Whim Creek, Western Australia

Whim Creek Western Australia
The iconic Whim Creek Pub, c. 2007
Whim Creek
Coordinates	20°50′00″S 117°50′00″E / 20.83333°S 117.83333°E / -20.83333; 117.83333Coordinates: 20°50′00″S 117°50′00″E / 20.83333°S 117.83333°E / -20.83333; 117.83333
Population	140 (?)
Established	1872
Postcode(s)	6718
Location	1,645 km (1,022 mi) from Perth
LGA(s)	City of Karratha
State electorate(s)	North West
Federal Division(s)	Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 32.3 °C 90 °F 20.7 °C 69 °F 269.8 mm 10.6 in

Whim Creek is a small town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Originally a post office known as "Whim Well", Whim Creek is on the North West Coastal Highway midway between Karratha and Port Hedland. It is 1,645 kilometres (1,022 mi) north of Perth and a stopover point for travellers to Broome.

The Whim Creek Hotel is a famous landmark midway between Roebourne and Port Hedland, and was renowned as a rest stop, hotel and drinking establishment for most of the 20th century.

The original Whim Creek Hotel was a tin-roofed structure which was blown down in a cyclone in the 1890s. The hotel was resurrected, and has been blown down twice since; in the mid-20th century and in the 1990s.

The current Whim Creek Hotel was erected in the early 20th century. The original building frame, made of steel, was intended to be the frame for the Marble Bar courthouse. The frame and materials were landed at the Balla Balla Creek jetty, ready for transport inland to Marble Bar, but the effort was stranded by a large cyclone. The building was erected at its current site on the banks of Whim Creek, where the steel frame has stood ever since. The wooden facade has, however, been blown off twice.

The hotel was bought as part of the Whim Creek Copper Mine by Venturex Resources in 2010, and closed in 2011. In late 2013 the hotel was bought by the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation and Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation, who plan to restore and re-open it.

The Hotel is now back to its former glory, offering great food and drink, a range of accommodation and events.

On April 2 to April 3, 1899, the town received 36.49 inches (927 mm) of rain in 48 hours, with 29.41 inches (747 mm) falling in a 24-hour period. Earlier in the same year, on March 22 and March 23 another 27 inches (686 mm) fell.

Whim Creek was renowned for its alcoholic camel which used to drink patrons' beers before being relocated to Wiluna, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, and a large python which used to live within the rafters above the bar.