Halls Creek

Town in northern Western Australia, 2,855 km/1,774 mi north of Perth; population (1996) 1,300. The main industries of the area are cattle and mining. Halls Creek is also a base for tourists travelling to the Bungle Bungle National Park, 200 km/124 mi to the northeast, and to the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater, 150 km/93 mi to the south. The crater was formed over 50,000 years ago and is the second largest in the world, measuring 800 m/2,625 ft across and 49 m/161 ft deep.

The district around Halls Creek was explored by settlers in 1879, although it was not until the discovery of gold in 1885 that a town emerged. Gold was discovered by Charles Hall, after whom the town is named. The reserves of gold soon ran out, and by 1900 Halls Creek had become a service centre for the developing pastoral industry. In 1948 the townsite was relocated 15 km/9 mi from the original site to allow for expansion on less rugged terrain.