Karratha

Karratha is a small town adjoining the port of Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia which was developed from the 1960s to accommodate the exportatin and processing workforce of the Hamersley Iron mining company and, also, in the early to late 1980s, the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the North West Shelf Venture. The town's name comes from the cattle station from which theland was reclaimed for the development. Karratha in the local Aboriginal language means 'good country' or sometimes 'soft earth'. The town is the seat of government of the Shire of Roebourne.

Karratha is composed of nine major suburbs: Karratha Town Centre, Bulgarra, Nickol, Nickol West, Pegs Creek, Millars Well, 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. The Tambrey Centre currently has its own residential housing under construction. Nickol has also been expanded, with Nickol West completed in 2008. Baynton West is also being developed, and the expectation is that all the lots will be built and occupied by year2010.

Culture, Arts and Entertainment

A range of hotel, motel, Bed&Breakfast and RV accommodation are available for visitors in Karratha. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by. It is usually prudent to make a reservation in advance. The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs. It also has a large shopping centre. New establishments proposed or under construction include 8 story apartment and shopping complex. Education is provided through one public and one private high school, four public primary schools and one private primary school, and also a TAFE centre with university facilities, and a library. As well as its professional medical services, the district is served by the Nickol Bay Hospital which provides a comprehensive array of services, facilities and training. Karratha Airport with frequent services to and from Perth, is the second busiest in Western Australia; it has three passenger airlines servicing the town with regular schedules: Qantas, Skywest and Virgin Blue. Qantas also flies twice-weekly Boeing 737-800 services between Brisbane and Karratha—the first direct link between the Pilbara region and Australia's east coast. The airport also serves as the hub of the Pilbara's light-aircraft and helicopter services enabling contractors to access destinations offshore and in other parts of the region.

Economics

The Karratha's economic base includes the iron ore operations of the Rio Tinto Group, ammonia export operations, sea-salt mining, 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 the late 1960s 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 only has 4 major food stores such as KFC, Chicken Treat, Mc Donalds, and Subway. Also grocery stores like Coles and Woolworths. Karratha has the largest shopping centre in the Pilbara, Centro Karratha, which has major food and grocery retailers and department store chains. 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 pharmacy, medical and dental practices. There is only one hospital in Karratha.

Bathroom warehouse in Karratha branch has a all you need for bathroom vanites of toiletries and washroom items, showers, spa, baths, bathroom cabinets, etc. We offer free delivery across Pilbara region and the whole Western Australia as well.