Karratha REAPs big rewards from precinct one year on

After hundreds of movies and performances shown and thousands of tickets sold, Karratha’s Red Earth Arts Precinct has had a busy first year in operation.

One year after opening its doors, the $56 million facility has become a fixture of community life for for residents and rejuvenated the Karratha arts scene with a host of new cultural offerings.

More than 44,000 tickets to events have been issued, including to 187 movies and 49 live performances, since the precinct opened.

Some 85,000 people have also visited the library to borrow 56,000 items.

The design of the precinct has also proven a hit, winning several awards including Best Regional Project in WA at the Master Builders Excellence in Construction Awards and a current finalist in the WA Architecture Awards.

City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long said the community had embraced the arts precinct over the past year and it had raised Karratha’s profile on the national arts scene.

“Council’s vision was to create a modern hub for arts and cultural experiences and the first year has been an overwhelming success,” he said.

“This contemporary facility demonstrates how the arts enrich communities and has strengthened WA’s touring circuit, which previously lacked a high standard venue between Broome and Geraldton.”

Three major conferences have been held at the precinct since opening, and two more — the Developing Northern Australia Conference (July) and WA Regional Tourism Conference (September) — are scheduled for later this year.

The facility has also hosted a range of high-profile arts acts including concerts from the likes of Daryl Braithwaite and Birds of Tokyo, dance rehearsals with the WA Ballet Company and plays by the Black Swan State Theatre Company.

Cr Long said the various cultural opportunities on offer at the precinct had made the City a more attractive place to live and visit.

“The Red Earth Arts Precinct beckons residents and visitors with an appetite for the arts to embrace the wide variety of entertainment on offer and enhances the liveability of our city,” he said.

“This facility has attracted a growing number of high profile conferences, which stimulate the local economy and generate interest in the many opportunities to work, live and invest in the City of Karratha.”