Karratha, Western Australia

Karratha
Western Australia

Karratha at dusk
Karratha
Coordinates 20°44′11″S 116°50′47″E / 20.73639°S 116.84639°E / -20.73639; 116.84639Coordinates: 20°44′11″S 116°50′47″E / 20.73639°S 116.84639°E / -20.73639; 116.84639
Population 16,475 (2011 census)[1]
Established 1968
Postcode(s) 6714
Time zone AWST (UTC+8)
Location 1,575 km (979 mi) from Perth
LGA(s) City of Karratha
State electorate(s) Pilbara
Federal Division(s) Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
32.3 °C
90 °F		 20.7 °C
69 °F		 285.1 mm
11.2 in

Karratha is an Australian city adjoining the port of Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which was established in 1968 to accommodate the processing and exportation workforce of the Hamersley Iron mining company and, in the 1980s, the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the North West Shelf Venture. At the 2011 census, Karratha had a population of 16,475.[1] The city's name comes from the cattle station from which land was reclaimed for the development. Karratha in the local Aboriginal language means 'good country' or 'soft earth'.[2] The city is the seat of government of the City of Karratha.

Geography

Karratha is located approximately 1,535 kilometres (954 mi) north of Perth and 850 kilometres (528 mi) south of Broome on the North West Coastal Highway.

Suburbs

Karratha is composed of 9 main suburbs: Karratha City Centre, Bulgarra, Pegs Creek, Millars Well, Nickol, Nickol West, Baynton, Baynton West, Tambrey and one industrial area, known as both the LIA (Light Industrial Area) and KIE (Karratha Industrial Estate). Karratha's housing development continues, with new villages and suburbs being built. Baynton West is currently being developed. Also a new suburb going east of Bulgarra with an indigenous name, Mulataga has received Council approval. There is current development of a second Industrial Estate: Gap Ridge which is west of the city, past the cemetery.

Sport

NPFL (North Pilbara Football League) is an Australian Rules League with 7 teams: Karratha Kats, Karratha Falcons, Dampier Sharks, Roebourne Magpies, Wickham Wolves, Port Hedland Rovers and South Hedland Swans.

Pilbara Rugby League has 5 teams: Karratha Stormers, Karratha Broncos, Karratha Roosters, Port Hedland Juniors, South Hedland Cougars and Wickham Wasps.

Soccer has 5 teams: Bulgarra Glory, Karratha Snow Whites, Nickol, Dampier Red Dogs and Salt.

Economy

Karratha's economic base includes the iron ore operations of the Rio Tinto Group, sea-salt mining, ammonia export operations, North West Shelf Natural Gas Project, Australia's largest natural resource development and the newest Natural Gas Project called Pluto LNG which is situated adjacent the existing North West Shelf LNG facility.

Karratha came into being in 1968[3] due to the tremendous growth of the iron-ore industry and the need for a new regional centre caused by a shortage of land in Dampier.

Karratha has the largest shopping centre in the Pilbara, Karratha City, which has major food and grocery retailers and department store chains.[4] It was opened in 1986 as Karratha City and expanded in 2005. The centre also serves the neighbouring towns of Dampier, Wickham and Roebourne. There is also a smaller centre, Karratha Village, which has health services including a pharmacy and medical and dental practices. There is only one hospital in Karratha, the Nickol Bay Hospital. The notable feature of the hospital is its wind resistant design due to the threat of seasonal cyclonic activity.

Climate

Karratha has a hot semi-arid climate, that just avoids a desert climate classification. Temperatures are warm to hot all year round, with low rainfall, most of which falls in late summer due to the influence of tropical cyclones and the monsoon. Even winter temperatures rarely drop below 10 °C, while maximums stay in the mid to high 20 °C's. The record high temperature is 48.2 °C (118.8 °F), while the record low is 6.9 °C (44.4 °F). The highest monthly rainfall ever recorded was 348.8mm (13.7 in) in February 2011, owing to the passage of Tropical Cyclone Carlos and several other monsoonal lows over Karratha.

Climate data for Karratha
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 48.2
(118.8)		 47.7
(117.9)		 45.8
(114.4)		 41.3
(106.3)		 36.7
(98.1)		 32.8
(91)		 32.7
(90.9)		 35.4
(95.7)		 40.7
(105.3)		 44.7
(112.5)		 44.4
(111.9)		 46.9
(116.4)		 48.2
(118.8)
Average high °C (°F) 36.1
(97)		 35.4
(95.7)		 35.9
(96.6)		 34.2
(93.6)		 30.1
(86.2)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.2
(79.2)		 28.2
(82.8)		 30.6
(87.1)		 33.7
(92.7)		 34.9
(94.8)		 35.8
(96.4)		 32.3
(90.1)
Average low °C (°F) 26.8
(80.2)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.7
(78.3)		 22.6
(72.7)		 18.1
(64.6)		 14.9
(58.8)		 13.7
(56.7)		 14.3
(57.7)		 16.9
(62.4)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.0
(73.4)		 25.5
(77.9)		 20.7
(69.3)
Record low °C (°F) 20.5
(68.9)		 19.4
(66.9)		 13.0
(55.4)		 14.7
(58.5)		 10.8
(51.4)		 7.1
(44.8)		 6.9
(44.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 10.0
(50)		 11.1
(52)		 16.0
(60.8)		 18.7
(65.7)		 6.9
(44.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 49.3
(1.941)		 79.2
(3.118)		 50.0
(1.969)		 17.9
(0.705)		 24.4
(0.961)		 29.7
(1.169)		 14.2
(0.559)		 4.7
(0.185)		 1.4
(0.055)		 0.3
(0.012)		 1.5
(0.059)		 12.5
(0.492)		 285.1
(11.225)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) 4.3 5.5 4.1 1.8 3.1 3.2 2.1 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.4 1.5 28
Average relative humidity (%) 51 55 46 40 42 44 40 35 36 38 41 47 43
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[5]

Facilities

A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan and RV accommodation is available for visitors. The city has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs. It also has a large shopping centre, an eight story apartment and shopping complex named Pelago. There are no laundromats.

Education is provided through four public primary schools, one independent public school and one private primary school, one public and one private high school, a TAFE centre with remote university facilities, and a library.

As well as its professional medical services the Nickol Bay Hospital provides facilities and training.[6]

Karratha Airport has three passenger airlines servicing the city with regular schedules: Qantas, Skywest Airlines and Virgin Australia. The airport also serves as the hub of the Pilbara's light-aircraft and helicopter services,[7] enabling contractors to access offshore destinations and other parts of the region.

Annual festivals and events

Each year in August Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt, Woodside Petroleum Limited, and other smaller companies sponsor one of the largest festivals in the North West, over two days. The name FeNaClNG Festival is derived from Fe (iron), NaCl (salt) and NG (natural gas).

Media

Radio

Radio services available in Karratha:

Television

Television services available include:

The programming schedule is mainly the same as the Seven, Nine and Ten stations in Perth with variations for News bulletins, sport telecasts such as the Australian Football League and National Rugby League, children's and lifestyle programs and infomercials or paid programming. GWN7 produces a 30-minute regional news program each weeknight (broadcast from Bunbury) with a newsroom based in the town, covering the surrounding areas.

New digital television services from GWN7 and WIN are now broadcasting in Karratha. A new digital-only channel branded Ten West commenced transmission on Thursday 10 June 2010, it is a sole Network Ten affiliated channel.

Newspapers

The local newspaper is The Pilbara News (owned by Seven West Media, publisher of The West Australian).[10] An independent local newspaper, which included classifieds, The Pilbara Echo, closed in April 2014.[11] Newspapers from Perth including The West Australian and The Sunday Times are also available, as well as national newspapers such as The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Karratha". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – K". Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  3. ↑ "Karratha". www.airnorth.com.au. Air North. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Karratha City Heart of the Pilbara". Karratha City. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  5. ↑ "KARRATHA AERO". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ↑ WA Consumer Health Services Directory: Nickol Bay Hospital Dept of Health, WA Government
  7. ↑ Bower S Bristow delivers WA Business News, 13 November 2002
  8. ↑ URL link to Karratha FM 93.7 - Today's Hot Country" http://local.fm/karratha/announcers.html
  9. ↑ W.A. TAB Racing Radio list of frequncies page http://www.ozbet.com.au/UI/ContentUI/AllContent.aspx?contentCode=Racing Radio Information&contentMenuType=About Content Menu
  10. ↑ "Pilbara News". The West Australian Regional Newspapers. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Thank you and farewell". Pilbara Echo. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.

External links

Media related to Karratha, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons

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