Halls Creek, Western Australia
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAL : Halls Creek, Western Australia
Halls Creek (2005 population est. 1300) is a small town situated in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Warmun (Turkey Creek) on the Great Northern Highway.
Functions
The town functions as a support centre for remote cattle stations in the area. For tourists it is the only sizeable town for 600 km on the Great Northern Highway. The town is a major welfare hub for the local indigenous population.Halls Creek is also the administration centre for Halls Creek Shire Council.
Tourism
For tourists, there are several nearby attractions such as:- the China Wall
- old Halls Creek
- the Duncan Road
- Wolfe Creek crater, 200 km to the south on the Tanami Road
- Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles), 120km to the north.
History
In the early 20th century, Halls Creek moved 10km west from its original location due to flooding in the older town. In those times it was a gold mining town, but gold mining has since ceased.Indigenous population
It is home to the indigenous Jaru (Djar-u) and Kija (gKid-ja) peoples as well as some Tjurabalan peoples from the desert to the south of the town.In 2006, The West Australian newspaper has run a series of articles highlighting the awful state of the Halls Creek indigenous population. The attention received may prompt some action to improve the situation; however, Halls Creek is by no means unusual in this regard, with tens and hundreds of similarly awful indigenous towns and communities in the Pilbara, Kimberley, and other parts of the state. This article provides more information on this sensitive topic.
| Local Government Areas of the Kimberley region of Western Australia | |
|---|---|
| Broome | Derby-West Kimberley | Halls Creek | Wyndham-East Kimberley | | |
External Links
Shire of Halls Creek website: http://www.hallscreek.wa.gov.au/
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