With the mining industry currently booming in Northwest WA, there is now plenty of employment for those willing to work in isolated areas however accommodation is hard to come by - and it can be expensive. To avoid disappointment (or sleeping on the side of the road) make sure you have accommodation booked prior to arrival. Being part of an organised tour or travelling by campervan will see you around this issue.

Port Hedland is an interesting stop-over and surreal looking as red earth is set against the stunning blue waters of the port. The engine room of the current resources boom, Port Hedland is predominately a working port town. Massive mining infrastructure can be viewed readily from the main street with long trains and big ships. This is the largest bulk tonnage port in Australia and second in the world. The coast around Port Hedland is great for fishing, watching nesting Flatback turtles in season and beach combing. Budget accommodation available at the Cooke Point Caravan Park subject to availability.

Karratha is the next main stop if you are journeying north. It has one backpacker hostel. Make sure you check for availability before arrival. Contact Karratha Visitor Centre on 08 9144 4600. Cossack, about 40km east of Karratha, is a very pretty and historic settlement located on the coast. Once the centre of the extensive pearling industry, it now has a tiny permanent population (of about two people) who run the beautifully restored budget accommodation. Point Samson, nearby is a sleepy little fishing town that once boasted one of the biggest wharves in Australia - extra-tasty fish, chips and prawns at Moby’s Kitchen below the pub. If you are searching for that true wilderness feeling, take full advantage of this area on the way to Broome.

Other attractions in the Pilbara region include Mount Augustus National Park, which features the world’s biggest free standing rock - or monocline if you want to get technical. Mt Augustus, or Burringurrah as the local Aborigines know it, is twice the size of Uluru and is estimated to be one billion years older. The mount has several Aboriginal art sites that can be viewed and the surrounding billabong is a haven for birds.

A highlight for any visitor to the Northwest inland of WA, is the Pilbara region, boasting the Millstream and Karijini National Parks. Millstream National Park is an oasis in the desert with many remnants of the long-gone rainforest vegetation that once blanketed Australia surviving around lush pools and streams.

A bit further down the road - and rated by many travellers as one of their best experiences in WA - is Karijini National Park, the traditional home of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga people. The Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range is Karijini. Evidence of their early occupation dates back more than 20,000 years.

Over millions of years ancient rivers have worn spectacular gorges out of the red, iron-rich landscape, leaving clear green pools lined with ferns, palms and paperbarks. It is also home to a variety of birds, red kangaroos, euros, rock-wallabies, echidnas and several bat species. Geckos, goannas, dragons, legless lizards, pythons and other snakes are also abundant. There is fantastic swimming, well-marked walking trails, excellent camping facilities and truly amazing scenery, with the lush green of the gorges contrasting brilliantly with the deep red rocks and stark white trunks of the many Snappy Gum trees.
 
The new and unique Karijini Eco Retreat is located in the depths of the breathtaking Karijini National Park - the first and only permanent accommodation in the Park also offers camping facilities, tours and authentic bush kitchens for self caterers. Check out www.karijiniecoretreat.com.au

The Karijini Visitor Centre is quite an impressive architectural masterpiece in an astonishing location. Here you will get an idea of the rich Aboriginal history of the area as well as the natural features of the park. Most of the roads in the park are not sealed, however they are frequently maintained, so should be able to be accessed by conventional 2WD, but check with the Visitor Centre staff first for latest road condition. Full and part day tours to Karijini leave from Tom Price and part day tours leave from the Karijini Visitor Centre. See Karijini Visitor Centre or Tom Price Visitor Centre for details and/or bookings.

If walking within Karijini National Park, make DEC (www.dec.wa.gov.au) officers at the entrance to the park aware of your itinerary. The gorges of the park are incredibly spectacular but steep, slippery and very dangerous!

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