Probably too much information… tough!

For O/S friends, this is stuff I care about – origins!

Touch of history maybe necessary here: Extracts from http://en.wikipedia.org

Burrup: The nearby Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) which means “Hip Bone Sticking Out” in the Ngarluma/Yaburara language, is home to what is believed to be the largest collection of petroglyphs (ancient rock art) in the world. Aboriginal people, including the Yaburara and Ngarluma tribes, have lived in the area for many thousands of years. The peninsula is a unique ecological and archaeological area since it contains the world’s largest and most important collection of petroglyphs – ancient Aboriginal rock carvings some claim to date back as far as the last ice age about 10,000 years ago. The collection of standing stones here is the largest in Australia with rock art petroglyphs numbering over one million, many depicting images of the now extinct Thylacine (“Tasmanian Tiger”).

There are 42 islands within the Dampier Archipelago. There is a hugely diverse marine ecosystem around these islands where the fauna includes whales, dugongs, turtles, coral and sponges. Green turtles, (Chelonia mydas) are also known to nest in the Dampier Archipelago.

Dampier is a major industrial port in the north-west of Western Australia. The port of Dampier, opened in 1966, when the first iron ore from the Mount Tom Price mine was transported via the Hamersley & Robe River railway to Parker Point and loaded on ships. The port at East Intercourse Island opened in 1972. The town derives its name from the nearby Dampier Archipelago, named after the English buccaneer William Dampier, who visited the area in 1699. The town was built from 1965 onwards, to serve the railway transporting iron ore from Tom Price and Paraburdoo.

Iron ore: The port of Dampier, opened in 1966, when the first iron ore from the Mount Tom Price mine was transported via the Hamersley & Robe River railway to Parker Point and loaded on ships. The port at East Intercourse Island opened in 1972.

Attractions: At the entrance to the town is a statue of “Red Dog“, a red kelpie/cattle-dog well known for roaming the area in the 1970s and hitching rides to nearby towns. The statue reads “Erected by the many friends made during his travels” & hoo-boy there’s a movie based on the story of this dog! p.s there is a movie called Red Dog.