Karratha is a small town adjoining the port of Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia which was developed from the 1960s to accommodate the processing and exportation workforce of the Hamersley Iron mining company and, in the 1980s, the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the North West Shelf Venture. The town's name comes from the cattle station from which land was reclaimed for the development. Karratha in the local Aboriginal language means 'God's country' or 'Sacred Earth' . The town is the seat of government of the Shire of Roebourne.
Geography
Karratha is located approximately 1,535 kilometres (954 mi) north of Perth and 850 kilometres (528 mi) south of Broome on the North West Coastal Highway.
Population
16796 (2007)(2006).
The Shire of Roebourne and the WA Government have launched exciting new plans to transform Karratha into a world-class City of the North.
From a new-look town centre to waterfront developments and new residential lots the bold blueprint paths the way for Karratha to become a major Australian city with more than 50,000 local residents.
The Karratha City of the North Plan has been at the drawing board since late 2009 and involved a team of more than 20 of WA’s best and brightest urban designers, planners and landscape architect.
The plan takes the region one step closer to “realising the dream” of achieving the WA Government’s Pilbara Cities vision. The Karratha City of the North Plan endows the region with vastly improved infrastructure and amenity and offers more affordable and diverse styles of housing.
The Karratha City of the North Plan is a three-phase strategy that will guide the development of future housing, open spaces, commercial activities, tourist accommodation, entertainment and retail areas as well as service infrastructure, transport, education and community facilities.
The Karratha City of the North Plan includes a number of strategic community well-being and infrastructure projects designed to provide immediate improvements to public amenity and lifestyle for local residents.These include:
•Pam Buchanan Family Centre
•Frank Butler Community Centre
•Karratha Leisure Complex
•Cattrall Park Redevelopment
•The Youth Shed
•Bulgarra Sporting Precinct
•Permanent Playground Shade
Interested to know more? Click http://www.roebourne.wa.gov.au/city_north_home.aspx 
wow...
i would love to live there
Oh, how awesome life will be to be living in this new modern city!!!!!
Well planned and spread out. Not crowded like LA, USA or Manila, Philippines.
Extreme weather and the Pilbara. What can we expect in 50 years?Australian Mining 14 February, 2013 Andrew DuffyThe last two months have seen a spate of cyclones and dust storms disrupt resource operations in the Pilbara.
But while it's already a challenging place to do business, most experts say the climate will be even harsher over the next 50 years.
Such a climate is poised to throw even more upsets at one of the harshest, yet most profitable parts of Australia.Concerned about the potential for larger disruptions in the future, researchers at the CSIRO asked key decision-makers late last year what they were most worried about in a world of rising extremes.
The findings unearthed a raft of potential threats for the Pilbara, but mapped out a plan to keep the industry on track.
The state of playAlmost 90 years ago Marble Bar racked up a world record 160 consecutive days of temperatures over 100°F (37.8°C).
The record still stands, and is a testament to the extremes of the Pilbara's heat, which is still on the rise.
But hot weather isn't the only problem in the Pilbara, with the region's coastline also one of the most cyclone-prone regions of Australia.
Not only are cyclones more frequent there than anywhere else in Australia, they are also more severe, with some storms capable of winds over 170km/h.
Looking back over the historical records, the CSIRO said Bureau of Meteorology data showed that from 1960-2010 maximum temperatures in the Pilbara had risen between 0.05 to 0.15°C per decade.
Over the same period rainfall has increased in the north and central areas, but decreased in the south-western region.
Based on the data at hand climate scientists have projected 2070 temperatures in the region to be around 3°C higher than 1990 levels.
And while one projection shows a substantial increase in summer rainfall, the majority of scenarios show a decrease in rain over the winter period.
A sceptic communityWhile the CSIRO workshop aimed to operate above the politics of climate change, a broad scepticism regarding the science of the issue still shone through the study.
The CSIRO reported a majority of decision-makers involved in its workshop agreed the Pilbara climate would change significantly over the next 50 years.
But most also agreed they had no confidence in the climate change projections provided by scientists.
In planning for the future the CSIRO's study made no broad claims about the threat of climate change on a global scale.
It instead focused solely on the Pilbara, and swept the politics aside to help industry prepare for a range of different scenarios.
The workshop was about ensuring business was not caught off-guard by changes in the climate, and aimed to ensure the Pilbara kept its status as a world class mining region.
The risks involvedFaced with a climate that might be hotter, drier, and more cyclone-prone in the future, the CSIRO asked mining, services, and government figures what the biggest vulnerabilities were.
Under a warmer and drier climate, the rapid growth of the industry was seen as leading to increased competition for water supplies.
Under a hotter and wetter scenario, the health and safety of workers was marked as a key concern, with employees likely to face higher risk of heat-related illness, water borne diseases, and storm/cyclone injuries.
The industry's reliance on off-site workers and decision makers was also seen as contributing to its vulnerability.
But with climate change making the extremes of the Pilbara more prominent, the transitory nature of the industry was expected to increase.
The fact that workers and decision makers were often located outside the region reinforced the importance of communication and community engagement.
But improvements to miners themselves were also seen as a key way to cope with changes.
Improvements to technology and planning were marked as vital to adapting to harsher conditions, as were upgrades to existing infrastructure, services, and design standards.
Stakeholders also highlighted the need to bring in new talent and skills, as well was increase the knowledge of existing staff.The bottom lineWhether you're a climate change advocate or a firm sceptic, historical records show temperatures in the Pilbara have risen since the region's first developers set up camp.
With records showing temperatures on the rise, and projections showing worsening conditions overall, demand for water will become a pressure point, especially as the region's population grows.
The risk of further downtime, along with harsher working environments, will also put pressure on employees and managers alike.
But while they're unsure where the climate is heading, awareness of the need to adapt is starting to filter through most companies.
The industry's largest players already have climate change plans in place, and such policies will likely receive more attention as the Pilbara develops through the coming decades.
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Yes,indeed! Truly awesome life will be to be living in this extreme weather!!!!! 
