As the pastoral industry developed in Carnarvon in the late 1800s the local population requested the government of the day to develop a port for the town. By 1897 the jetty had been built and wool and livestock produced in the region began to be exported to Fremantle and essential goods for the town were imported using state shipping. In 1904 the head of the jetty was added and in 1912 the jetty head was widened because of increasing traffic, including passengers.
Carnarvon was the first port in Western Australia which loaded livestock on board ships for transport to markets.
The One Mile Jetty once boasted an animal race the length of the jetty along which the sheep and cattle were driven from holding yards where the Interpretive Centre is today. The jetty transport system and diesel locos on the tramway ceased in 1966 when state ships stopped calling. Road train transport commenced, and the jetty began to fall into disrepair until 1998 when the community banded together to save what is the longest jetty in the north of the state. In 2021 the One Mile Jetty was badly damaged by Cyclone Seroja and is currently close the public. The Carnarvon community continues to advocate for its repair.
EXPERIENCE the real carnarvon heritage
Railway Station Museum
This museum houses the Kimberley Steam Train, which was brought down from Broome in the 1950's, it was the last steam train to operate in the North West. It also houses the last mini train which ran visitors out to the end of the One Mile Jetty when it was still intact and is a unique insight to how children of the day used to get to school.
Shearing Hall of Fame
The Heritage Group in collaboration with The Gascoyne Pastoral and Shearing Museum Inc have opened Western Australia’s first Shearing Hall of Fame. Read about the golden days of the Gascoyne shearing industry during the 1950's.
You will also discover the role that Charles Kingsford Smith had in our wool industry going back to the 1920's.
Light House Keepers Cottage
This museum is a cottage which was built around the 1900's to house the lighthouse keeper and his family and was used until the 1970’s. The building has now been restored and houses memorabilia from bygone days.
The cottage is a reminder of the days that lighthouses required daily attention and their keepers were housed on site. The shipping of wool, cattle and people by coastal steamer had become big business in the north‐west by the 1890's and Carnarvon was the major port to the Gascoyne region.
One Mile Jetty Centre
The new One Mile Jetty Centre opened in April 2019. The Centre is home to the HMAS Sydney II/ HSK Kormoran. This famous Australian battle occurred off the Gascoyne Coast in 1941 and is remembered in the museum.
With many interactive displays being featured in the museum it is a great insight to the devastating events that occurred back in 1941. You can view one of the lifeboats in which 46 German survivors came ashore north of Carnarvon.
The museum touches on the whaling history of Carnarvon and a harpoon can be seen at the beginning of the One Mile Jetty.
Tramway Bridge Walk
This 2.5km walk trail connects the Foot Bridge on the Fascine Town Beach with the Carnarvon Heritage Precinct. The original tramway linked up the Carnarvon Goods Shed, now the Carnarvon Civic Centre with the One Mile Jetty. Trains once transported supplies from the One Mile Jetty to the 'Goods Shed'.
The walk trail is home to unique flora and fauna found in the region. During the months of July to September, the Dawson Burrowing Bee’s start to appear. The Bees are unique to the Gascoyne region and can also be found in the Kennedy Range National Park. Macro photographers will enjoy exploring the Whitlock Island area.
Don't Look at the Islands Walk
In the Heritage Precinct you can take a short walk and discover more of the history of this area. On the way to the lookout over the Gascoyne River you will discover a memorial statute, “Don't Look at the Islands” which is dedicated to those Aboriginal people who were sent to Bernier and Dorre Islands in the early 1900s.
You will see the site of the old Carnarvon Meatworks, which is an interesting story in itself being the holding area for sheep and cattle being exported from Carnarvon.
Mangroves Walk
The Mangrove Boardwalk as its name suggests, meanders out into the mangroves where one can be at peace with nature and take in another aspect of the One Mile Jetty.
The Boardwalk is a 400m trail from the Precinct, with views of the river and the jetty. Along the way, you will be able to read about the saltmarshes.
A bird watcher and photographers dream, with bountiful wildlife and birds to observe, nature is calling.
