Wickham, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Wickham is a townsite located 1,572 km north of Perth
and 13 km north of Roebourne
in the Pilbara
region of Western Australia
.
and shiploading at Port Walcott. The majority of the residences and facilities in town are owned by Rio Tinto
. Wickham was originally a closed company town but was transferred to administration by the Shire of Roebourne
in 1980, after which a scheme for public housing
was implemented. Wickham now has an estimated population of 1,800 people.
It has a close nexus with Cossack
, Roebourne and Karratha. Wickham was established in 1970 by Cliffs Robe River Iron Associates (Robe’s) and named after J.C. Wickham, the captain of HMS Beagle
, who surveyed the north-west coast in 1840. Robe’s aim was to create a processing plant for the iron ore mined at nearby Pannawonica, a port (at Cape Lambert
) from which to ship the produce, and a town to house the associated employees. Wickham provides a full range of services including an airstrip and the Shire’s only skydiving club.
Iron Ore ship loading facility boasts one of the longest and tallest jetties in Australia
. View the massive 170 tonne haul truck at Robe's Visitor Centre. At sunset visit Wickham's Tank Hill lookout for sweeping views, or walk the secluded pristine sandy beaches around Port Walcott, home of the local yacht club.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and 13 km north of Roebourne
Roebourne, Western Australia
Roebourne is an old gold rush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is 202 km from Port Hedland and 1,563 km from Perth, the state's capital. It prospered during its gold boom of the late 19th century and was once the biggest settlement between Darwin and Perth...
in the Pilbara
Pilbara region of Western Australia
The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia known for its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore...
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...
.
History
The town's first permanent buildings were begun in 1970 by Cliffs Robe River to support its iron-ore mine at Pannawonica, processing at Cape LambertCape 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:...
and shiploading at Port Walcott. The majority of the residences and facilities in town are owned by 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...
. Wickham was originally a closed company town but was transferred to administration by the Shire of Roebourne
Shire of Roebourne
The Shire of Roebourne is one of the four Local Government Areas in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of and has a population of about 19,100 , most of which is located in its seat of government, the town of Karratha, and the major towns.-History:In 1887, the...
in 1980, after which a scheme for public housing
Public housing in Australia
Public housing in Australia is usually provided by departments of state and territory governments. Australian public housing operates within the framework of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, by which funding for public housing is provided by both federal and state governments...
was implemented. Wickham now has an estimated population of 1,800 people.
It has a close nexus with Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
, Roebourne and Karratha. Wickham was established in 1970 by Cliffs Robe River Iron Associates (Robe’s) and named after J.C. Wickham, the captain of HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
, who surveyed the north-west coast in 1840. Robe’s aim was to create a processing plant for the iron ore mined at nearby Pannawonica, a port (at 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:...
) from which to ship the produce, and a town to house the associated employees. Wickham provides a full range of services including an airstrip and the Shire’s only skydiving club.
Port
Just out of Wickham, the Cape LambertCape 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:...
Iron Ore ship loading facility boasts one of the longest and tallest jetties in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. View the massive 170 tonne haul truck at Robe's Visitor Centre. At sunset visit Wickham's Tank Hill lookout for sweeping views, or walk the secluded pristine sandy beaches around Port Walcott, home of the local yacht club.