WEST KIMBERLEY PLACE REPORT - Department of Sustainability ...

Karrakatta Bay
Karrakatta Bay is a small bay situated on the northern most point of the Dampier
Peninsula, Western Australia. It opens onto the Indian Ocean at the entrance to King
Sound. It contains, in a cove on its north side a white sand beach with rugged
sandstone outcrops at either end (George 1999).
In 1688, the English ship Cygnet was careened for repair in 'a small sandy Cove' for
around two months (Dampier 1998 [1697]). The most probable site of this careening
is now considered to be a small cove on the north side of Karrakatta Bay, as described
above (Marchant 1988; George 1999; Pearson 2005). As such, Karrakatta Bay is
significant as a seventeenth century first contact site. One of the Englishmen on board
the Cygnet was William Dampier who, during the time spent in Karrakatta Bay, made
numerous observations of the natural history of the area and, more importantly, the
Aboriginal people he encountered. He published his journals on his return to England
in A new voyage round the world (1998 [1697]). Dampier became an instant celebrity
and his account of the voyage received wide European readership. The observations
he made influenced future generations of Australian explorers, including Banks and
Cook, particularly in relation to their attitudes towards Aboriginal people, and
inspired literary works such as Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Mulvaney 1989;
Pearson 2005).
Archaeological evidence that can attest to the presence of the Cygnet and its crew may
be found at Karrakatta Bay. The length of the Cygnet's stay at Karrakatta Bay (up to
two months) increases the likelihood of the existence of such evidence.
Dampier's own accounts of his landing indicate what sort of archaeological evidence
could be found. He notes that the crew stayed in tents, mended their sails near the
camp and that they hunted turtle and manatee every day. This suggests that evidence
for the camp itself is not very likely, as tents and the mending of sails do not normally
leave a lasting impression on the landscape. Also, the crew are likely to take these
items with them when they leave. This leaves refuse pits/areas containing the remains
of their meals and activities, including the bones of the mentioned turtles and
manatees, as the most likely extant evidence of the crew's presence. Personal items
discarded or lost by the crew might also be found around the camp site. George
(1999) notes that Karrakatta Bay is on an Aboriginal reserve and remains relatively
undisturbed by modern development. He believes the Bay is little disturbed which is
promising for the preservation of any archaeological evidence.
This type of archaeological evidence could offer information on the lives of late
seventeenth century maritime explorers/buccaneers. Specifically, it can offer
information on how such men survived and occupied their time while ashore in
remote regions. It could indicate, among other things, what they ate, what sort of
conditions they lived in, what type of activities they undertook, and how they went
about repairing a careened ship.
A literature review was carried out to assess whether research material was likely to
be found within the Karrakatta Bay site.
Unfortunately, very little archaeological research at Karrakatta Bay appears to have
been done. The archaeology in this area tends to focus on shipwrecks and as the
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