It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Turkey Creek (Warmun) on the Great Northern Highway.

The town functions as a major hub for the local Indigenous population and as a support centre for cattle stations in the area.

The land is crossed by songlines and trading paths stretching from the coasts to the deserts, some passing near the modern town.

The story of that long occupation remains alive today and it is revealed in the culture of the Jaru, Kija, Kukatja, Walmajarri, Gooniyandi and other Indigenous people who live in Halls Creek Shire.

On Christmas Day 1885 prospector Charlie Hall found a 870-gram (28-troy-ounce) gold nugget at a site that would eventually be named after him.

The gold rush lasted less than three months and Halls Creek became a trading centre for cattle stations, Aboriginal communities and miners who stayed there.

[3] Many talented artists producing Indigenous Australian art live in Halls Creek and the surrounding communities.

[7] In September 2009 it was reported that assaults and drink driving arrests had decreased dramatically as a result of the bans.

During the wet season, Halls Creek is often cut off due to flooding; water levels can rise and fall very rapidly.

Near the other end of the Tanami Road in the Northern Territory, over 1000 km away from Halls Creek, is Gosses Bluff crater, with the 5 km diameter, 180 m high crater-like feature, now exposed, being interpreted as the eroded relic of the crater's central uplift.

Weather Atlas (sun hours)[13] As of November 2018[update] the Browns Range Project pilot plant—160 km south east of the township near the Kundat Djaru Community—is producing 50 tonnes (49 long tons) per annum of dysprosium.