Halls Creek, Western Australia

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Halls Creek
Western Australia

Population:

1,289 (2001)

Established:

1887/1949

Postcode:

6770

Elevation:

422 m

Location:

366 km from Kununurra
546 km from Derby

LGA:

Shire of Halls Creek

State District:

Kimberley

Federal Division:

Kalgoorlie

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
33.6 °C ^{92 °F}	20.0 °C ^{68 °F}	557.4 mm ^{21.9 in}

Halls Creek ( 18°13′S, 127°40′E; postcode: 6770; 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.

1 Functions
2 Tourism
3 History
4 Indigenous population
5 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

Location of Halls Creek in Western Australia (red)

[edit] History

In the early 20th century, Halls Creek moved 12km west from its original location in 1949 due to flooding in the older town. In those times it was a gold mining town, named after Charles Hall who in 1885 found the alluvial gold that led to the Kimberley gold rush, but gold mining has since ceased.

[edit] 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. They represent over 60% of the town's population.

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.