Bookish Places: Red Dog Memorial Statue

The Kids' Book Review Bookish Places posts are a chance to celebrate museums, galleries and other places with a connection to children's literature and reading. The posts are compiled by KBR's Consultant Librarian, Sarah Steed, our intrepid traveller and hunter-gatherer of amazing places!

In outback Western Australia, in the Pilbara district 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, is a special statue. It's in memory of Red Dog.

Red Dog was a kelpie, known as the Pilbara Wanderer, who became famous for his travels in the 1970s. His story was documented in a novel called Red Dog by British author Louis de Bernieres, and later in a film of the same name (released in 2011).

Photo: Anthony B Loveridge (used under CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Red Dog Memorial Statue is located on the Dampier Highway, just outside Dampier. You will see it as you enter the town, and there's a parking area so visitors can stop safely to see the statue and take photos.

If you visit Dampier, you can follow the Red Dog Trail to see the town as Red Dog might have done, passing the lookout and dunes, and exploring Shark Cage Beach.

Photo: Anthony B Loveridge (used under CC BY-SA 3.0)

If you can't visit the Red Dog Memorial Statue in person -- it is a long way for most people -- you can browse the official Red Dog website reddogwa.com for information about Red Dog, Dampier and the Pilbara region, and even download colouring in sheets for young Red Dog fans. And of course, you can read all about Red Dog in the book that introduced him to the world!

Interested in taking a Bookish Places trip around the world with Sarah? Enjoy this sensational map, also created by Sarah, and check out our other Bookish Places posts here.