Port Hedland Population 13,820
Port Hedland is 1763km (1096 miles) north of Perth, at the junction of
the North West Coastal Highway and the Great Northern Highway, on
the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Climate
Average temperatures: January max 36C (97F) - min 25C (77F); July 26C (79F)
- min 12C (54F). Number of days per year with temperature over 30C (86F)
- 259; number of days per year with temperature over 40C (104F) - 29. Average
annual rainfall: 304mm (12 ins); wettest six months - January to June.
Characteristics
Port Hedland is the biggest port by tonnage in Australia, and the world's
biggest ships visit its wharves to collect the Pilbara's most valuable
commodity - iron ore. Almost everything in the town revolves around mining
and iron ore.
The town has an airport that provides a gateway for international visitors.
How to Get There By Bus
Greyhound Pioneer have daily services to Port Hedland from Perth.
By Road
From Perth, via either the North West Coastal Highway or the Great Northern
Highway.
Tourist Information
Port Hedland Tourist Centre is at 13 Wedge Street, Port Hedland, (08) 9173
1711. There is another outlet at South Hedland, in Leake Street, (08) 9172
5177.
Accommodation
There is not a lot to choose from, but here is a selection, with prices
for a double room per night, which should be used as a guide only. &The
telephone area code is 08.
Mercure Inn Port Hedland, cnr Lukis & McGregor Streets, 9173 1511.
61 rooms (private facilities), licensed restaurant, swimming pool $144-192.
Hospitality Inn Port Hedland, Webster Street, 9173 1044. 40 units, licensed
restaurant, swimming pool, bbq $155.
Port Hedland Walkabout Hotel, North West Coastal Highway, 9972 1222. 63
rooms (private facilities), licensed restaurant, swimming pool $120.
The Lodge Motel & Offices, Brand Street, South Hedland, 9172 2188.
132 rooms, licensed restaurant, swimming pool $ 142-160.
South Hedland Motel, Court Place, South Hedland 9172 2222. 54 units, licensed
restaurant, swimming pool, spa, bbq $110.
Caravan Parks
Port Hedland Caravan Park, Great Northern Highway, 9172 2525. (Dogs allowed
on leash) - powered sites $20 for two, on-site vans $35 for two.
South Hedland Caravan Park, Hamilton Road, 9721 1197. (No pets allowed)
- powered sites $20 for two, cabins $60-85 for two.
Cooke Point Holiday Park, Athol Street, 9173 1271. (No pets allowed) -
powered sites $20-22 for two, no on-site vans.
Eating Out
Most of the hotels and motels have licensed restaurants, and there are
a few takeaway outlets. Some places you might like to try are:
Oriental Galley Chinese Restaurant, 19 Edgar Street, 9173 1272.
Shell Restaurant, Wilson Street, 9173 2551.
Bruno's Pizzeria & Ristorante, 7 Richardson Street, 9173 2047.
The Copper Pot, Shop 4 Keesing Street, 9173 1363.
Points of Interest
Port Hedland was named after Captain Peter Hedland, who discovered the
entrance to the shallow bay in 1829. The first sheep station in the Pilbara
was started on the nearby De Grey River in 1864.
In the 1870s, pearls were found along the coast, and Port Hedland became
the home base for the pearling luggers. Inland, gold was discovered, and
that brought new settlers. When the gold ran out, the town declined and
in 1946 the population was 150. The 1950s saw some activity with the commencement
of small tin, copper, gold and manganese outfits that used the town as
a base. Then in the 1960s, the embargo on iron ore was lifted, and the
modern industry was born. Port Hedland is now the major centre of Western
Australia's iron ore industry, and one of the largest mineral ports in
the world. The population of the town includes the two satellite towns
of South Hedland and Finucane Island. Tours of the port are available and
allow you to see the iron ore being loaded onto some of the biggest ore
carriers in the world. The Tourist Information Centre has details.
The Don Rhodes Mining Museum, Wilson Street, has relics of the early mining
days, and there are barbecue facilities. Lion's Park, in Anderson Street,
is a good picnic area, with lots of shade and lawn.
The tides in the area range up to 8m (26 ft), and create good fishing spots
and chances to collect shells. Note the patterns formed on the tidal flats
by the outgoing tide.
Cemetery Beach is a great fishing spot at high tides, and nearby is a children's
playground. Pretty Pool is also good for fishing and picnics. Due to the
dangers of stonefish, blue-ringed octopus, sea snakes and sharks, it is
not recommended that you swim in the ocean or the creeks, but there is
an olympic pool, with a wading and diving pool in the town, and in South
Hedland there is a big aquatic centre.
There are several Heritage Trails in and around the town, and the Tourist
Centre has full details. The Old Port Hedland Trail is a 2.25km walk retracing
the development of the early port township, taking in the historical buildings
and sites. It commences at the Tourist Centre. The Port Trail is a 1.8km
walk combining the port's history with more recent developments. It commences
at the Port Authority Offices and takes about one hour. The Sutherland
Trail begins at the Tourist Centre, and its 9km route is an easy 45 minute
drive. The Out and About Trail begins at Pretty Pool, covers about 85km
(53 miles) exploring South Hedland's natural, Aboriginal and historic sites,
and takes about half a day.
Festivals
January - The Australia Day Beach Party.
May - Beer Fest.
August - Spinifex Spree, featuring a float parade, a variety of stalls
displaying local arts and crafts, and side show alley.
August - Black Rock Stakes, wheelbarrow loaded with iron ore relay or endurance
race from Goldsworthy to Port Hedland, 111km (69 miles).
September - Port Hedland All Can Regatta, races among boats made from aluminium
cans.
Facilities
Car Hire - Budget Rent A Car, Airport, 9140 1229; Hertz Rent A Car, Airport,
9140 1555; WK Motors, Anderson Street, 9173 1729.
Sporting facilities include swimming pools, tennis, basketball, golf, horse
racing, rifle and pistol shooting, yachting and hot rods.
Outlying Attractions The Pilbara
Many people think of this region as one huge mine, and it is because of
the mining industry that much of the Pilbara is now accessible to the visitor.
Natural wonders such as Wittenoom Gorge, the Hamersley Range, and other
places where 200 years of white inhabitation becomes nothing when compared
with the eons it has taken to shape the landscape, are now within easy
reach.
Roebourne
Situated 201km (125 miles) west of Port Hedland, Roebourne was the first
capital of the North-West, and has many old stone buildings. The town is
about 14km (9 miles) from the coast on the Harding River, and was established
in 1864, making it the oldest town on the north-west coast of WA.
The Tourist Bureau is in the 'Old Jail', Queen Street, ph (08) 9182 1060,
and they can advise on accommodation and attractions both in Roebourne,
and nearby Cossack and Point Samson.
From the top of Mount Welcome, behind the town, there is a panoramic view
of the coastal plains and rugged hills which surround Roebourne. You can
see the railroad from Cape Lambert weaving its way through the hills to
Pannawonica in the south, and the pipeline carrying water from Millstream
to Wickham and Cape Lambert.
Picnic spots are found at the Harding River Dam, on the Cooya Pooya Road;
Python Pool on the Wittenoom Road.
The Emma Withnell Heritage Trail begins in Roebourne and travels 52km (32
miles) tracing the development of the early settlement of the eastern corridor
of the Shire of Roebourne, including Cossack and Point Samson, and the
modern industrial town of Wickham.
Cossack
The first place settled on the north-west coast (1863), Cossack was a bustling
seaport with a colourful multi-racial population in its heyday. Pearling
was its main source of income until the industry moved to Broome. Then
the wharf facilities were removed and it became a ghost town. The old graveyard
and the Courthouse, which is hopen daily 10am-3pm, are the only man-made
attractions, but the ocean and river scenery make a visit worthwhile.
Karratha
The name means 'good country', and Karratha was so named because of the
area's natural supply of food sources enjoyed by the local Aborigines.
Today, the inhabitants enjoy the same resources along with the modern shopping
centres and facilities.
Karratha is about 230km (143 miles) west of Port Hedland on the North West
Coast Highway, and the Tourist Bureau is in Karratha Road, (08) 9144 4600.
They have all the details on accommodation, tours, car hire, diving establishments,
and fishing and charter vessels.
Around the town there is much evidence of early Aboriginal life, and on
the Jaburara Heritage Trail, a 3.5km walk, you can see Aboriginal carvings,
shellfish middens, grinding stones, artifacts and spiritual taboo sites.
In the Burrup Peninsula area there are 10,000 petroglyphs (Aboriginal etchings)
which are thousands of years old, showing wildlife such as turtles, fish,
kangaroos, and a Tasmanian Tiger! One of the etchings is of a man in uniform,
who some say is William Dampier, the English buccaneer, explorer and naturalist,
who visited the coast aboard the Cygnet in 1688. He returned in 1699 in
the Roebuck, and anchored in a bay in what is now known as Dampier Archipelago.
He decided that the place was completely inhospitable, undoubtedly influenced
by the fact that he couldn't find any water, and his disparaging reports
to his superiors in England discouraged further exploration for over a
century.
Dampier
Dampier is really a small satellite town of Karratha, about 17km (11 miles)
to the west. It is a well-kept town, and the bay and sound area is almost
picture-like with the vivid blue and earthy colourings. The town overlooks
Hampton Harbour, and was built in the 1960s by Hamersley Iron to export
the iron ore from the mines at Tom Price and Paraburdoo. Dampier Salt also
uses the shipping facilities to export salt from the nearby pans. Fishing
is a great pastime for locals and visitors alike, and the waters abound
with popular game and reef fish. The Dampier Archipelago incorporates the
only coral reefs found in a tropical arid setting within Australia, and
they are home to more than 200 species of living coral.
Onslow
Situated on Beadon Bay, 83km (52 miles) from the turn off the North West
Coastal Highway, which in turn is 456km (283 miles) south-west of Port
Hedland, Onslow is said to have more potential as a tourist retreat than
any other coastal spot in the north of WA.
It has a great winter climate with temperatures of up to 30C (86F) daily,
and in the waters surrounding the town you can fish for bream, whiting,
catfish, mullet, reef fish, flathead, pike, kingfish, gold skipjack, whitefish
and nor' west salmon. The locals say light gear is usually best, and the
most successful bait is fish, crustaceans or squid, which, of course, can
be bought locally. Several of these fish can be caught by spinning.
The off-shore islands are renowned throughout the world for their deep
sea fishing, and there are many charter boat services waiting to take you
out amongst the Spanish mackerel, skipjack, red emperor, cod, groper, coral
trout, schnapper and sharks. If you are as good as you probably tell everyone,
sailfish and marlin are also there for the catching.
For those who are not into fishing, the laid-back atmosphere of the town
encourages just lazing around, or you can visit the site of the old township,
about 45km (28 miles) out of town, which was abandoned in 1925-26. Everything
that was transportable was moved to the new site, but there are still the
stone and cement buildings, mostly owned by the State Government, for you
to explore.
The Tourist Centre is on Second Avenue, Second Avenue, (08) 9184 6644.
Tom Price - Paraburdoo
The two mining towns of Tom Price and Paraburdoo, in the heart of the rocky
Pilbara country and on the edge of the Hamersley Range gorge area, were
built to service the iron ore industry.
Paraburdoo is 394km (245 miles) south-east of Onslow, and Tom Price is
79km (49 miles) north-east of Paraburdoo, on sealed roads. The Tom Price
Tourist Information Centre is in Central Road, (08) 9188 1112. Information
on Paraburdoo can be obtained from the Ashburton Shire offices in Ashburton
Avenue, Paraburdoo, (08) 9189 5402. Mining activities and mining tours
are major attractions for the traveller, and the magnificent mountain scenery
is worth the long drive. This is the high country of the Pilbara. Tom Price
is the highest town in WA at 747m (2450 ft) above sea level, and is accordingly
called Top Town. From the summit of Mt Nameless, 1128m (3701 ft) above
sea level, there are incredible views of the surrounding landscape, while
on the ground the wildlife includes echidna, red kangaroo, and a variety
of reptiles such as pythons, legless lizards, and the legendary bungarra.
The Nameless Festival, which includes fireworks displays, a ball and mardi
gras, is held every August.
Hamersley Range National Park
The Park is one of WA's largest, and within its borders are some of the
most ancient parts of this planet. The slow process of erosion has carved
an intriguing landscape in a complex ecology.
Within the ranges there are many gorges, and in most are permanent pools
of clear fresh water. Some are exposed to the sun and are pleasant places
to swim, whilst others are in deep, shaded areas and are extremely cold.
Each gorge is different, and has its own attractions. Dales Gorge has sunken
gardens, deep pools, ferns and waterfalls. Joffre, Red, Hancock, Weano
and Knox Gorges are for those who like rock climbing.
Kalamina Gorge is easily accessible and has a clear shaded pool, ferns,
tropical paperbarks and river gums. Yampire Gorge has magnificent rock
formations, and the ruins of an old asbestos mine. Wittenoom Gorge, though
not in the park itself, has picnic places under shady gum trees, and swimming
holes.
Wittenoom
The small town of Wittenoom is in the heart of the Pilbara, and information
on the town and the Range can be obtained from Auski Tourist Village Roadhouse,
Great Northern Highway, (08) 9176 6988.
If you are travelling through Wittenoom, you are advised to keep in mind
that there was an asbestos mine nearby, and although it closed in 1966,
it still poses a health problem. It is considered that, while the risk
of cancer from inhaling asbestos fibres to short term visitors and tourists
is minimal, the following precautions should be taken:
Keep to main roads in the town and gorge areas.
When driving in windy or dusty conditions keep car windows closed.
Avoid parking on or adjacent to asbestos tailings.
Make sure children don't play in asbestos tailings in the town or at the
mine site.
Camp only in areas set aside for that purpose. Camping is not allowed in
the Wittenoom Gorge.
Newman
Newman is often described as an 'oasis in the wilderness' and was built
in recent times for workers at the world's largest open cut mine, Mt Whaleback.
It is 416km (258 miles) south of Port Hedland and 238km (148 miles) south-east
of Wittenoom.
Tours are conducted of the world's largest open cut mining operation. For
more information 9175 3502.
The Newman Tourist Information Centre & Museum Gallery can be found
in Fortescue Avenue (08) 9175 2888 or email newmantb@ norcom.net.au
Marble Bar
Marble Bar has the reputation of being Australia's hottest spot, earned
in 1923-24 when the town experienced 160 consecutive days of temperatures
over 38C (100F). In those days it was said that a beer at the town's hotel,
The Iron Clad, was worth more than its weight in gold, as there was more
gold in the town than beer.
With this in mind, if you intend to visit Marble Bar, wait until the winter
(July-August), when the temperature is around a pleasant 25C (77F). Then
you will have the energy to fossick for alluvial gold, or explore the natural
geology of the town. The town gets its name from the bar of jasper marble
across the Coongan River, and all visitors are directed to the spot. Other
places to visit are Chinaman's Pool, Miles House and the State Government
Offices, which were completed in 1895.
