Charles Knife Road

Statement of Significance

The Charles Knife Road has historic cultural heritage significance and is a rare example of such an engineering feat. It is an outstanding example of the construction of a road which surveyors believed to be impossible to build in such difficult terrain. Charles Knife, an administrative officer for WAPET and not a qualified surveyor or engineer, chose the location. The road has direct links to the historic oil exploration at Cape Range No 2 well.

Physical Description

The Charles Knife Road is located 23 km south of Exmouth. It is an unsealed road that crosses the peaks of the Cape Range in a dramatic way. traversing very steep terrain.

History

The Charles Knife Canyon Road follows the trail blazed by Charles Knife and Jack King over the Cape Range. Charles Knife, an administrative officer, survey ed the road across the peaks of the range to enable access for the drilling teams of West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd (WAPET) who were in search of oil. The road took four months for the Bell Brothers contractors to build. It is regarded as a spectacular example of road building ingenuity as many steep inclines had to be traversed. Even with today's technology this road represents a construction feat, reflecting the large expense WAPET was prepared to face during oil exploration. Today (1997) the road is used as a scenic drive which follows the razor backed ridges of Cape Range and provides glimpses into canyons on either side of the peaks.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.