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Wyndham is the northernmost town in the
Kimberley region The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy Desert, Great Sandy and Tanami Desert, Tanami deserts in t ...
of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, northeast of
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
via the
Great Northern Highway Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...
. It was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a population of 941 as of the 2021 census. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 54% of the population. Wyndham comprises two areas - the original town site at Wyndham Port situated on
Cambridge Gulf Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Many rivers flow into the gulf, including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River, making the environment a ...
, and by road to the south, the Three Mile area with the residential and shopping area for the port, also founded in 1886. Wyndham is part of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley.


History

Wyndham is within traditional Doolboong country. The first European to visit the area was
Phillip Parker King Phillip Parker King (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Josepha King ''née'' Coo ...
in 1819. He was instructed to find a river "likely to lead to an interior navigation into the great continent". He sailed into Cambridge Gulf, which he named after the
Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by agnatic, male descendants by pr ...
, and then sailed up a river which was subsequently named after him. Finding no fresh water on the mudflats, he departed. Wyndham was established on 14 April 1886, by
government resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...
and warden Charles Danvers Price, who led a party including commissioner of crown lands
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...
on the
Adelaide Steamship Company The Adelaide Steamship Company was an Australian shipping company, later a diversified industrial and logistics conglomerate. It was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods be ...
mail steamer SS ''Albany''. Price selected Wyndham as the name for the new town, after Walter George Wyndham, the young stepson of the governor of Western Australia Sir Frederick Napier Broome. By late-1886, the town was booming and there were three hotels at the port, one of which was a two-storey building, and two taverns at Three Mile Camp, as well as stores, bootmakers' and butchers' shops, a billiard room, a soda water factory, commission agencies, auctioneers and other businesses. Ships brought in at least five thousand miners, who headed off to the Halls Creek goldfields. During this boom there were times when up to 16 vessels were moored in Cambridge Gulf. However, by 1888, the gold rush at Halls Creek had ended and the fortunes of Wyndham declined. It became a tiny settlement serving the pastoral interests in the East Kimberley. By 1912, money had virtually disappeared from the Wyndham economy, and purchases were paid for using
promissory note A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument (more particularly, a financing instrument and a debt instrument), in which one party (the ''maker'' or ''issuer'') promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of ...
s known as "shinplasters". In 1942, during World War II, the town and its aerodrome were attacked on four occasions by
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
aircraft. Wyndham's significance as a service centre was crucial for the construction of the
Ord River The Ord River is a river in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river's catchment covers . The lower Ord River and the confluence with Cambridge Gulf create the most northern estuarine environment in ...
Diversion Dam and the town of Kununurra in the early 1960s. With the rise of Kununurra as a larger population centre, the significance of Wyndham as a service centre had diminished by the 1980s. Wyndham has regained significance as the port for the region with new mines shipping ore from the port.


Wyndham Meatworks

In 1913, the Western Australian government started to construct the Wyndham Meatworks to restart the town's economy. The construction efforts were interrupted by the Nevanas affair and
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, but the meatworks were completed in 1919 to a design by William Hardwick, who later became the Principal Architect of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. The meatworks were the mainstay of the town's economy until their closure in 1985; the town also supported the Air Beef Scheme, which ran from 1947 to 1965.


Geography

Wyndham is on the eastern side of
Cambridge Gulf Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Many rivers flow into the gulf, including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River, making the environment a ...
, an inlet of
Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Joseph Bonaparte Gulf is a large body of water off the coast of the Northern Territory and Western Australia and part of the Timor Sea. It was named after Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon and King of Naples (1806–1808) and then Spain (18 ...
in the
Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...
. It is surrounded by the Durack,
Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
and King rivers to the south, Forrest River to the west and
Ord River The Ord River is a river in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river's catchment covers . The lower Ord River and the confluence with Cambridge Gulf create the most northern estuarine environment in ...
to the north. Much of the land around Wyndham is inhospitable, and includes the Bastion Range and the
mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...
s of the Cambridge Gulf. The Bastion Range is the site of the Wyndham Important Bird Area, identified as such by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it holds the largest known population of
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
Gouldian finch The Gouldian finch (''Chloebia gouldiae''), also known as the Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia. Taxonomy The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologist John Gould in 1844 ...
es.


Climate

Wyndham experiences a
hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''BSh''), being a little too dry to be classified as a
tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
(''Aw''), with a wet season from late November to March and a dry season from April to early November. The hottest month is November with an average maximum temperature of , and the coolest month is June with an average maximum of . The annual average maximum temperature is , one of the highest in Australia. In 1946, Wyndham recorded 333 consecutive days of temperatures over . The wet season is very
humid Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...
with the average dewpoint temperature at 3pm in February being . In the dry season, in August, it is . Large rain events do occur in Wyndham, such as on 4 March 1919 when of rain were recorded over a 24-hour period, followed by another the next day.


Facilities


Education

There are two schools, Wyndham District High School (K-12) and St Joseph's Catholic School (K-7), one
TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...
campus, and a daycare centre.


Transport

Wyndham is served by Wyndham Airport.


Community

The Wyndham Memorial Swimming Pool is a public swimming pool, opened on 5 November 1966 by
Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 8 April 1974 to 25 January 1982. A member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, Liberal Par ...
. The Ted Birch Memorial Youth and Recreation Centre is a multi-purpose, community recreation facility. The centre, originally the Wyndham Recreation Centre, was opened on 11 October 2003 by the shire president Barbara Johnson. The Centre was renamed on 29 May 2014 in honour of Pastor Edward "Ted" Birch, who was instrumental in helping establish a youth service in Wyndham. Peter Reid Memorial Hall is a community hall in Wyndham available for community events and private bookings. The hall, originally the Wyndham Hall, was built in 1982 and was later renamed the Peter Reid Memorial Hall in recognition of Peter Reid's service to the community by the Wyndham
Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
, following his death in 1985. The Wyndham Port Shire Hall is a historic building that was constructed in 1960 on the foundations of the original school and road board buildings from 1894. The Hall was also an office and administration building for the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley and later a recreation space until it was converted into an art gallery in 1997. The hall became known as the Boab Art Gallery and showcased artworks by local and regional artists. The Hall is now leased to a community group to support the conservation of the
Gouldian finch The Gouldian finch (''Chloebia gouldiae''), also known as the Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia. Taxonomy The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologist John Gould in 1844 ...
, a rare and endangered bird species that live in the mangroves near Wyndham. The hall is also a part of a heritage walk of Wyndham Port. Wyndham is also the home of the Big Crocodile, a wire and concrete statue of a crocodile around long.


Tourism

For tourists, there are two hotels and a caravan park. The nearby Bastion lookout provides sweeping vistas of the surrounding country, including the Durack,
Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
,
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
,
Forrest Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...
and
Ord River The Ord River is a river in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river's catchment covers . The lower Ord River and the confluence with Cambridge Gulf create the most northern estuarine environment in ...
s, which emerge into the Cambridge Gulf. The town has a museum in the old courthouse that is open to the public and run by the Wyndham Historical Society. Nearby Wyndham is the Boab Prison Tree.


Jirrawun Arts

Jirrawun Arts was an
Indigenous Australian art Indigenous Australian art includes art made by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, including collaborations with others. It includes works in a wide range of media including painting on leaves, bark painting, wood carving, rock ...
centre, established in 1998 in Kununurra before moving to Wyndham in 2006. It was notable as the base for
contemporary Indigenous Australian art Contemporary Indigenous Australian art is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians, that is, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. It is generally regarded as beginning in 1971 with a painting movement that star ...
ists of the eastern
Kimberley region The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy Desert, Great Sandy and Tanami Desert, Tanami deserts in t ...
, including Paddy Bedford and Freddie Timms. It closed in 2010. Their art was exhibited in exhibitions in Melbourne and elsewhere.


In popular culture

The Wyndham area was a filming location for: * The 1946 film '' The Overlanders'' * The 1997 documentary film ''The Human Race'' * The 2004 US reality TV series '' Outback Jack'', at El Questro Station * The 2007 Dutch reality TV series ''Outback Jack'', at Home Valley Station * The 2008 film ''
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
'' * The 2010 film '' Mad Bastards'', as the fictional town of Five Rivers * The 2012 film '' Satellite Boy'', in and around Wyndham * The 2013 TV series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', Series 5 Episode 1,
Rove McManus John Henry Michael 'Rove' McManus (born 21 January 1974) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality who has received three Gold Logie awards. He was the host of the eponymous variety show '' Rove ...
* The 2018 TV series '' Mystery Road'', as the fictional town of Patterson


References


Further reading

*


External links


travel guide

Shire of Wyndam-East Kimberley homepage

Kununurra Historical Society
Archive, Library, Museum & Research has links to images of Wyndham. {{Towns Kimberley WA 1886 establishments in Australia Cambridge Gulf Mining towns in Western Australia Populated places established in 1886 Port cities in Western Australia