Yampi Sound
Yampi Sound is a part of the Indian Ocean off the coast of northwestern Australia, located between King Sound and Collier Bay. The islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago, which enclose the sound, contain important iron ore deposits. The sound was visited in March 1838 by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle, who named Yampee Point, Yampee being the local Indigenous peoples word for fresh water.
The traditional owners of the areas around the sound are the Umiida peoples.
Yampi Sound contains many islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago the largest being Koolan Island. Others include: Cockatoo Island, Conilurus Island, Irvine Island, Bathurst Island, Gibbings Island, Hidden Island, and the Baylis Islands.
High grade iron ore has been mined from Koolan and Cockatoo islands since 1951. A small copper mine also operated at Coppermine Creek on the mainland side of the sound, which in the period 1915-1916 produced ore containing 23.06 tons of copper, worth £1504.
During World War II, several raids were launched against the Japanese forces in Borneo and Java using Catalina Flying Boats by the Royal Australian Air Force from Cockatoo Island in Yampi Sound.
The Australian Defence Force has maintained a training facility at Yampi Sound since the 1970s.
