Welcome to Karratha, heart of the Central Pilbara Coast. Our town is located approximately 1500 kilometres North of Perth by road or 2 hours flying time by daily direct jet service. It was established in the late 1960's to service the requirements of major local industry projects such as Hamersley Iron, Dampier Salt and later Woodside North West Shelf Gas Project. Karratha derives it's name from an aboriginal word meaning "good country" the name of the first cattle station established in the area in the 1860's.
Karratha is the largest town in the area, the administrative centre of the Shire of Roebourne and local headquarters for many federal and state government departments. It also offers most of the shopping and creature comforts of the city, including extensive tourism experiences, excellent accommodation, restaurant and entertainment venues.
