SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Very hot again.
We did not feel like doing any tourist activity.
Bought papers, then just relaxed at the van.
For tea, I cooked John his trevalley, with salad. I ate the fish left from last night.
Monthly Archives: December 2017
2000 Travels October 6
FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER KARRATHA
It was very hot. The temperature reached 42 degrees today!
We left at 9.30am to drive to Roebourne and the Tourist Bureau there. It was where we could book to take a free Port to Port tour, run by Robe River Iron – another of the Hamersley Ranges mining companies.
The port at Dampier exports Hamersley Iron ore, brought by rail from mines at Paraburdoo and Tom Price. We were touring a second port area, where the iron ore comes by rail from the Robe River mine.
There were enough indigines mooching aimlessly around Roebourne for us to have a few qualms about the safety of Truck, left parked at the Tourist Centre.
We headed off on a mini bus.
It was a most informative and interesting tour. We went right into the port area at Cape Lambert, driving around in amongst the operations. There were stockpiles of ore and conveyor lines all over the place.
Iron ore stockpiles at Cape Lambert
We viewed the loading jetty where the ore goes out on a conveyor belt to ships anchored in deeper water.
Iron ore conveyor belt loader and distant ship being loaded
One of the most interesting parts was seeing how the iron ore rail carriages were unloaded. A “tipper” grabs each carriage as it pauses at a certain point and rolls it over sideways, 180 degrees, over a pit. The iron ore falls out onto the conveyor below. The couplings between the carriages are special ones that allow this circular movement. We were told that there have been “oops” moments, where something goes wrong and the whole carriage has fallen into the pit!
Ore train carriage being tipped over to empty it into pit below
We did a quick pass through the hamlet of Port Sampson, then they took us to the old town of Cossack, where we were able to buy lunch. There was a cafe of sorts in an old building. But they had little food left – poor co-ordination on someone’s part. John had a pie. I had to settle for a bag of Twisties – which turned out to be stale. Yuk.
In Cossack
Cossack began in the 1860’s and was a major pearling centre, for a time. Some superb old stone buildings remain, and are being restored. It looks as though the town may be making its way back from ghost town status.
Cossack Court House
It was an excellent tour and I was very glad we went to the effort of doing it.
Truck had survived unscathed.
On the drive back to Karratha, we detoured off to the coast, about 13kms south of Roebourne, following a gravel road for about 16 kms, to Cleaverville Beach. This was a popular cheap camping area, with no facilities to speak of. There were lots of camp spots. I remember that V and husband camped here last year, on their way north.
John fished here for a while, and caught a golden trevalley on a lure.
We drove 141kms today – and the air-con worked well!
Tea was bought fish and chips. We couldn’t eat it all – very generous serves.
Where today’s touring took us
2000 Travels October 5
THURSDAY 5 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Hot.
After breakfast, we went back to the Burrup Peninsula to have a look at the infrastructure of the NW Shelf Gas Project. This was developed in the 1980’s, extracts gas from offshore wells, processes it onshore and both exports it overseas in special tankers, and sends it south via pipeline.
The gas plant in the distance
The Visitors Centre was a very interesting place to visit, and free. We saw a good video about the Project.
Display tanks show how marine life colonizes the legs of the offshore structures, rather like some sort of reef – I think this display was designed to give the idea that they benefit the environment.
Demonstration of how marine life colonizes offshore structures
There was a feature sculpture outside the administration area – a memorial to workers injured in the Project. It was created by the lady who became Head of Art at my school – she lived here before moving over to us in Melbourne.
Memorial to injured workers
We then drove further out on the Peninsula, to Withnell Bay. Then we explored a side track, where the construction camp was when the plant was being built. Went up to a lookout. I was surprised to see how extensive the salt flats are.
Withnell Bay
After cruising around the area for a while, we decided that, in fact, Dampier was a nicer place to live than Karratha.
Tea was a beef stir fry, with rice – from a new stir fry recipe book I bought.
2000 Travels October 4
WEDNESDAY 4 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Hot.
Truck went to the air con place for the morning. It turned out that a cracked hose was the problem.
We walked around the shops, and then walked to collect it when it was done.
I went to the doctor to get my blood pressure script renewed. My blood pressure was up a little, but not enough to change the medication. It might reflect the lack of much exercise over these past few weeks.
Tea was John’s mackerel, which I marinated in lemon juice and chilli and garlic – it was lovely, with salad.
2000 Travels October 3
TUESDAY 3 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Hot.
We went fishing at the Back Beach again. Nothing doing, but we gave it a good try.
The way out to the Back Beach goes past a closed caravan park, which appears as if it may have been similar to the one we are in. These big parks were full of workers when the mining was in development and active, and the gas plant was being built at Dampier. Now there is not the same demand for workers any more and there are too many parks in Karratha. The whole town was only built about thirty years ago, and it seems to go in cycles of boom, then languishing, then boom again.
Tea was cold lamb and salads.
Found out later that we won a $37 prize in OzLotto tonight.
2000 Travels October 2
MONDAY 2 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Another hot day.
We were now free to do some tourist things and to get out and about some more.
We went to the shops. Mailed John’s letters.
Found a Landrover agent to try to arrange for the Truck air-con to be repaired. They sent us to a specialist air-con place and Truck was booked in for Wednesday.
I made a doctor’s appointment for Wednesday.
Refuelled truck – $1-18cpl.
Went to the Tourist Information Centre and collected material about things to do in these parts.
We drove out, exploring, past the bowls club and found the back beach area. John decided to try some fishing off the rocks there, and caught a mackerel on a lure. He was most surprised!
It is notable that the sea colour is different in these parts to further north. The beautiful turquoise colour of the Broome and Kimberley areas, has changed here to a duller, more opaque green/blue. It looks sort of thick, rather than light and sparkling.
Lunch was a late one.
After that, drove out to Hearsons Cove, on the Burrup Peninsula, for a look. The long and narrow Burrup Peninsula extends to the NW from Dampier. It looks as this part of the Pilbara did, before all the industrial development. The colour contrasts of the Burrup Peninsula are dramatic – deep red rock jumbles, pale spinifex, glimpses of green sea. It is a distinctive landscape.
Typical Burrup Peninsula scenery
We turned off the road to Dampier, just after the salt pans, and drove a little way to the north, then on a track to the Cove.
There were some wildflowers about – the mulla mulla in particular.
Mulla Mulla
Hearsons Cove was noted for having a Staircase to the Moon phenomenon – a bit like Broome’s. But not at this time of the month.
It was also supposed to not be missed because of being a site for rock art – petroglyphs, etched onto rock surfaces, this time.
The Cove was pretty enough, but we could not get at all excited by the rock art. I much prefer the sort of thing we saw in the Kimberley.
Back to the van after that burst of activity. It did feel so good, to be out doing things again.
Tea was cold roast lamb, and salads.
R phoned, in a mood, and that upset John. She still had not acknowledged his birthday!
2000 Travels October 1
SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER KARRATHA
Hot.
We watched the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Thank God that’s over! I think I would have been more proud of Sydney – and Australia’s – obvious success at hosting these, had I not been confined in such a boring park and town, and compelled to watch by needing to be inside in the air conditioning.
But – we had another week to fill in here. Unfortunately, the heat does make it hard to be motivated to do very much at all.
Thought about maybe trying some day tripping into the Pilbara hinterland, but there were big bushfires up there. That will also put paid to going up there when our time here is up. Next year!
John finished his letter, printed copies and got them ready to mail.
I walked some laps of the park.
Tea was roast lamb with the usual vegetables. Cooked in the electric frypan outside. In this heat, I have been using this for cooking, as much as I can.
John phoned R, who was not home. He then had a call with his sister. I had a long call with V – all is well in her world, although she had been ill – possibly Ross River Fever. Sunday nights, of course, is when we get much cheaper phone calls on our phone plan.
2000 Travels September 30
SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER KARRATHA
Today was our 1000th day of grey nomading!
I just wished that we were doing something a bit more interesting on it. I also wished that there could be another 1000 days – at least! I can dream!
It was hot, of course.
Usual Olympics watching.
I went to the shops for papers.
The Games were tailing off now, so John found time to do some work on his latest letter.
Tea was bread and cheeses. The cheeses were a couple of nice ones I’d bought for John’s birthday meals, but had not used
2000 Travels September 29
FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER KARRATHA
A similar day.
Went to the shops for food, and to the Post Office to pay our rates and a Telstra bill.
Tea was fish and chips.
At nights, across the flats, we can see the flames of the gas burn off towers at the gas plant near Dampier.
Gas burn off tower at gas plant near Dampier
2000 Travels September 28
THURSDAY 28 SEPTEMBER KARRATHA
A day just like yesterday.
The only real variation was the meal – pasta with a bought bottled sauce.
At least, whilst we are holed up here, we are not spending much money on fuel, so it is a good period for the budget.
This Adventurous Age 