Port Hedland to Karratha and Dampier

Well, that campsite at Cooke Point, Port Hedland certainly was a bit in the pricey side, but, there is washing to be done and I am in dire need of a really hot shower after Barn Hill. A good site with green lawn and NO DUST. Swiss couple in next bay but not talking a lot. I have some minced beef in the fridge that needs to be processed. Cooking pasta with spaghetti, even Parmesan still there too.

At 6.00 am I get up and get my washing started, turns out, this mob charge $4.00 when everyone else charges $3.00, now have to see if someone will change some money for me at this hour. Lucky, once again, lady who works at PH also up to wash some work clothes and helps me out with the correct coinage. While the washer does what its supposed to do, I go and make some coffee and sit down for brekkie, wash my dishes and check if my load of washing is through, it is. As I have no further change for the electric dryer, it all needs to go onto one of the clothes lines. The sun is coming up and I hope everything will be dry before I check out. At 9.30 I check and take down the lot, some is completely dry, the rest I am leaving draped over my seats in the van. They will certainly dry completely underway.

I check out just before 10.00 am, enquire about the next supermarket and head off in that direction in South Hedland. I also pick up a battery operated vacuum cleaner (mostly useless) so I can get rid of some of the debri on my carpeted floor. It does the job, but only just.

As last night was a bit expensive, I am now aiming for a freebie, the book says 464, Miaree Pool on the Maitland River, supposedly with all sorts of facilities like BBQ and Toilets, which turns out not to be true, but a pretty place, just above the river - and its free. I meet a fellow camper who has been on the road for over 2 years!! It is windy at the site as well, but at least no dust as all grassy and lots and lots of spinifex. Dinner and a long talk with the neighbor, hit the pillows about 10.

Sunset by the river

A cold night it was, both doonas are coming in very handy.

I get up early to catch the morning light for some photos, the spinifex 'pillows' look so soft in the early morning light, you could be fooled into thinking they were nice and soft, instead of them being spikey and scratchy if you walk past them close enough.

Morning light by the river

Breakfast and on to Karratha and Dampier, right on the coast. This area is also heavily industrialised with large plants for the processing, liquefication and storage of huge quantities of LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) destined for export, mostly to Japan. I go and take a look at their Visitor's Centre and come away very impressed by the sheer size of this operation. The security is in place, I am not allowed to walk back the short distance from the parking lot to the Visitors Centre and get picked up by a mini bus instead. Fair enough, not a good idea to have unknowns wander around the premises with all this highly explosive Methane about in huge storage tanks.

Our Shadow Treasurer, Mr Turnbull is also here, must say, he looks younger in real life than on national TV. There is a whole tross of people with him and he keeps talking on the Mobile, would have liked to say hi, but not to be. I am told there is some more rock art not too far away on an unmarked dirt road.

I do find the road, walk uphill for about a kilometre but fail to find any rock art, but I am rewarded with some excellent sights to take photos of.

Hard to believe "anything" will grow between all these rocks


Especially, a flower as delicate as this. Its only about 8mm across.


They are red on the outside but split to reveal a grey inside


Tree in the middle of a rock slide

I drive on back to Karratha to re-fuel so I am starting out in the morning on a full tank. Half way between Dampier and Karratha is a salt mining operation along the road, over a length of about 3 km long evaporation lakes can be seen, their surfaces bright white reflecting the sun light, actually looks a lot like ice, have a look to judge for yourself.

Yes, I've been saying, the nights are cold --- no, its not ice. It's salt.