Meekatharra, Western Australia
A busy regional hub for government, mining and pastoral industries and services, “Meeka” is mainly known for its friendly, colourful outback characters and its boom-bust gold mining history. We are a great halfway stopover between Perth and Port Hedland, and many visitors choose to stay an extra day or two when they discover what’s on offer, whether it’s shopping, vehicle services, events, local history or the beauty of nature.
We’re an RV-friendly town with several accommodation options, plus camping close to town.
For details on toilet dump, water refill and other RV info, click on our “Visitor Services” page.
Meekatharra’s original place name was “mikadah” or “migadah”, a Yamaji-Wadjarri word meaning “hollow” or “depression”, referring to the low-lying creek area where a soak was maintained by Aboriginal people and later used as a stopover for the many camel trains travelling north and south. The name Meekatharra was coined by the first prospectors to register a mine here.
Meekatharra - Attractions
Grab a copy of the annual Meekatharra Map & Directory at outlets all along the Great Northern Highway and in town for a detailed map, services & trades contacts and useful visitor & resident information such as rubbish collection schedule, regular events, clubs and more. The CRC and the Shire offices also have plenty of town and regional brochures and can help you with most enquiries.
THE PEOPLE (and animals!)
We’re a friendly mob - don’t be afraid to say g’day and stop any of us for a chat, whether it’s down at the creek, one of our great pubs, or the freezer aisle at Farmer Jack’s supermarket. We’re genuine outback characters, aboriginal elders, station folks, mine workers and more, with plenty of stories and history to share. We’ll also help you out with just about anything - just ask. Keep an eye out for Albert the Meekatharra Goat and Bindie the Post Office Dog.
WALKS AND TRAILS
Grab brochures for the Meeka Creek Trail, the Self Drive Trail or Town Heritage Walk at the CRC or Shire office and explore the history and heritage of Meekatharra and its people. The Discovery trail, including the Meekatharra lookout, provides a fascinating insight into natural and cultural heritage of Meekatharra. It’s a lovely stroll that parallels the creek and Main Street, so you can hop on and off as you like.
BUTTAH WINDEE BARRAMUNDI & ART GALLERY
Fish in the desert! This tiny community just 5km from Meekatharra has art, music and more, centered around the tasty barramundi grown at their aquaponics farm. You can visit anytime by contacting them on 0457 688 227 during normal daytime hours. They hold an annual festival event each year in September - see our “What’s On” for details.
GOLD HISTORY & MINE PIT VIEWS
The town's gold prospecting past is displayed proudly on a walk down the main street with the State Battery and other interesting relics from the era. There are many nearby historic gold sites, including traces of the original diggings on the east side of town, Garden Gully north of town, and views of working open pit mines close to town - grab a copy of the town map & directory at most outlets in and around Meekatharra.
FLYING DOCTOR
Take a tour of the Royal Flying Doctors Base and learn about the role of the Flying Doctors and Nurses in outback life. Just pop out to their base at the Meekatharra Airport and ask if they have time to show you around - you might even be allowed to have a peek in the plane! Don’t forget to drop some spare change in the donation tin.
PEACE GORGE - ABORIGINAL CULTURAL SITE
Just five kilometres from the town, this is an ideal setting for a picnic and free self-contained camping. Although it is a registered Aboriginal Cultural Heritage site, it is a family area where all are welcome as long as it is treated with respect. The area boasts beautiful granite rock formations and got its current name from a historic picnic event welcoming home service men and women from World War I.
MUSEUM
A treasure trove of local and family history, curiousities, memorabilia and featuring the old horse-drawn hearse. From February 2020 the Museum will be located in the re-vamped historic Lloyd’s Building in the heart of Main Street.
SWIMMING POOL, EXERCISE TRAIL, GYM & SPORTS COURTS
The town swimming pool in the heart of town has a great toddler area, picnic tables and shade, and only costs a few gold coins entry. Ask at the Shire office about access to our gym, tennis court & squash court. There is a great exercise trail around the perimeter of the town oval, which is also a “dogs off leash” area, so you can work out with your fur buddy. Don’t forget to pick up after your poo-ch :-)
NATURE, ANIMALS & WILDFLOWERS
Take time to get off the bitumen and spot our many delicate wildflowers which appear from July onwards. The famous Sturt Desert Pea can be found about 50km north of town around the Karalundi area. At sunrise or sunset you may also spot emus and kangaroos on the outskirts of town or along the creek trail. A good spot to see kangaroos is the town oval at night - they love the green grass! We have many interesting birds, ranging from the Meekatharra crow family, desert pigeons, bowerbirds, parrots, bush turkeys, honey eaters, mudlarks, willy wagtails and, further out, budgies. Keep your eyes peeled for bungarras (goanna lizards), snakes, thorny devils, skinks and legless lizards (no, they haven’t been to the pub).
CEMETERY
Our historic cemetery will provide a unique insight into our past and present. As part of the Meekatharra self-drive trail, there is an interpretive sign at the entrance. There are toilets, shade and a covered picnic table area.
THE RACES AT THE END OF THE EARTH
Also part of the self-drive trail, the Meekatharra Race Course (for horses, of course) has been holding race meets for over 100 years. Stop and check out the information sign. If you’re lucky you might see some of our local equestrians practising their rodeo skills. The Race Club holds a meet every year in September; check our “What’s On” page for all the latest event news.