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Dampier, Western Australia

Coordinates: 20°40′S 116°43′E / 20.66°S 116.71°E / -20.66; 116.71
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Dampier
Western Australia
Map of Dampier, Western Australia and surrounding area.
Dampier is located in Western Australia
Dampier
Dampier
Map
Coordinates20°40′S 116°43′E / 20.66°S 116.71°E / -20.66; 116.71
Population1,282 (SAL 2021)[1][2]
Established1965
Postcode(s)6713
Elevation0 m (0 ft)
Location
LGA(s)City of Karratha
State electorate(s)North West
Federal division(s)Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
30.6 °C
87 °F		 22.7 °C
73 °F		 310.3 mm
12.2 in

Dampier is a major industrial port in the Pilbara region in the northwest of Western Australia.[3] It is located near the city of Karratha and Port Walcott.[4]

Dampier Port is part of the Dampier Archipelago and is primarily a port for the export of iron ore from Rio Tinto mines, LNG and salt. The port services petrochemical, salt, iron ore and natural gas export industries. Rio Tinto exports large volumes of iron ore, especially Pilbara blend through the port, and in September 2010 announced plans to expand capacity.[5][6] At the 2011 census, Dampier had a population of 1,341.[7]

History

William Dampier
(1651–1715)

The Yaburrara Aboriginal tribe lived in the area for many thousands of years.[8]

The town derives its name from its location on Dampier Island 3 km off the Pilbara Coast and part of the Dampier Archipelago, both named after the English navigator William Dampier. In 1963, the island became an artificial peninsula when it was connected to the mainland by a causeway for a road and railway. In 1979, Dampier Peninsular was renamed after Mt Burrup, the highest peak on the island, which had been named after Henry Burrup, a Union Bank clerk murdered in 1885 at Roebourne.[9][10][11]

In 1699, Dampier, in command of the 26-gun warship HMS Roebuck on a mission to explore the coast of New Holland, following the Dutch route to the Indies, passed between Dirk Hartog Island and the Western Australian mainland into what he called Shark Bay. He then followed the coast northeast, on 21 August 1699, reaching the Dampier Archipelago, which he explored, naming Rosemary Island. He continued to Lagrange Bay, just south of what is now Roebuck Bay, before sailing for Timor.[12]

The town was built from 1965 onwards, to serve the railway transporting iron ore from Tom Price and Paraburdoo. By 1968, the further expansion of Dampier had been constrained by geographical factors and a new town of Karratha was established on the mainland as a result.[13]

Environment

The Burrup Peninsula, or Murujuga, which means "Hip Bone Sticking Out" in the Yaburrara language, is home to what is believed to be the largest collection of petroglyphs (ancient rock art) in the world.[8]

There are 42 other islands in the Dampier Archipelago.[14] There is a hugely diverse marine ecosystem around the islands, including whales, dugongs, turtles, coral and sponges. Green turtles, (Chelonia mydas) are known to nest in the Dampier Archipelago.[15][16]

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Dampier has a desert climate (BWh).[17] The annual average rainfall is 272.2 millimetres (10.7 in), which would make it a semi-arid climate, except, like Alice Springs, its high evapotranspiration (or its aridity) makes it a desert climate. Dampier has extremely hot and humid summers with dewpoints exceeding 24 °C (75 °F). Having over 3,700 hours of annual sunshine, it is one of the sunniest places in Australia and in the world; its sunshine hours approach those of Aswan in Egypt.

Climate data for Dampier Salt
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 46.4
(115.5) 		47.1
(116.8) 		45.7
(114.3) 		42.2
(108.0) 		39.5
(103.1) 		32.5
(90.5) 		33.0
(91.4) 		37.3
(99.1) 		38.7
(101.7) 		43.2
(109.8) 		45.5
(113.9) 		46.5
(115.7) 		47.1
(116.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 35.9
(96.6) 		36.0
(96.8) 		36.2
(97.2) 		34.4
(93.9) 		29.9
(85.8) 		26.6
(79.9) 		26.2
(79.2) 		27.7
(81.9) 		30.5
(86.9) 		32.7
(90.9) 		34.3
(93.7) 		35.7
(96.3) 		32.2
(90.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0) 		26.5
(79.7) 		25.5
(77.9) 		22.8
(73.0) 		18.2
(64.8) 		15.1
(59.2) 		13.4
(56.1) 		14.6
(58.3) 		16.8
(62.2) 		19.7
(67.5) 		22.2
(72.0) 		24.6
(76.3) 		20.5
(68.9)
Record low °C (°F) 17.5
(63.5) 		20.1
(68.2) 		20.0
(68.0) 		15.8
(60.4) 		10.4
(50.7) 		5.2
(41.4) 		4.6
(40.3) 		6.4
(43.5) 		8.6
(47.5) 		9.0
(48.2) 		11.4
(52.5) 		15.9
(60.6) 		4.6
(40.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 36.3
(1.43) 		71.4
(2.81) 		46.7
(1.84) 		18.9
(0.74) 		31.0
(1.22) 		36.1
(1.42) 		11.7
(0.46) 		4.4
(0.17) 		1.5
(0.06) 		0.8
(0.03) 		1.4
(0.06) 		13.4
(0.53) 		272.8
(10.74)
Average precipitation days 4.1 5.5 4.2 1.9 3.4 3.5 2.2 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.4 1.5 28.6
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 50 51 44 37 38 40 35 35 32 37 41 45 40
Mean monthly sunshine hours 325.5 292.9 303.8 288.0 269.7 258.0 282.1 316.2 324.0 356.5 354.0 356.5 3,727.2
Source: [18]

Attractions

At the entrance to the town is a statue of "Red Dog", a red kelpie/cattledog well known for roaming the area in the 1970s and hitching rides to nearby towns. The statue reads "Erected by the many friends made during his travels".[19] Other attractions include the fishing not far off the coast, the most commonly targeted species being barramundi (Lates calcarifer).

Port

Iron ore mines in the Pilbara region.

The port of Dampier was opened in 1966, when the first iron ore from the Mount Tom Price mine was transported via the Hamersley & Robe River railway to Parker Point and loaded on ships. The port at East Intercourse Island opened in 1972.[20]

The port has an annual loading capacity of 140 million tonnes of iron ore. Rio Tinto's other iron ore port, Cape Lambert, can handle 80 million tonnes per year. It takes from 24 to 36 hours to load a ship at port.[20] With the neighboring ports of Port Hedland and Port Walcott, Dampier is one of three major iron ore exporting ports in the Pilbara region[21] The closest airport to the port is Karratha, located less than 20 kilometers away.[22]

Photos

  • Iron Ore
    Iron Ore
  • "Red Dog" statue
    "Red Dog" statue

Panoramas

Dampier panorama, November 2006
Dampier Port panorama, November 2006

See also

References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Dampier (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Dampier (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "Ports of Pilbara". Pilbara ports authority. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Maps and charts of Pilbara". Pilbara ports authority. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  5. ^ Port Handbook - Dampier (PDF). Pilbara ports authority. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Rio Tinto to boost Pilbara capacity - International Railway Journal". 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  7. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Dampier (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 July 2014. Edit this at Wikidata
  8. ^ a b González Zarandona, José Antonio (2011). "The Destruction of Heritage: Rock Art in the Burrup Peninsula". International Journal of the Humanities. 9 (1): 328. ISSN 1447-9508.
  9. ^ Kuhlenbeck, Britta (2009). "Politics of Space". Re-writing Spatiality: The Production of Space in the Pilbara Region in Western Australia. Hamburg: University of Hamburg. p. 154. ISBN 978-3-643-10980-4.
  10. ^ Bednarik, Robert G. (May 2002). "The survival of the Murujuga (Burrup) petroglyphs". Rock Art Research: The Journal of the Australian Rock Art Research Association (AURA). 19 (1). Archaeological Publications: 29. ISSN 0813-0426.
  11. ^ "Supreme Court - Criminal Sittings". The West Australian. Perth, WA. 2 July 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  12. ^ Burney, James (1816). "7. Voyage of Captain William Dampier, in the Roebuck, to New Holland". A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Vol. 4. London: G. & W. Nicol, G. & J. Robinson & T. Payne. p. 399. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  13. ^ Dampier The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
  14. ^ Kuhlenbeck, Britta (2009). "Politics of Space". Re-writing Spatiality: The Production of Space in the Pilbara Region in Western Australia. Hamburg: University of Hamburg. p. 211. ISBN 978-3-643-10980-4.
  15. ^ D-day for Dampier 19 December 2005. The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
  16. ^ Marine turtles in Western Australia Department of Conservation and Land Management. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
  17. ^ Tapper, Andrew; Tapper, Nigel (1996). Gray, Kathleen (ed.). The weather and climate of Australia and New Zealand (First ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. p. 300. ISBN 0-19-553393-3.
  18. ^ "Climate statistics for Dampier Salt". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  19. ^ Dog deserves a pat The West Australian. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 3 December 2006. Archived February 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b Ports Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Rio Tinto Iron Ore website, accessed: 8 November 2010
  21. ^ Annual report 2015 - Pilbara ports authority. Port Hedland: PPA (Pilbara ports authority). 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  22. ^ "Map and overview - Port of Dampier" (PDF). PBA Pilbara Ports Authority. Retrieved 13 September 2018.

Media related to Dampier, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons

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