Tuesday 30 July: Karratha Contrasts

-
Today we are on the the lands of the Ngarluma people. 

A day of contrasts. As  we travelled north from the Asburton River, we passed semi-arid landscapes, mining operations,  and gas plants until we finally reached the seashore at Karratha. 

Karratha has a population of around 17,000. It was established in 1968 to accommodate the workforce of the Hamersley Iron mining company and, in the 1980s, the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the Woodside-operated North West Shelf Venture. 

Morning on the Ashburton River at Nanutarra

Mine site (we think)

Pilbara landscape

Sometimes you have to get right off the road

Gas plant

Mangroves growing in the tidal swamps



Sturt's Desert Pea

Peaceful Dove

Rainbow Bee-Eater having a snack

Sea Eagle (we think)

  1. Kylie30 July 2024 at 23:37

    Happy birthday, Jeffrey! xx

    REPLY
  2. Lyn31 July 2024 at 15:54

    Oh the beauty of mining towns. You are 72 . A good age. Past the foolishness of youth but not quite over the hill. Hope you and Gayle enjoyed cake.

Location: Karratha WA 6714, Australia

Comments

  1. Kylie30 July 2024 at 23:37

    Happy birthday, Jeffrey! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lyn31 July 2024 at 15:54

    Oh the beauty of mining towns. You are 72 . A good age. Past the foolishness of youth but not quite over the hill. Hope you and Gayle enjoyed cake.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You can add your name if you wish by clicking the dropdown list headed Anonymous, which appears when you click on the ‘Enter comment’ line

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday 16 June: Melbourne to Wycheproof

-
Image
Car packed ✅ Caravan hitched ✅ Chops in the back✅ Let’s Go To Broome    Today we are on the land of Bunurong Peoples’ of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. Anonymous 16 June 2024 at 19:32 Woo! Happy travels!! REPLY Anonymous 16 June 2024 at 19:33 It’s Jenny btw 😊 Kylie 16 June 2024 at 20:14 Fantastic! xx REPLY Marama 16 June 2024 at 20:56 Happy travels!  REPLY Sheila Treacy 17 June 2024 at 07:19 Bon voyage you two and Chops! REPLY Anonymous 17 June 2024 at 07:30 Have loads of fun you three! REPLY Anonymous 17 June 2024 at 08:05 "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - Saint Augustine  REPLY Anonymous 17 June 2024 at 15:54 Just one.? Surely an entire library. Paradoxically the world can exist on one page. Anonymous 1...
Read more

Saturday 7 September: The Last Post

-
Image
The sun is sliding down and tonight is the last one of our holiday. As always, the Wimmera River at Dimboola has been delightful. It’s been a wonderful 12 weeks on the road. Our initial objectives to travel to Perth to see family and Broome to meet our London friends were achieved without too much fuss, though the bust part was always in the background, with a small caravan, hybrid car, a dog that doesn’t like the heat and two older people not sure if we were still capable of such adventures. The roadhouses across the country were new to us. Vital for fuel and water and rest but not always attractive. The respectful behaviour of all caravan occupiers, often staying close together but keeping the peace at night until morning was consistently adhered to. Across the Nullarbor and then north of Perth until Port Augusta the only road traffic would be caravans and road trains. While the majority of travellers would be seniors like us, there were also a significant number of families with sch...
Read more

Sunday 1 September: The Last Roadhouse

-
Image
Today we are on the land of the Pitjantjatjara people.  Farewell to Uluru We are spending the night at Kulgera Roadhouse, about 23 km north of the SA Border. The Northern Territory was part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. In 1911 it was separated from South Australia in what was said at the time to be in the “national” interest, and today the Federal Government still retains ultimate control.  Kulgera Roadhouse We had an interesting discussion about the purchase of paintings that are available, for example, in Ayers Rock Resort Town Square, or here, at the roadhouse. You can see the artist at work, and the pieces are often priced at around $200 to $400. Are they art or souvenirs? Should they be purchased in the spirit of providing income, even if some may be considered amateurish by knowledgeable people. We didn’t come to a conclusion - we rarely do.  Lyn 1 September 2024 at 21:30 All art is expression and what it means to the beholder. Seems like the art ...
Read more