Port Hedland

Port Hedland is a large coastal town located approximately 1,660 kilometres from Perth. It is renowned for its indigenous culture and history, long trains, big ships, salt piles and red dust. Often referred to as the friendliest town in the Pilbara, the local people make Port Hedland what it is today. Port Hedland has lovely warm weather. Located right on the coast, Port Hedland is a great spot for fishing, whale watching, crabbing and watching turtles nesting at various times of the year. The town boasts a Western Australian Tourism Award winning Cultural and Heritage Trail that clearly maps out the early times of European settlement, encompassing indigenous and European interaction during that time. Visit Dalgety House Museum, Don Rhodes Open Air Train Museum and the Courthouse Arts Centre and Gallery; head to the Shipping Observation lookout at the end of Wedge Street. Pay a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Base and School of the Air; see the Pioneer and Pearling cemetery or catch the breathtaking views from Koombana Lookout. Head off and explore the tidal creeks at Pretty Pool and Six Mile Creek or enjoy the seasonal display of wildflowers. The Visitor Centre runs BHP Billiton Iron Ore Tours and here is a notice board advising when ships are due in port. The best vantage point to observe these huge bulk ore carriers is Marapikurrinya Park. Redbank Bridge is an ideal spot to watch the incredibly long trains as they pass underneath. Generally seen between March to October each year Stairway to the Moon is created when a full moon rises over the shoreline at low tide. As the moon rises, rays of light hit pools of water left behind by the receding tide. It creates an illusion of a ﾓstairwayﾔ leading up to the moon.