.-Location:...
, 120 km to the north.
History
Halls Creek moved 12 km west from its original location in 1949 because the new Great Northern Highway did not follow the route of the old Duncan RoadDuncan Road
Duncan Road is a generally northeast-southwest former highway in the northeast of Western Australia and northwest of Northern Territory which links the Victoria Highway with Halls Creek...
. The town would have ended had it not moved to its current location. Halls Creek was initially a gold mining town, named after prospector Charles Hall. In 1885, he and others in his prospecting party found the alluvial gold that led to the Kimberley gold rush, the first gold rush in Western Australia.
Today, some gold mining is still carried out by local prospectors; however, large-scale mining has ceased with the closure of the White Elvire River Mine.
Indigenous population
It is home to the indigenous Jaru (Djar-u) and Kija (gKid-ja) peoples as well as some TjurabalanTjurabalan
Tjurabalan - - is a nomadic desert tribe from the edge of the Tanami desert near Sturt Creek and Lake Gregory in Western Australia.The combined population in 2003 was approximately 1200 people...
peoples from the desert to the south of the town. They represent over 60% of the town's population.
In 2006, The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
newspaper ran a series of articles highlighting the living conditions and health of the Halls Creek indigenous population. However, Halls Creek is by no means unusual in this regard, with many other towns and communities in the Pilbara, Kimberley, and other parts of the state facing the same issues. It is estimated that 90 percent of pregnant women in the town are alcoholic, with nearly a third of babies suffering Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a pattern of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Current research also implicates other lifestyle choices made by the prospective mother...
.
In May 2009 the state Director of Liquor Licensing imposed a "prohibition on the sale of packaged liquor with an alcohol content greater than 2.7 per cent from licensed premises" in the town. In September 2009 it was reported that assaults and drink driving arrests had decreased dramatically as a result of the bans.