ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND HEADING SOUTH

We have decided to stay at the rest areas for the next three-five days before we get to Exmouth and thankfully the Pilbra Region have done a brilliant job of providing some very interesting stops along the North West Coastal Highway and surrounding highways.

While on our walk along the 4WD tracks, we came across these Sturt desert peas and Royal Mulla Mullas.

Only had to travel forty klms today to the first of these stops.

BATTERIES!!!

Just as well we had decided to stay a week at Karratha as Wayne had to get a tyre valve replaced and also we could not start the F truck this morning he went back to the auto electricians to get the battery recharged and checked.  All seems to be OK??  Go figure!

Saturday we took a drive to the northern end of town to see the beach!  Walked up the sand-dune and found this view - no beach for a swim.  Looking back over to the Burrup Peninsular.

This is the Karratha Hospital underground to protect it from the cyclones that occur in this area.

Loved these three sculptures set in round-abouts along Dampier Road.

The township is the hub of the mining area throughout the Dampier-Karratha and local mines and has  large industrial businesses to service all.  New multi-level apartments plus many modern mining camps that then have old closed down camps throughout the Dampier and Karratha area.

RED DOG AND NORTH WEST SHELF PROJECT

Today I got my photo with my favourite movie star.  A true story told in a film of this famous dog that wandered the Pilbara for years.  I now want to get a copy of the book telling of his tales of travel.  It is said that he even travelled over to China on one of the iron ore ships and back.

We called into the North West Shelf Project Visitors Centre and took our time learning of the history which constitutes Australia's largest oil and gas resource development and currently accounts for more than one third of Australia's oil and gas production.

The NWS Project is a joint venture between six major international companies and produces LNG, LPG and Oil from huge offshore gas and condensate fields in the Carvarvon Basin off the north-west coast of Australia.  NWS Project has been WA's largest provider of domestic gas for the state.

This photo shows the offshore rigs

Like I said, this visit was well worth the visit and learn how all is produced with visual ipad's as well as sitting and listening to videos throughout the centre.

Another steel statue this time representing all those men who lost their lives during these projects.  This stands above the Woodside Onshore operation. 

KARRATHA

Wayne has decided to stay over at Karratha for a week (mainly to make sure he has television for this coming weekend for Bledisloe Cup and the V8's).

If you need an auto electrician in Karratha, I can recommend Jolly Good Auto Electrics.  Wayne took one of our new batteries purchased in Kunnanarra two months ago, into them, found it was dead flat because when checking the alternator which was faulty because the repairs done at Ballarat last year did not effectively work.  Hence the alternator was not charging the batteries. They fixed the alternator after doing some other work on it in five minutes and recharged our battery for us.  Feel much better now as Wayne was sure something was wrong with the alternator the last couple of weeks.

Drove out to Cleaverville where traveller's camp right beside the beach and fish or swim.  The boat ramp is around south of the beach amongst the mangroves and looks like a great spot to fish and catch crabs from.

Cleaverville Beach looking towards Wickham

The estuary at Cleaverville boat ramp area.

Karratha was originally built in the late 1960's to serve the requirements for major industrial projects, such as Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt and later, Woodside's North West Shelf Venture.

Love these characaters set amongst the salt ponds beside the road out to Dampier and the Burrup Peninsular

Beautiful wildflowers found around this part of the world as well as plenty of the yellow acacia's.

Karratha derives its name from an aboriginal word, meaning "good country".

STROLLING POINT SAMSON

Saturday we intended to travel out to Roebourne to partake in the local celebrations but our F Truck would not start.  Flat as flat!!!!!!!!

This is at Roebourne representing 150 years that this town was formed.  It shows the local aboriginal stories as well as the industries and farming of this area.

So instead we took a stroll around the local park before stopping in at the tavern for lunch. Yummy fresh fish.  This township originated when a jetty was built here in 1904 to accommodate larger ships rather than Cossack (hence the decline of that township).

Watched lots of whales pass this place during the week we stayed here.

Such fresh seafood makes my mouth water

This is all that is left of the old jetty here at Point Samson

This is the engine and carages that loaded goods onto the ships

VIEWING WICKHAM

Not much of a town really, (locals and mining families with half of the shops closed up and only Woolworths operating!!  The information bay was informative with plenty of displays of the Rio Tinto working machines and a different sculpture that depicted a ship when viewed at the right angle.

We found the road out to the Wickham Back Beach which took us past the stockpiles of iron ore before loading onto the ships at Cape Lambert to ship overseas.

The large trains bringing the iron ore out to the port from inland Pilbara mines

Stock piles of the iron ore being watered down to stop the dust

Conveyor belt loaders showing the buckets loading the iron ore onto the belts to load onto the ships.

View of Cape Lambert wharf with all the ships being loaded looking from Point Samson Beach Lookout.

HISTORY OF COSSACK

We drove out to Cossack to walk the township as along the walk the buildings were posted with very informative posts telling of the history.

We started our viewing from up at Tien Tsin Lookout of the restored buildings before we walked through town.

Part of the police station.  Some of the timber part has never been rebuilt.

The General Store

This now houses a cafe (lovely coffee and setting out the back with thousands of midges biting) and we just missed by a couple of days art exhibits of local artists..

This was the Courthouse which is now a Museum and full of local history.  The court-room was still set as such. Loved the old letter-box at the front.

We then hopped into the truck and took the drive tour out to Settlers Beach, Reader Head Lookout and the Local and Asian Cemertary.  Standing up at Reader Head one can imagine back 150 years ago how the sailing ships would anchor in the sheltered bay and then transport ashore supplies for the local people to the wharf then load-up the wool etc. to take for the farmers of this area to Perth for sale.

Settlers Beach from the Lookout looking north towards Point Samson

TIME TO REST

We have parked ourselves up here at Point Samson for a week so will put our feet up and give Wayne time to heal.  A busy little place with two caravan parks beside the Central Pilbara Coastline with sandy beaches sheltered by rock outcrops.  Whale watching happening here at the moment.  We took a drive, not a bike ride or stroll!!!! around the corner down to Honeymoon Beach and around the corner to see the sheltered harbour for the cyclones which occur up here.  The water was warm enough to swim in so will make an effort later in the week to do just that.  Still 30 plus degrees up here so back into summer clothes and leave the doona off at night.

PANNAWONICA

After talking to a couple of fellow traveller's over lunch in Onslow the other day, we decided to call into Pannawonica.  Another Rio Tinto mining town formed 46 klm's off the North West Coastal Hwy to house the families of the miners working around this part of the mighty Pilbara.

I love the wit here!

The caravan park consists of 4 concrete slabs for ones annex surrounded by red dust to park beside the football oval.  Power and water connections and also toilet, hot showers and a laundry.  Pay at the library.  Cannot complain and found we had two other caravans parked for the night with us.

Took a drive around town and realised that these townships are all "self-contained".  ie.  all entertainment - swimming pool, fitness gyms, football oval, plenty of child playground equipment throughout the streets and even opposite where we are, it has an amphitheatre on grassed terraces beside more playing equipment and bbq's for the family outings.  Oh yes, also a drive-in picture theatre.

Invaded by these correllas coming in for their nightly feed.

The birds striped the leaves off the trees.

We intended to only stay overnight but Wayne was getting the hose to bring inside as our kitchen tap was blocked up again with the bore water!?  But as he was walking backwards wiping the hose he fell heavily into the water waste bruising his ribs and upper thigh.  Off to the doctors to get him checked out as he was in a lot of pain, so decided to stay for another night and feed him with Panadol's for the day.  Had some lovely locals helping and concerned for Wayne and I.  (Both kiwi's would you believe).

Like Tracey said, It should be painted bright yellow to warn people!  I said, yep, I will get a set of eyes tatooed on the back of Wayne's head.  Ha ha.