21. Mixing the Great Sandy Desert with pristine beaches of the Pilbara and Indian Ocean.

After having flown from Darwin to Broome following our cruise, we collected our van from storage, and headed off south through the Great Sandy Desert which extends all the way to the coast.
Two things didn't feel right; that of having a desert extend to the ocean; and secondly seeing the sun set over the ocean.
Our first stop was Barn Hill Station where we opted for a non-powered site backing onto the beach.

Autobahn to Barn Hill.
A corruption of the term "Autos to Barn Hill" has been abbreviated to "Autobahn" and is now used extensively in Europe for similar motorways.   

Indian Ocean view from our Bedroom No5
Due to geographical difficulties, this same view is not possible at Stockton Beach, NSW

No doubt due to the firmness of the sand, Barn Hill Beach has fewer beach umbrellas than Bondi Beach. 

Stunning beach-side architecture gracefully weathering. 

Standing the test of time 

Red earth and dust turns everything red; including this caption. 

Night time intruders decided to have body rubs on the corners of our van. 

Several days were spent at Barn Hill in the off-grid camping area, due to the better views and seclusion in this area. The station relies on its own power generation.
The abundance of bird life was also appreciated!!

Power saving ablution block showing no roof for natural lighting and raised walls for ventilation and drainage.
The thick black coiled PVC piping provides hot water during sunshine hours.
The thick rope is for ropable people when the hot water runs out. 

Akin to graffiti vandals, this bird shows no respect for the surroundings.

A Rainbow Bee-eater evidently with homing capabilities with us.
We last saw this same bird on the Berkeley River on our Kimberley cruise 1000kms to the north.  

Small flocks of migrating flamingos (Phoenicopteriforme solarlighticuss) are new to the area.

It was finally time to leave this part of the coast and head back into the Great Sandy Desert, heading south into cooler climes.

As part of a caravan caravan heading inland to the highway.

Due to lack of drainage facilities, the Autobahn doubles as a canal in The Wet.

Stopping on the Great Northern Highway waiting for the traffic to ease.
(Or was it waiting to see if anyone else exists!)

Not exactly pristine fertile agricultural grounds in this part of the desert.

Being overtaken by a Mazda, or is it a Falcon?

An overnight stop at Sandfire Roadhouse where Don's parents stopped 25 years ago enabled Don to recover from his Man Flu.
Despite having worse pain than child birth, Don carried on and was over it within a day, taking about 5 months off the normal time expected with Man Flu.

Shaking the tail feathers.

Umbrellas are necessary at Sandfire due to the proximity of the local waterhole. 

Synchronized formation flying has not yet been mastered.  

Eighty Mile Beach provided one of the most amazing beaches we have encountered.

First impression of the beach was that it looked pretty jolly good. 

The tide goes out about 1km due to the 6m tidal range and very slight gradient.  

These have been serviced at the local Shell Service Station. 

Meteorites?

This could almost be a national flag!

These fishermen hadn't realised that the fish were not interested in their sport. 

Nor had all this lot! (We didn't see any fish at all caught.)
Crocs have been seen this far south, hence most stay clear of the water's edge.
A couple of fishermen are acting as burley. 

Shell fish washed up on the beach.

If she sells seashells by the seashore, surely she shall secure several squillions shortly!!

Three's a crowd.
So far we had only ever seen Pied Oyster Catchers in pairs. 

The sloping horizon indicates the tide is on the way in. 

A drive 5kms up the beach in search of a special type of shell.
Tyre pressure was reduced but not necessary due to the firmness of the sand.  Just beautiful!!

Driving down the beach ensuring to stay on the left of the white line. 

Sensible bird looking right.

then left before crossing the beach. 

Reversible automotive polarity.
We found whilst driving down the beach, the back of the vehicle pointed north.
The trip back up the beach saw the back of the vehicle pointing south.  

Proverbs 3:6 (NIV)

Our final evening before leaving gave us calm conditions, a low tide and unusual for us; the sun setting over an ocean.

The water's edge is a long way out.
A quick walk or trot is required to keep in front of the incoming tide. 

Cute!

Cape Keraudren provided a freedom camp in reasonable remoteness, no power or water, but lots of different views wherever we looked.

Tidal flats extending for kilometres in from the coast.

Blowing the dog off the chain but still beautiful.

View from van window (the west wing)
Worth every cent of the $15 nightly fee.

Dusk view from van with tide out.
 The red switch is 12v charging of phone due to being off grid.

Bay with tide in.
Prior to the plug being pulled. 

Same view of bay with tide out.
We would be tired out as well with the massive flow in and out each few hours. 

Unsurpassed beauty.
The wild flowers were quite tame. 

Holidaying scottish heather in the Pilbara. 

Missy and her joey are locals. 

At 1,837kms this fence is longer than Donald Trump's proposed fence. 

Soccer balls with legs.
No birds were harmed during the taking of this photo. 

.

All at Cape Keraudren slept without fear of damage from falling trees. 

The wild flowers are starting to come out in the west. 

Port Hedland is the largest exporter of Iron Ore in the world, with 85% of the ore going to China, with final 15% no doubt exported by wind rather than by sea.
Salt is another major export, as noted shortly.
Ships move in and out the port on the high tides, with holes strategically dredged for the ships to sink into whilst at the wharf allowing for the 6m tidal range.

The skill of the ship captains and pilots was second to none in controlling the vessels in the tight confines of the harbour.

Bummer!
To maintain an impeccable safety record for the port, the "Incident Reporting Seagull" had to look away.

Port Hedland is a working port.
The shear power of this tug impressed us as it headed out to bring a ship in. 

A tour around the port town showed there was more than Iron Ore in the area.

Back to the salt mines.
Very bright in the West Australian sun.  An assault on the eyes even with sunglasses.

Consider where the salt comes from before you next sprinkle it all over your food.
Remember the red tinge comes from iron ore dust. 

Our harbour tour boat which doubled as a ferry to transport seamen for shore leave.
Mooring lines were not required due to the rotation of the jet propulsion drive. 

Unladen vessel riding high.
It takes two 2.5km long train loads of Iron Ore to fill one ship. 

Fully loaded and sitting in the special hole ready for the rising tide and passage out the harbour.

Port exports are; Iron Ore 94% , LNG/LPG 3.5%, Salt 1%, Other 1.5%.
This ship is evidently loading other. 

Barge suffering from aquaphobia.

Awaiting the ship for loading with Iron Ore. 

Incognito Border Security welcoming crew ashore for a few hours while their ship is loaded. 

The port has 19 active berths at any one time.
This is more than most maternity wards in Western Australia. 

Iron Ore giving a Pilbara fog to the area. 

Industrial salt shaker

Many of the aging seamen we met, first went to sea as buoys. 

Job done and heading for China, but will be back within the month.
Five of the crew are just out of shot to the left frantically swimming to catch their departing ship. 

Leaving Port Hedland and headed towards Karijini National Park for gorgeous gorges, we headed inland for the 250km drive and a quiet day to catch up before some serious walking.
Our stop was at Auski Roadhouse, an important refuelling stop for most travellers heading that way, and so typical of the roadhouses in remote areas often hundreds of kilometres to the nearest town.

Galahs and wild flowers are always a good mix. 

Karijini National Park as a backdrop.
Our new campsite over the range is 17kms away as the crow flies, 194kms as the galah flies, and 81kms by road. 

Those colours!!

Road trains consisting of up to 4 trailers kicked up much dust when pulling in to refuel.
Our washing drying in the van park behind took on the same red hue as everything else. 

On now to Karijini to work off some of the cultured life we have endured.

Trusting all is well.

Regards and cheers.

Don and Carrol.