Karratha is located next to the port of Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which has since the 1960s developed to accommodate the Hamersley Iron mining company. In the 1980s, the town further developed to accommodate the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the North West Shelf Venture.
The name of the town comes from the cattle station from which land was obtained for the development. In the local Aboriginal language Karratha means 'good country' or 'soft earth'
The town is the centre of government for the Shire of Roebourne and 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.
Annual Festival
Each year during two days in August, Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt, Woodside Petroleum and other companies sponsor one of the largest festivals in the North West. The name FeNaClNG Festival is derived from Fe (iron), NaCl (salt) and NG (natural gas).
More information about Karratha from Wikipedia
More photographs of Karratha from Panoramio
