Karratha, Port Hedland mark King's Birthday public holiday before rest of WA

Karratha, Port Hedland mark King's Birthday public holiday before rest of Western Australia. For nearly three decades, a small pocket of Western Australia’s north-west has quietly marked the King’s Birthday public holiday a month ahead of the rest of the state for port operations & cargo handling. In the City of Karratha and the Town of Port Hedland, the holiday is observed in August, diverging from WA’s standard date in late September. This local variation is made possible under the Public and Bank Holiday Act 1997, which allows local government to request an alternative date of local significance. In these two regions, the timing coincides with major community event: the Fenacing Festival in Karratha and the Hedland Cup in Port Hedland. 

The City of Karratha has started this celebration the early King’s Birthday holiday since 1996 and community support remains strong. In a recent survey, nearly 80% of Karratha residents voted to retain the August holiday for at least another three years. The The FeNaClNG Festival named after the chemical symbols for iron (Fe), salt (NaCl), and natural gas (NG) highlights the region’s economic pillars and draws over 10,000 attendees annually. Established in 1972, the event has become a cornerstone of the local calendar.

Festival goer Sherry Fitzgerald, who has attended the event for nearly 20 years, see it as a unifying tradition. “It just brings everybody together, everybody in friendly,” she said. “Let us have our little tradition in the Pilbara.”