Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Port Hedland
POP 16,000
Port Hedland ain't the prettiest place. Confronted by its railway yards, iron-ore stockpiles,
salt mountains, furnaces and massive deepwater port, the average tourist might instinct-
ively floor the accelerator. Yet Hedland is not just another bland prefab Pilbara town. With
a heritage spanning over 115 years, it's been battered by cyclones, plundered by pearlers
and bombed by the Japanese - it's even hosted royalty.
Iron ore plays a huge part in the town's fortunes, and Port Hedland is riding the current
resources boom. While this pushes up prices and squeezes accommodation, it's also
sparked a renaissance. Old pubs are being renovated, the art and cafe (real coffee!) scenes
are expanding, fine dining is flourishing, cocktail and tapas bars are sprouting and cycle
paths are spreading along the foreshore. Just don't mind the red dust.
1 Sights & Activities
Collect the excellent Port Hedland Cultural & Heritage Sites brochure from the visitor
centre and take a self-guided tour around the CBD, or hire a bicycle and meander along
the Richardson Street Bike Path to a cold beer at the Yacht Club ( Click here ).
Between November and February flatback turtles nest on nearby beaches. Check at the
visitor centre for volunteer options.
Goode St, near Pretty Pool, is handy to observe Port Hedland's Staircase to the Moon
(see boxed text, Click here ).
o Courthouse Gallery
( 08-9173 1064; www.courthousegallery.com.au ; 16 Edgar St; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat & Sun) More
than a gallery, this leafy arts HQ is the centre of all goodness in Hedland. Inside are stun-
ning local contemporary and indigenous exhibitions, while the shady surrounds host
sporadic craft markets. If something is happening, these folks will know about it.
GALLERY
Marapikurrinya Park
(end of Wedge St) The visitor centre publishes shipping times for the ridiculously large tankers
passing by. After dark, the park's Finucane Lookout provides a view into BHP Billiton's
smouldering Hot Briquetted Iron plant on Finucane Island.
PARK
Pretty Pool
FISHING, PICNIC SPOT
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