Port Hedland, Western Australia: Difference between revisions
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!Mean maximum temperature |
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|36.3°C<br>97.3°F |
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|36.1°C<br>96.8°F |
|36.1°C<br>96.8°F |
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Revision as of 11:57, 10 January 2008
| Port Hedland Western Australia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BHP iron ore train arriving into Port Hedland. The train is hauled by six locomotives (3 pairs through the train). | |||||||||
| Population | 12,697 (2001 census) | ||||||||
| Established | 1880s | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6721 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | 1,322 km (821 mi) from Perth[1] | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | buts of pottys | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Central Kimberley-Pilbara | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kalgoorlie | ||||||||
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Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia [2] and largest town [1] in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 (this includes its satellite suburb South Hedland, 18 km away).
Port Hedland is a natural deep anchorage port that as well as being the main fuel and container receival point for the region was seen as perfect for shipment of the iron ore being mined in the ranges located inland from the town. The ore is moved by railway lines from four major iron ore deposits to the east and south of Port Hedland. Other major resource activities supported include the offshore Natural gas fields , salt, manganese, and livestock. Grazing of cattle and sheep was formerly a major revenue earner for the region but this has slowly declined. Port Hedland was formerly the terminus for the WAGR Marble Bar Railway which serviced the Gold mining area of Marble Bar.
History
Port Hedland was originally known by the Indigenous Kariyarra and Nyamal people as Marrapikurrinya, which either means "place of good water" (as told by a Nyamal language speaker) and makes reference to the three reliable fresh water soaks that can still be seen in and around the town, or as the town council's website says "refers to the hand like formation of the tidal creeks coming off the harbour (marra - hand, pikurri - pointing straight and nya - a place name marker)".[3] According to "dreamtime" legend there was a huge blind water snake living in the landlocked area of water known as Jalkawarrinya. This landlocked area is now the turning basin for the ships that enter the port and as the story goes, "the coming of the big ships meant it was unable to stay".
Though the coastline in the area had been explored in the 1700s, Captain Peter Hedland was one of the first Europeans to explore the harbour for the purpose of developing an export port. Peter Hedland arrived in the area in April 1863 onboard his boat, Mystery that he had built himself at Point Walter on the banks of the Swan River. He named the Harbour Mangrove Harbour and reported that it would make a good landing site with a well protected harbour and that there was also fresh water available. What Hedland failed to point out was that the harbour was difficult to enter because of a huge sandbar that sealed the entrance meaning it was only accessible at high tide and that it was difficult to enter in bad weather because of the narrow entrance.[4]
During 1866 the resident Magistrate of Roebourne Treverton Sholl commissioned Charles Wedge to investigating alternative towns site to Roebourne. Wedge reported that Port Hedland's suitability was pessimistic. In 1891 the exploration of the area by Tom Traine John Wedge and Syd Hedley identified two landings and described the harbour as "pretty as well as safe". During September 1895 Cossack residents requested the District Surveyor to survey the headland at Port Hedland and requested the Government to build a jetty.
Goldsworthy mining discovered iron ore in the Pilbara in the late 1950s and built the towns of Goldsworthy and later Shaygap as mine sites. A rail line was then built to Port Hedland where dredging was undertaken to deepen and widen the port's channel and a wharf was built opposite the township of Port Hedland on Finicane Island. Shipment of ore began on 27 May 1966 when the Harved S Muddsailed from Port hedland to Japan with 24,900 tonnes of ore.
In 1967 iron ore was discovered at Mt Whaleback and a mining venture was undertaken that included the establishment of a new Town, Newman, 426 km of rail from the mine to the port and the development of processing equipment at both Newman and Port Hedland. In 1986, at a cost of $87 million, the existing channel was dredged to allow the port to increase the tonnage of those ships able to enter the port. Prior to dredging the port was only able to load vessels less than 2000 tonnes but today they are able to accommodate ships over 250,000 tonnes.
Geography and climate
The climate of Port Hedland is warm to hot, with mean maximum temperatures of 36°C (97°F) in January and 27°C (81°F) in July. Maximum temperatures in summer are usually moderated by a warm but humid sea breeze. Annual rainfall (falling almost exclusively between December and June) averages 300 millimetres (12 inches) but because of erratic cyclones is subject to some of the largest variations in the world. As an illustration, in 1942 1040 mm (41 inches) fell, but in 1944 only 28 mm (1.1 inches) fell and the town went for over 300 days with no rain. The high summer temperatures experienced in Port Hedland mean that most tourists to the area choose to visit in the cooler months between May and September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
| Mean maximum temperature | 36.3°C 97.3°F |
36.1°C 96.8°F |
36.8°C 98.2°F |
35.1°C 95.1°F |
30.5°C 86.9°F |
27.6°C 81.6°F |
27.1°C 80.7°F |
29.0°C 84.2°F |
32.2°C 89.9°F |
34.6°C 92.4°F |
36.1°C 96.8°F |
36.6°C 97.8°F |
33.2°C 89.9°F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean minimum temperature | 25.4°C 77.7°F |
25.4°C 77.7°F |
24.4°C 75.9°F |
21.3°C 70.3°F |
17.2°C 62.9°F |
14.2°C 57.5°F |
12.2°C 53.9°F |
13.1°C 55.5°F |
15.3°C 59.5°F |
18.2°C 64.7°F |
21.2°C 70.1°F |
23.9°C 75.0°F |
19.3°C 66.7°F | |
| Highest Maximum Temperature | 47.5°C 117.5°F |
48.2°C 118.7°F |
44.5°C 122.1°F |
42.4°C 108.3°F |
38.8°C 101.8°F |
35.5°C 95.9°F |
34.4°C 93.9°F |
36.8°C 98.2°F |
41.2°C 106.1° F |
46.9°C 116.4° F |
47.4°C 117.3° F |
47.9°C 118.2°F |
48.2°C 118.7°F | |
| Lowest minimum Temperature | 18.1°C 65.6°F |
16.3°C 61.3°F |
15.8°C 60.4°F |
12.2°C 53.9°F |
7.0°C 44.6°F |
4.7°C 40.4°F |
3.2°C 37.7°F |
3.7°C 38.6°F |
7.7°C 48.8°F |
11.1°C 51.9°F |
16.4°C 61.5°F |
16.6°C 61.8°F |
3.2°C 37.7°F | |
| Mean Total rainfall | 60.7 mm 2.39 in |
97.7 mm 3.85 in |
41.8 mm 1.65 in |
23.4 mm 0.92 in |
28.9 mm 1.14 in |
22.0 mm 0.87 in |
10.1 mm 0.40 in |
5.5 mm 0.22 in |
0.8 mm 0.03 in |
0.9 mm 0.04 in |
2.7 mm 0.11 in |
18.9 mm 0.74 in |
313.5 mm 12.34 in | |
| Source: [2] | ||||||||||||||
Located between Port Hedland and South Hedland are the large salt hills of Dampier Salt. These large mounds have almost become a tourist attraction in their own right.
A natural phenomenon which occurs in certain seasons is the "Stairway to the Moon" which is caused by a coincidental effect of moonlight and tides. This can best be viewed from the eastern suburb of Cooke Point.[citation needed]
Immigration detention facility
In 1991 an immigration detention facility was opened at Port Hedland to deal with the arrivals of boat people seeking asylum. Port Hedland was seen as a good location as it is located far away from the major cities, and had an international airport that would allow for easy deportations when required. Privatised by the Howard Government in the late 1990s, the Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre was the location of many protests and suicide attempts by its detainees, as well as so-far unresolved deaths (see Mohammed Saleh). The centre was closed in 2004 due to the falling numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat to Australia's northwest, but still stands; the town mayor has called for the federal government to allow the town to use the detention centre to accommodate the many new mine workers that are coming to the town. A lack of accommodation is making it difficult for many of the large mining companies to operate efficiently as they are unable to house staff or consultants at the towns small number of hotels and the site, which is situated on the beach front and was formally single-men’s quarters for BHP (now BHP Billiton), is seen as a perfect solution to this problem. (North West Telegraph 7th Feb 2007)
See also
References
- ^ "Great Circle Distance between PERTH and PORT HEDLAND". As The Cocky Flies. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "Port Hedland Port Authority". Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ Town of Port Hedland (18 March 2005). "History". Retrieved 2006-11-18.
- ^ Hardie, J. (1981). Nor'westers of the Pilbara Breed. Port Hedland, Western Australia: Shire of Port Hedland. ISBN 0-9594155-0-5.
External links
Template:Mapit-AUS-suburbscale
- Port Hedland
- Rail & Topo Map (red dots)
- WA Planning Commission - Land Use Survey (1999)
- Bureau of Meteorology: Port Hedland Meteorological Office
[[Category:poo ocean