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Karratha, Western Australia
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Karratha, Western Australia
Karratha is a city in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, adjoining the port of Dampier. It is located in the traditional lands and waters of the Ngarluma people, for whom it has been Ngurra (lit. 'home' or 'country') for tens of thousands of years. Located about 140 kilometres (87 mi) east-southeast of the site of three nuclear weapons tests by the British (Operation Hurricane in 1952 and Operation Mosaic in 1956), it 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 Woodside-operated North West Shelf Venture located on Murujuga. As of the 2021 census, Karratha had an urban population of 17,013. The city's name comes from the cattle station of the same name, which derives from a word in a local Aboriginal language meaning "good country" or "soft earth". More recently, Ngarluma people have indicated the name may actually relate to an early interpretation of Gardarra, stemming from the sacred site for the whale, located in the Karratha area, called Gardarrabuga. The city is the seat of government of the City of Karratha, a local government area covering the surrounding region.
The land on which Karratha was established has been Ngarluma country for millennia. In traditional culture, the creation of the landscape occurred in a time called Ngurra Nyujunggamu, meaning "when the world was soft".
Francis Thomas Gregory led an expedition to the north west of Western Australia in 1861. Returning to Perth, he reported the area was suitable for agricultural purposes and a possible pearling industry. This was the major starting point for dispossession of Aboriginal lands across the Karratha area, as pastoralists flocked to the area to establish sheep stations.
During this period of dispossession of Aboriginal people in the Pilbara, the Karratha area became a sheep station. Many Aboriginal people were forced into unpaid labour on the sheep stations, including Karratha Station. By 1946, after Aboriginal people had worked for rations (considered a form of slavery), the Aboriginal community demanded fair wages. Labour costs increased for the Karratha Station following the 1946 Pilbara strike, who were seeking fair pay and conditions after generations of Aboriginal people working on stations for very little or no pay and in poor conditions. Many Aboriginal people "walked off" Pilbara stations at this time.
Archaeological dating suggests that Aboriginal people have inhabited the Pilbara region for the past 40,000 years. The traditional land tenure system of Aboriginal communities, including the Ngarluma people across the Karratha area, stands in contrast to the European notion of land ownership. Instead of individuals possessing exclusive rights to utilise and sell parcels of land, Ngarluma lands were collectively owned by social groups. While certain family groups might inherit rights and responsibilities concerning particular territories, ownership primarily rested on their custodianship of the spiritual significance of the land. This encompassed spiritual sites, stories, songs, ceremonies, and sacred objects. Successive generations were entrusted with the duty of safeguarding these sacred sites, caring for the land, and perpetuating spiritual traditions and practices, with a firm prohibition against land disposal or desecration. This systems remain active today across the Karratha area, though it has been significantly disrupted due to colonisation and dispossession.
The Karratha town is within the Ngarluma native title determination area. Native title determination was made by the Federal Court on 2 May 2005 in Daniel v Western Australia [2005] FCA 536.
More recently, Ngarluma people have indicated the name may actually relate to an early interpretation of Gardarra, stemming from the sacred site for the whale, located in the Karratha area, called Gardarrabuga.
Karratha, an isolated city, is located approximately 1,535 kilometres (954 mi) north of Perth and 241 kilometres (150 mi) west of Port Hedland on the North West Coastal Highway.
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Karratha, Western Australia
Karratha is a city in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, adjoining the port of Dampier. It is located in the traditional lands and waters of the Ngarluma people, for whom it has been Ngurra (lit. 'home' or 'country') for tens of thousands of years. Located about 140 kilometres (87 mi) east-southeast of the site of three nuclear weapons tests by the British (Operation Hurricane in 1952 and Operation Mosaic in 1956), it 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 Woodside-operated North West Shelf Venture located on Murujuga. As of the 2021 census, Karratha had an urban population of 17,013. The city's name comes from the cattle station of the same name, which derives from a word in a local Aboriginal language meaning "good country" or "soft earth". More recently, Ngarluma people have indicated the name may actually relate to an early interpretation of Gardarra, stemming from the sacred site for the whale, located in the Karratha area, called Gardarrabuga. The city is the seat of government of the City of Karratha, a local government area covering the surrounding region.
The land on which Karratha was established has been Ngarluma country for millennia. In traditional culture, the creation of the landscape occurred in a time called Ngurra Nyujunggamu, meaning "when the world was soft".
Francis Thomas Gregory led an expedition to the north west of Western Australia in 1861. Returning to Perth, he reported the area was suitable for agricultural purposes and a possible pearling industry. This was the major starting point for dispossession of Aboriginal lands across the Karratha area, as pastoralists flocked to the area to establish sheep stations.
During this period of dispossession of Aboriginal people in the Pilbara, the Karratha area became a sheep station. Many Aboriginal people were forced into unpaid labour on the sheep stations, including Karratha Station. By 1946, after Aboriginal people had worked for rations (considered a form of slavery), the Aboriginal community demanded fair wages. Labour costs increased for the Karratha Station following the 1946 Pilbara strike, who were seeking fair pay and conditions after generations of Aboriginal people working on stations for very little or no pay and in poor conditions. Many Aboriginal people "walked off" Pilbara stations at this time.
Archaeological dating suggests that Aboriginal people have inhabited the Pilbara region for the past 40,000 years. The traditional land tenure system of Aboriginal communities, including the Ngarluma people across the Karratha area, stands in contrast to the European notion of land ownership. Instead of individuals possessing exclusive rights to utilise and sell parcels of land, Ngarluma lands were collectively owned by social groups. While certain family groups might inherit rights and responsibilities concerning particular territories, ownership primarily rested on their custodianship of the spiritual significance of the land. This encompassed spiritual sites, stories, songs, ceremonies, and sacred objects. Successive generations were entrusted with the duty of safeguarding these sacred sites, caring for the land, and perpetuating spiritual traditions and practices, with a firm prohibition against land disposal or desecration. This systems remain active today across the Karratha area, though it has been significantly disrupted due to colonisation and dispossession.
The Karratha town is within the Ngarluma native title determination area. Native title determination was made by the Federal Court on 2 May 2005 in Daniel v Western Australia [2005] FCA 536.
More recently, Ngarluma people have indicated the name may actually relate to an early interpretation of Gardarra, stemming from the sacred site for the whale, located in the Karratha area, called Gardarrabuga.
Karratha, an isolated city, is located approximately 1,535 kilometres (954 mi) north of Perth and 241 kilometres (150 mi) west of Port Hedland on the North West Coastal Highway.