Karratha
Postcode: 6714
Karratha is an important centre in the resource-rich WA’s northwest.
Karratha came into being in the late 1960’s due to the fast growing iron ore industry and the need for a new regional centre caused by the lack of land in Dampier.
Where is Karratha WA?
It is located approximately 1,535 kilometres north of Perth (so around 16 hours of driving) and 850 kilometres south of Broome on the North West Coastal Highway.
Karratha is well connected by air to Perth. Karratha Airport is the second busiest in Western Australia after Perth.
Karratha industries
Gas is drilled in the ocean at an offshore platform, 130km north of the town of Dampier, before being treated in Karratha and then sent by pipe down south.
Other industry includes local iron ore, salt mining, ammonia and export operations. All this makes it the biggest town in the northwest after Port Hedland with a population around 10,000.
Karratha also has the biggest shopping centre in the Pilbara, called Karratha City Shopping Centre.
Natural attractions in Karratha
An amazing national park, Millstream-Chichester National Park, is nearby and boasts underground springs, rock-lined pools, Instagram-ready water holes and rugged gorges to explore.
There are plenty of fresh water swimming holes within an hours drive of Karratha, if you aren’t into beaches. Being a coastal town, Karratha has several popular beaches, such as Hearson’s Cove, King Bay, Whitnell and Back Beach.
There is a group of 42 islands around the Burrup Peninsula, more than half of which are protected by reserves.