Wickham is a town located 1,572 km north of Perth and 13 km north of Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In 2016 Wickham had a population of 2,295 people. Aboriginal people made up 17.2% of the population, five times the state average.[2]
Wickham was established in 1970 by Cliffs Robe River Iron Associates (Robe) and named after John Clements Wickham, the captain of HMS Beagle, who surveyed the north-west coast in 1840.[3]
The town's first permanent buildings were completed in 1970 by Robe to support its iron-ore mine at Pannawonica, and pelletising plant and shiploading at Cape Lambert. The majority of the residences and facilities in town are owned by Rio Tinto. Wickham was originally a closed company town but from 1980 has been jointly administered by Robe and the Shire of Roebourne.[4] In August 2000 Rio Tinto acquired a majority interest in the Robe River Iron Associates joint venture and in 2012 established a new Wickham South subdivision that included 212 new dwellings, 25 residential lots, and 198 new FIFO accommodation units.[4]
