Our Enchanted World

Monday, March 7, 2011

Sunset tonight

In this flat land of heat and dust of Australia's far north west, sunrises and sunsets bring spectacular relief to the two dimensional landscape. Tonight's images captured from in front of my house here follow...

New Moon over Port Hedland

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Harbour workings

Night and Day - work never stops

Fully laden Amber Horizon 299m long Panamanian registered ship

Gently nudging Amber out - 4 tugs required

Empty vessel docked - check the water line. 288m long Mineral Kyushu.

Pilings at high tide - nearly 17m deep

Ore loading machinery

Harbour entrance

Control Tower

Port Hedland Weather and Sunsets and Sunrises

At this time of year, rain storms are frequent, though this year much more so than usual - hence the green grass everywhere.
Sunsets and Sunrises are moving tapestries of colour. Each day is a little different - cloud patterns or rain or not.

Approaching storm

Sun drenched eucalypts and grey sky

Passing Squall

Ore filled rail cars at sunset

Port Hedland water tower - with a sliver of sunshine

Memories of Saipan

Armada awaits under threatening skies

Work never stops

Sunday Sunrise

Indigenous Australians

The KARIYARRA people have traditionally inhabited the Port Hedland area. They called the place MARAPIKURRINYA - "place where 5 tidal creeks begin".

European settlement began about a century ago, but significant development only started in the 1960s with mining operations needing a port. Massive expansion occurred since the 1980s.

BHP and other companies strive to employ indigenous people amongst their multicultural workforce.

Hanging out in the shade next to the mall.

Aboriginal camp close to hospital.

Aboriginal patients constitute a disproportionate percentage of hospital patients.

Young barefoot cyclist.

Open 24hrs a day - providing dubious nutrition and passable coffee.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

BREAKING NEWS - Side Trip to PORT HEDLAND, WA

WA not WA - that is Western Australia not Washington State USA.

I am here for a 3 week locum at the brand new regional hospital.

Port Hedland is a town (actually 2 towns Port Hedland and South Hedland more inland) of nearly 20,000 people in the Pilbara region of WA approximately 1800km north of Perth. It is one of the largest iron ore exporting ports in the world. I could count 17 large ore carriers in the roadstead awaiting a berth, as well as several in the harbour itself.

Pilbara refers to an Aboriginal word for mullet (Domi take note - but it's the fish, not the hair), or maybe "bilybara" meaning "dry". When one sees mineworkers and others clad in fluorescent safety shirts, come to the bottle shop (liquor store) at the end of a shift, and leave heavily laden, it is clearly not going to be a dry night ahead.

It is hot and humid, with unusually heavy and frequent rains this year (highway was blocked recently south of here) preventing food trucks getting through for several days. Most food is trucked in from Perth - even fresh produce grown NORTH of here which goes to Perth first.

The airport has frequent flights to Perth and daily flights to Melbourne and as well as flights to Bali (only 2 hours away) and smaller regional centres.

The landscape is flat, featureless, big sky country with magnificent sunsets and sunrises, and mines and cathedral-like installations . The far hinterland has beautiful national parks but I cannot get away for long enough to visit these.

BHP SHEEP - there is so much iron out there it has even affected the sheep.

Tourist Guide Map

Salt is harvested from sea water ponds.

No, this is not a ski slope. It's a mountain of salt.

Salty Sisters Three

Australian road trains, some 50m long, hauling 115 tons, sweep across Australia transporting goods. These bring in iron ore from some of the mines - one speeds by every few minutes.