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Below you will find General Information on and around Tom Price.
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Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Wittenoom
Traversing the Pilbara's Hammersley Range, the Karijini (Hammersley
Range) National Park incorporates some of the most magnificent outback
wilderness anywhere in Western Australia. The enormous multicoloured
domes of the range converge into a number a spectacular gorges,
complete with sheer cliff faces and semi-permanent waterfalls gushing
into rock pools along the shadowed floors. A network of awesome
bushwalks and 4WD tracks allow visitors to experience this memorable
landscape first hand. The walk into Hancock Gorge is particularly
thrilling, with hikers having to descend vertical ladders and hundreds
of steps before arriving directly at the heart of the crevasse. The
many lookouts scattered throughout the park provide the perfect angles
some breathtaking photo opportunities.
At the junction of the main roads in Karijini, the interpretative
centre is run by the traditional Aboriginal people of the area. Pop in
and see them, as they love helping visitors plan their trip into the
park.
The closest and foremost town from which to explore Karijini National
Park, is the highest settlement in Western Australia. Straddling the
Hammersley Range at 747 metres above sea level, Tom Price
is a company mining town originally set up to support the massive operations
of the Hammersley Iron Project. Although iron ore is still the towns
mainstay, tourism has become the preferred industry as more and more
travellers continue flood into the region. Considering the location,
this exceedingly hospitable town has some great facilities, providing
visitors with a good range of a accommodation and places to eat.
Just over eighty kilometres south of Tom Price, Paraburdoo
is another company town offering only basic services.
Warning!
The small township of Wittenoom on the northern fringes of
Karijini Nation Park is no longer inhabitable as there is a
significant health risk from airborne microscopic asbestos fibres,
created by the milling process at it's nearby asbestos mine (closed in
1966). Entry to the town and Wittenoom Gorge is strongly discouraged!
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