Port Hedland

PORT HEDLAND

Wednesday, 8th July.

We left Point Samson at around 9.30am and stopped in Roebourne to buy takeaway coffee from the cafe we visited yesterday.  It's owned and operated by the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL) which is committed to promoting the interests of its beneficiaries, particularly the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people and provides training and employment for local people.  The cafe is staffed by young people and the jockey sized youth who served me this morning didn't seem old enough to be sporting a moustache but there it was, sitting just above his huge friendly smile.  His black hair was drawn back from his face, into a little bun and from it dangled a little plait....very trendy!  He was very helpful as was the young lady who served us yesterday and again today....the cafe is on the stretch of the NW Coastal Highway that runs through Roebourne and is worth a visit.

Our next planned stop was at Whim Creek....when we arrived we were very surprised to find that it was closed and from the state of the pub and outbuildings, it seemed as though it had been so for quite a while, though there was no indication on the road signs that this was so.  

It used to be a popular stopping spot and Mike intended to buy fuel there, but luckily we had enough to last us until we reached Port Hedland, our next and tonight's overnight stop.  We stopped at a railway crossing for several minutes while the longest iron ore train I've ever seen passed by, 

bought fuel from the first service station we came to and drove to the Cooke Point Caravan Park where we had booked a site for the night, having changed our minds about staying at the racecourse after hearing what a dust bowl it was.  It was extremely difficult for Mike to park the caravan due to the small sites and the lack of space available in which to maneouvre, but he eventually succeeded and on chatting with the neighbours from Canning Vale, who'd arrived not long before us, were told that they had the same problem.  We passed the racecourse later on a drive around the town and were sorry we'd decided against it.  After a beer at one of the pubs and after dinner, we strolled down to the viewing deck outside the caravan park to see the Staircase to the Moon.  There was a crowd there, we waited for about 45 minutes and when the moon rose there was a camera frenzy.....unfortunately, although it was a spectacular sight, neither of us was able to capture a very good image  and were pleased that we had a couple of photos from Point Samson, which was probable more a 'reflection' than a 'staircase'.