Pilbara

Regional Overview

• Defined by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Northern Territory border to the east, the Pilbara is Western Australia’s second most northern region. The Kimberley Region lies to its north across the Great Sandy Desert and the Pilbara’s southern reaches border the Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields-Esperance regions.
• The Region covers a total area of 507,896 sq kms (including offshore islands).
• Most of the inhabitants are located in the western third, whereas the eastern third is largely desert with few inhabitants. The region has four local government areas - the Shires of Ashburton, East Pilbara, Roebourne and the Town of Port Hedland. The major towns of the region are Port Hedland and Karratha. Other towns are Roebourne, Dampier, Onslow, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo, Tom Price, Wickham, Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine.
• The Pilbara came to national and international prominence during the 1960s when the go-ahead was given to extract iron ore deposits in the region. Today the Pilbara economy is crucial to the State, providing two of the State's largest export revenue earners - iron ore and liquefied natural gas

Major Centres

Local Government (Shires)

Links to the Pilbara Gascoyne region

• Health Service Directory WACHS Pilbara 
• Pilbara Development Commission
• Regions of WA Series - Pilbara Forging Forward (PDF 2.18MB)