WA highway renamed after Red Dog

The beloved kelpie who was well known for hitchhiking throughout WA’s Pilbara region in the 1970s and immortalised in film has had a highway renamed in his honour.

According to Australia’s Northwest tourism agency, Red Dog was originally named Tally Ho and became a fixture at local mining projects, travelling on company buses and iron ore trains.

After his final human companion died, Red Dog took to wandering the Pilbara and was cared for by locals, including the Karratha vet.

Red Dog died in 1979 and already has a signposted trail showing where he spent some of his time in Dampier, where there is also a statue of him.

The State Government announced on Wednesday the Karratha-Tom Price Road would now be known as Manuwarra Red Dog Highway, with Premier Mark McGowan saying it was fittingly named in the famous dog’s honour.

“Red Dog was a unique Pilbara character and his story is well known across Australia, if not the world,” Mr McGowan said.

Manuwarra was proposed by the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and is the name for Red Dog Gorge, which is in the Millstream Chichester National Park.

The Premier said it was important the new name for the highway recognised the traditional land owners.

The highway is being sealed under a multi-million-dollar project, with stage 4 set to begin in 2022.

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