Karratha is an aboriginal word meaning "Good Country" and was originally the name of the local station back in the 1860's. The town itself was originally developed in the early 1970's as a company town to accommodate the workforce for the huge Hamersley Iron Ore Export Project.

With the opening of the offshore oil and gas industry the town of Karratha and it's sister port town of Dampier have rapidly grown into a thriving community of over 12,000 people.

Being one of the best serviced towns in the North West, Karratha makes a great base to explore the surrounding area including Dampier, Cossack, Wickham, Roebourne and Point Samson. Also close by are the Millstream, and Karijini National Parks.