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800km roadtrip: Mining to Nature

Pilbara: Port Hedland to Karijini National Park

By Tim Wilson

January 1^st, 2017

The journey

We visited Pilbara Region in North Western Australia in December 2016. I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived (except hot weather). We started our journey in Port Hedland and then we drove around 400kms inland into the Karijini National Park.

Port Hedland

Port Hedland is a dry, hot and dusty town, it is centred around a large port facility servicing several iron ore mines in the region. The ore arrives by road and rail and then transferred to massive freighters to destinations around the world.

Surprisingly, Port Hedland is also home to a salt mine.

The Port

The port of Port Hedland is one of the largest iron ore ports in the world, with around 20 berths for the massive freighters. Freighters are guided into the harbour by tug boats where they are turned around before being loaded. Most freighters are loaded and leave the port in under 24 hours.

Leaving Port Hedland

The road in and out of Port Hedland is filled with Road Trains transporting ore to the Port. Initially the landscape is pretty barren but as we head further south, things become more interesting.

Entering Karijini National Park

The scenery was more and more draw dropping beautiful as we got closer to the National Park. During the last part of our drive we encountered late afternoon storms.

Dales Gorge

Fortescue Falls

Time to leave

The Pilbara Region greatly surprised me. As a city dweller the only connection with the mining industry is skyscrapers with mining company logos on them. To see first hand the huge infrastructure required to support the industry was fascinating. This was contrasted with the most unbelievable beautiful natural environment. The most concerning aspect is how close these two incompatible items are and the hope that the natural environment is not impacted by mining activity.