Wickham, located in Western Australia’s (WA) Shire of Roebourne, is a fascinating historic town boasting pristine sandy beaches and excellent fishing spots. It was named after JC Wickham in the early 1830s and since then has become a prominent mining town with a population in excess of 1,600 people.
Aborignal history
In the late 1960s, many Torres Strait Islanders made the long journey to the Wickham area of Western Australia (WA) to work as fettlers, building railway lines between remote mines in the desert and ports such as Port Hedland. Over the years, the Torres Strait Islanders created a unique community, but as demand for fettlers decreased, the community slowly dispersed and many eventually returned to the Torres Strait. Today, only a few families remain and maintain the Torres Strait Island traditions.
Tom Saylor was one of the first Torres Straight Island settlers. He and his son Thomas returned to the islands after over 25 years to reconnect with their Torres Strait heritage. A short documentary film, made by Kelrick Martin in 2006, tells the tale of Tom and Thomas, and some of Tom’s lino cut artworks can be seen at the Nickol Bay Hospital.
Wickham attractions
- Visit the beautiful Boat Beach, situated near the town (access off Walcott Drive. Here you can enjoy excellent swimming and a boat-launching ramp offers access to good fishing spots.
- Enjoy fine views of the town and surrounding region from Water Tank Hill lookout (off Walcott Drive).
- Check out nearby Point Samson, located nine kilometres north of town along the Point Samson-Roebourne Rd. This quiet but popular holiday resort has attractive beaches, beach-side picnic and barbecue facilities and charter boats for excellent offshore fishing.
- Marvel at the huge 3.5 kilometre open sea wharf at Cape Lambert. One of the highest and longest open-ocean wharves in Australia. It is capable of loading three major iron ore carriers at the same time. The Port to Port Tour takes in the Robe River plant operations and port facilities, as well as the town of Cossack. See the Tours page for details.
Wickham accommodation
Accommodation is available at Wickham Lodge Serviced Apartments, located on Wickham Drive.
Email Karratha Visitor Centre or call + 61 8 9144 4600 to find out more about attractions, tours and accommodation in the WA town of Wickham.
Some information presented in this website has been sourced, with permission, from the Shire of Roebourne website.
