Wyndham, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
, located on the Great Northern Highway
, 3224 kilometres (2,003 mi) northeast of Perth
. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek
, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a population of 800. Wyndham is split into two areas. The original town site of Wyndham Port is situated on Cambridge Gulf
, while Wyndham's Three Mile area is the residential and shopping area of the town. Wyndham is part of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley.
, and then sailed up a river which was subsequently named after him. Finding no fresh water on the mudflats, he departed.
The town of Wyndham was established by John Forrest
in 1885 as the major port and trading station of the East Kimberley, after finds of gold in Halls Creek a year earlier. By 1886, the town was booming. There were six pubs, one of which was a two-storey building. Ships brought in at least five thousand miners who headed off to the Halls Creek goldfields. It is known that during this boom there were times when up to 16 vessels were moored in Cambridge Gulf.
However, by 1888, the gold rush at Halls Creek had ended and the fortunes of Wyndham declined. Wyndham became a tiny settlement serving the pastoral interests in the East Kimberley. By 1912, money had virtually disappeared from the Wyndham economy, and purchases were paid for using promissory notes known as "shinplasters".
In 1913, the Western Australian government started to construct the Wyndham Meatworks to restart the town's economy. The construction efforts were interrupted by the Nevanas affair
and World War I
, but the meatworks were completed in 1919.
During World War II
, the town was attacked several times by Japanese
aircraft.
Wyndham's significance as a service centre was also reduced by the construction of the town of Kununurra
in the early 1960s.
The meatworks continued to be the mainstay of the town's economy until their closure in 1985.
, an inlet of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
of the Timor Sea
. It is surrounded by the Durack
, Pentecost
and King rivers
to the south, Forrest River
to the west and Ord River
to the north. Much of the land around Wyndham is inhospitable, and includes the jagged hills of the Bastion Range and the mudflat
s of the Cambridge Gulf.
Despite being in the tropics, Wyndham experiences a steppe climate (Köppen climate classification
BSh), with the wet season from late November to March and the dry season from April to early November. The hottest month is November with an average maximum temperature of 39.5°C (103.1°F), and the coolest month is June with an average maximum of 31.0°C (87.8°F). The annual average maximum temperature is 35.6°C (96.1°F,), one of the highest in Australia. In 1946, Wyndham recorded 333 consecutive days of temperatures over 32°C (90°F). http://home.iprimus.com.au/ozthunder/oz/kimber.html
There are two schools, Wyndham District High School (K-12) & St Joseph's Catholic School (K-7), one TAFE campus, and a daycare centre. There is also an outdoor swimming & recreational centre for leisure. For tourists, there are two hotels and a caravan park. Wyndham is served by Wyndham Airport. The nearby Bastion lookout provides sweeping vistas of the surrounding country including the five rivers named above which emerge into the Cambridge Gulf.
Wyndham is also the home of the Big Crocodile
, a wire and concrete statue of a crocodile around 18 metres long.
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...
, located 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...
, 3224 kilometres (2,003 mi) northeast of Perth
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....
. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek
Halls Creek, Western Australia
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 on the Great Northern Highway...
, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a population of 800. Wyndham is split into two areas. The original town site of Wyndham Port is situated on Cambridge Gulf
Cambridge Gulf
Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of Western Australia.Many rivers flow into the gulf including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River.The gulf experiences two large tidal flows each day between to...
, while Wyndham's Three Mile area is the residential and shopping area of the town. Wyndham is part of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley.
History
The first European to visit the area was Phillip Parker King in 1819. He was instructed to find a river 'likely to lead to an interior navigation into the great continent'. He sailed in to Cambridge Gulf, which he named after the Duke of CambridgeDuke of Cambridge
Duke of Cambridge is a title which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family several times. It was first used as a designation for Charles Stuart , the eldest son of James, Duke of York , though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge...
, and then sailed up a river which was subsequently named after him. Finding no fresh water on the mudflats, he departed.
The town of Wyndham was established by John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
in 1885 as the major port and trading station of the East Kimberley, after finds of gold in Halls Creek a year earlier. By 1886, the town was booming. There were six pubs, one of which was a two-storey building. Ships brought in at least five thousand miners who headed off to the Halls Creek goldfields. It is known that during this boom there were times when up to 16 vessels were moored in Cambridge Gulf.
However, by 1888, the gold rush at Halls Creek had ended and the fortunes of Wyndham declined. Wyndham became a tiny settlement serving the pastoral interests in the East Kimberley. By 1912, money had virtually disappeared from the Wyndham economy, and purchases were paid for using promissory notes known as "shinplasters".
In 1913, the Western Australian government started to construct the Wyndham Meatworks to restart the town's economy. The construction efforts were interrupted by the Nevanas affair
Nevanas affair
The Nevanas affair was a political scandal in Western Australia that was partly responsible for the downfall of John Scaddan's Labor government....
and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but the meatworks were completed in 1919.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the town was attacked several times by Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
aircraft.
Wyndham's significance as a service centre was also reduced by the construction of the town of Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
in the early 1960s.
The meatworks continued to be the mainstay of the town's economy until their closure in 1985.
Geography and climate
Wyndham is located at the west arm of Cambridge GulfCambridge Gulf
Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of Western Australia.Many rivers flow into the gulf including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River.The gulf experiences two large tidal flows each day between to...
, an inlet of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
Joseph Bonaparte Gulf is a large body of water off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia and Western Australia. It was named after Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon and King of Naples and then Spain by French explorer and naturalist Nicholas Baudin in 1803...
of the Timor Sea
Timor Sea
The Timor Sea is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, to the south by Australia and to the west by the Indian Ocean....
. It is surrounded by the Durack
Durack River
Durack River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises below the Durack Range then flows north discharging into the west arm of Cambridge Gulf...
, Pentecost
Pentecost River
Pentecost River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises below the Durack Range and flows North through El Questro Station where it meets with the Chamberlain River, then continues north crossing the Gibb River Road, skirts the eastern edge of Drysdale River National...
and King rivers
King River (Kimberley region, Western Australia)
The King River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise between the Durack range and the Saw range and initially flow southwards before turning north and continuing until it discharges into the West Arm of the Cambridge Gulf just South of Wyndham.The river...
to the south, Forrest River
Forrest River
The Forrest River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The river rises just East of Pseudomys Hill in the Drysdale River National Park and flows in an easterly direction until discharging into the western arm of the Cambridge Gulf....
to the west and Ord River
Ord River
The Ord River is a 320-kilometre-long river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was named in honour of Harry Ord, Governor of Western Australia from 1877 to 1880....
to the north. Much of the land around Wyndham is inhospitable, and includes the jagged hills of the Bastion Range and the mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s of the Cambridge Gulf.
Despite being in the tropics, Wyndham experiences a steppe climate (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSh), with the wet season from late November to March and the dry season from April to early November. The hottest month is November with an average maximum temperature of 39.5°C (103.1°F), and the coolest month is June with an average maximum of 31.0°C (87.8°F). The annual average maximum temperature is 35.6°C (96.1°F,), one of the highest in Australia. In 1946, Wyndham recorded 333 consecutive days of temperatures over 32°C (90°F). http://home.iprimus.com.au/ozthunder/oz/kimber.html
Facilities
Wyndham is also the home of the Big Crocodile
Australia's Big Things
The Big Things of Australia are a loosely related set of large structures or sculptures. There are estimated to be over 150 such objects around the country, the first being the Big Scotsman in Medindie, Adelaide, which was built in 1963....
, a wire and concrete statue of a crocodile around 18 metres long.