02/10/18 To Pt Hedland

2/10/18 We left the Tom Price motel at 7.42.
Not sad to leave it.  This is the condition of the chair outside the door, same when we got there, as when we left.  A $190 a night establishment.

As per Pete's suggestion, we visited some more of Karijini on our way to Pt Hedland.  First stop, the visitor centre.  It was an unusual design, not showing up well in the photo.  The shape is supposed to be representative of a goanna.

Inside were story boards about flora and fauna of the area, as well as a potted history of white man's impact on Aboriginals of the area.  (As usual, very sad.)

It was a very interesting place (to me), and probably would be more useful as the first point of call into the park.  (We left it to last to fit in with our movements.)


Here is John alongside yet another termite mound.  Lots of them around!

Another gorge or two, and more swimming pools...

 Snakes and falling off cliffs aren't the only dangers here.

Circular pool from the lookout.  We didn't go down, but there were a lot of folk enjoying themselves down there.

Another view, showing more of the impressive cliff.

 Looking the other way along the gorge.

John heading for another long-drop toilet.

Fortescue Falls, with people swimming down there.

We walked past it to where Pete had recommended.

 When we got there, there were a few people looking and swimming.

John and I both had a swim in this lovely pool, sitting under the waterfall for a while.  At the entrance deck there were a lot of small fish which nibbled toes if they stayed still long enough, and went berserk when a girl started feeding them bits of pretzel.  Under the waterfall overhang and other shaded overhangs, were ferns growing on the side of the cliff.

By the time we left it was getting busier.

The walk to Fortescue Falls was mostly on an iron staircase.  Not too bad going down, bit of an effort coming back!  This is only a part of the whole staircase.

We had trouble finding Fern Pool, which didn't seem to appear on any signage (maybe the Aborigines wanted it kept secret, because it has importance to them).  We asked a fellow walking around if he knew where it was.  Turned out he was a worker at the info centre.  He was a mine of information, including about a sheltered stop before the servo on the way to Pt Hedland.
So John and I resolved to stop there for lunch.

 The view from the stop.

John sitting at our lunch table.  A marvellous stop, and the path from the carpark to the shelter, is a red concreted path.  Very flash.

On the way in to the Tognolini Lookout, we saw the now familiar pattern of red dust on the side of the road leading out from the destination.  It's caused by the red dust from the carpark.  This whole area is red, red, red dust, getting into everything.  From the termite mounds, to the plains, to the cliffs, to the very large gibbers we saw on the road to here (reminiscent of Devils Marbles in the NT).  A beautiful dark red.

From the lookout we continued in to Pt Hedland, with a fuel stop and a drink stop on the way.  (Sadly the roadside stops dont have any shade.)
The temperature reached 37C.
We rode into Pt Hedland and filled up, only to find that we'd overshot our accommodation.  Back to it, a park cabin, but a little different to the usual, more of a working-man's donga.  These corellas were squawking in the tree right next door, but the resident opposite said they didn't wake him in the morning.  Let's hope that's true.

We were both a bit stuffed after the day.  We'd carried some beers with us, so John bought a bag of ice from the park office and stuffed ice and beers into a bag.  Soon they were nice and cold.  Then we ordered in pizza, which was very nice.  Tomorrow we plan to explore Pt Hedland.  The iron ore infrastructure and power stations we glimpsed on the way in were very impressive.  Maybe a tour somewhere.

3/10/18 In Pt Hedland

Due to faffing around in the morning, we got to the seafarers welfare place too late for a port tour.  So we made do with watching the ships in action from a park we were told to go to.

One ship being loaded with iron ore.

 Another to the right of it being loaded.

 One coming in to load.

 Closer.

 Closer.

 Right in front of us, on the way to turn round.

We wandered off to The Dome restaurant and had an iced coffee.  Then off to a cafe a bloke we talked to recommended, for a bit of lunch.
He was a bin everywhere type of guy.  When we mentioned that we were travelling on bikes, he tells us he has 12.  He's currently a truck driver.
He'd been living in Pt Hedland for some years, and loves the place.  He had a valid point, the tourists and blowins bag the place, but he talked about turtle hatcheries, coral reef, great fishing off the jetty nearby.  Things a brief visit don't bring out.

After lunch we went to a lookout recommended by the info office lady.
Here is the Rio Tinto salt pile, with salt pans on the left.

More salt pans on the right, a large area.  In front is the rail line to Tom Price.

Hard to see here, but its a train waiting to return to Tom Price.
They measure them in kms here.  1.9kms was the figure mentioned.  We saw a couple of engines at the front, and a couple in the middle.  (Dunno if there were some pushers at the rear.)

This is the bridge the lookout is on, going over the train line.  I guess you don't want a level crossing on a busy road when the train is 2km long and moving fairly slowly.

At the lookout carpark were informative signboards.  That purple flower we saw absolutely everywhere, is the Tall Mulla Mulla.

We'd decided that tourist season here is over, and accommodation will be easy to get everywhere, so we went to the post office and sent back our tents and sleeping gear and a few other bits.  That's lightened the load a bit.
Then sweaty as, we headed back 'home' and had a dip in the caravan park pool.  Luverly.
Pizza and beer for tea again, since it went down so well last night.
Tomorrow, Broome.

So we've seen a bit of the Pilbara, and the iron ore cycle.
As I understand it...
Underground gas at Pt Hedland fires power stations, which send electricity to Tom Price and surrounds, which is used to crush iron ore mined there and carted to a processing area on bloody big trucks, conveyed on bloody long belt conveyors, then sent to Pt Hedland on bloody long trains, stockpiled in bloody big mounds, then loaded onto bloody big ships, which take it to China.
I gather the hills contain a helluva lot more iron ore.  Some have been levelled, but there are plenty more to dig into.  All the while impregnating every local persons clothes and being with red dust.
In a world heritage type of environment, as if the two are compatible.
With vast distances between everything.