Wickham is a townsite in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, located 1572 kilometres north of Perth and 13 kilometres north of Roebourne. The town was announced in 1970 to provide housing and support facilities for the Cliffs Western Australia Mining Company Pty Ltd developments at the nearby port of Cape Lambert. It was gazetted in 1971.
Wickham is named after John Clements Wickham RN, of HMS "Beagle". The choice of name recognises Wickham's work in surveying the intertropical coasts of Australia from 1838 to 1840, including the north west coast in the vicinity of Wickham. Wickham was born in Scotland in 1798, and joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1812. From 1831 to 1836 he sailed on the Beagle's voyage around the world as second in charge under Captain Robert FitzRoy. Wickham was then appointed commander of the expedition to survey the coast of Australia on the "Beagle", with John Lort Stokes his second in charge. Wickham later settled in Australia, and died in France in 1864.
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