The Dales Gorge

Some facts about The Pilbara Region

(extracts from the Pilbara Development Commission website at www.pdc.wa.gov.au)

Situated in the North West of Western Australia, the Pilbara is a mineral rich region of spectacular scenery thought to be around 2.8 billion years old.

Extending from the Indian Ocean to the Northern Territory border, the Pilbara covers more than 500,000 square kilometers. The region comprises four local government authorities - the Shires of Ashburton, East Pilbara and Roebourne, and the Town of Port Hedland.

More than 39,000 people (39,676 estimated population by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for 2000/2001) live in the Pilbara. While most residents live in the region's towns, many choose the rugged lifestyle of the pastoral stations.

The region can be separated into three distinct geographical formations, a vast coastal plain, breath-taking inland ranges and an arid desert region extending into Australia's dry centre.

The Pilbara is a semi arid region characterised by high temperatures, low and variable rainfall and high evaporation. Temperature ranges are generally greater in inland districts away from the moderating effects of onshore winds common to the coastal districts.

Between October and April the temperature throughout the Pilbara reaches or exceeds 32 degrees Celsius almost everyday. During the winter months the average temperature falls to a very pleasant 25 degrees Celsius.

The Pilbara is one of the earth’s oldest land masses, estimated to be more than 2.5 billion years old.

The Pilbara is the most prolific Aboriginal rock engraving region in the world (The Burrup Peninsula alone has more than 10,000 engravings)

Karijini National Park is Western Australia’s second largest national park, covering 100,000 sq kilometres (Rudall River National Park, also in the Pilbara, is the state’s largest).

Marble Bar is Australia’s hottest town (and legend has it the town’s Iron Clad Hotel produces the world’s most appreciated beer!).

About the history of the place...

Archaeological evidence shows that the Pilbara has been occupied for at least 30,000 years. Aboriginal culture, including its intricate social organisation and strong spiritual relationship with the land, is still strong today.

European ships visited the Pilbara coastline as early as 1618, but visitors like William Dampier reported an inhospitable coastline with a lack of water.

European settlement of the region did not begin until the 1860s, when the explorer Francis Gregory returned to the Swan colony with reports of abundant grazing land in the northwest. Shortly afterwards various European settlers, notably Walter Padbury, John Wellard and John and Emma Withnell, arrived with livestock and supplies to establish sheep stations on the De Gray River. Pastoralism, with the help of free Aboriginal labour, was to dominate the region’s economy for the next 100 years.

To diversify, the early settlers began collecting pearl shell along the coastline. This developed into a thriving industry centered on the port of Cossack. However, the Pilbara pearling industry was short lived and relocated to Broome in 1884. By this time, the growth of the wool industry and the establishment of other industries such as fishing, had firmly established the towns of Roebourne, Cossack, Point Samson, Port Hedland and Onslow. 

A gold rush inspired by an opportunistic find by John Withnell also substantially increased the region’s population and saw the establishment of towns at Marble Bar and Nullagine. This activity had a dramatic impact on Aboriginal society. Enforced labour, introduced diseases and conflict displaced Aboriginal people from their country and claimed many lives. Between 1946 and 1947 there was a widespread walk off by Aboriginal pastoral workers (still known as the pastoral strike) demanding better pay and conditions and access to their traditional lands. This movement led to the establishment of Aboriginal communities on a number of stations, notably Strelley and later Yandeyarra. It also brought the issue of Aboriginal rights into prominence and resulted in a social movement which used sophisticated methods to fight for this cause.

In the 1960s two dramatic events occurred which were to change the Pilbara forever. The first of these was the removal of Commonwealth restrictions on the export of iron ore in 1960 in response to a growth in world demand, particularly in Japan. The Pilbara had long been known to contain immense deposits, and a boom began which was to see the establishment of nine new towns in the region by 1970 (Dampier, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, South Hedland, Newman, Wickham, Pannawonica, Goldsworthy (now closed) and Shay Gap (now closed)).