Dampier port is part of the Dampier Archipelago, which comprises Murujuga (Burrup) Peninsula. The port services petrochemical, salt, iron ore and natural gas export industries.
The Archipelago is named after William Dampier, an English buccaneer and explorer who sailed there and named one of its islands in 1699 (Rosemary Island). The largest island was called Murujuga for thousands of years, and was renamed Burrup in 1979.
The area is home to what is believed to be the largest collection of petroglyphs (ancient rock art) in the world.