We visited the town of Exmouth on the North West Cape which only came into existence following the Cuban Missile Crisis. The United States and Australia agreed to build what was originally US Naval Communication Station North West Cape and became the Harold E Holt Naval Communication Station. Its original purpose was to fill a gap in the US Navy's capacity to communicate with its fleet of nuclear submarines, and the result was what was the largest Very Low Frequency (VLF) transmitter in the world. It remains a critical element of global subsea VLF communications today. The township was developed to support the base, and it remains the mainstay of local employment. The RAAF also has a base here, developed in the 1960s, mainly due to its proximity to Indonesia, but at present it is mothballed.
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| The SS Mildura ran aground in 1907 and this led to the building of the lighthouse which can be seen through the WWII radar tower |
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| Drilling rigs are clearly visible from the shore. Woodside, one of Australia’s biggest corporate thugs, wanted to sink one of its decommissioned rigs rather than tow it to shore as required. They asserted it would be advantageous to Ningaloo Reef to add an artificial structure. Fortunately, they were not allowed to proceed, but these threats never go away. |
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| North West Cape |
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Termite mounds on the road to Exmouth
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| Wreck of the SS Mildura |
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| Very Low Frequency (VLF) transmitter |
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| All in all, a fascinating day, but perhaps not so for Chops |
Ha ha Chops could he be less interested
ReplyDeleteChops seems to be your alter ego. Rather blasé . His body language in particular conveys a sentiment of whatever, wake me up when we get there
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your adventures. Chips will come round after a good long nap.
Apologies to Chops. I was channelling his dreams of chips.
ReplyDeleteChops is perhaps registering his displeasure regarding Woodside.
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