Adventure of a lifetime for lucky pair
Lucky My Pilbara Adventure winners Alison Byers and Justin Huggins share their experiences during the whirlwind trip to Karijini, Roebourne, Cossack, Karratha and Dampier.
Day one
Alison and Justin made the two-hour flight from Perth to Port Hedland.
When they noticed the salt piles on the drive into the town centre, they mistook them for sand.
The pair explored the West End Markets: Cruise Ship Edition buying crafts, from local artists, and then took a seat at the Silver Star Cafe.
A tour of BHP’s Port operations was an eye-opening experience and the highlight of the day.
They stood at the Port and joined the town in farewelling the cruise ship, before enjoying indulging in a meal and a drink at 1904 restaurant at The Esplanade Hotel.
Day two
The pair started the day with a big breakfast at the Esplanade Hotel, before being treated to a private tour of the Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery.
There, they saw the works of Geraldton artist Helen Ansell as well as paintings by the Karntimarta brush artists.
They then set off for hit the road en route to Marble Bar, widely known as Australia’s hottest town.
A busy afternoon ensued as They stopped in at the visitor centre and then to the Comet Gold Mine Museum before a spot of jasper fossicking.
They cooled off with a refreshing swim in Marble Bar pool.
Country music filled the Iron Clad Hotel where they spent the night.
Day three
Day three began with a trip to the water tower lookout for a spectacular view of Marble Bar, before Alison and Justin hit the road again.
Conglomerate Hotel in Nullagine was the destination for lunch before heading took the cars off-road to look for local water holes.
They got back on the road to Newman, and stopped in at Ophthalmia Dam, another picturesque waterhole and perfect location for a picnic.
They arrived in Newman and where they took a look through the visitor centre before a dinner at the ultra-modern Mia Mia Restaurant.
Day Four
The new chalets at the Newman Visitor Centre provided the perfect balance of comfort and modern, stylish décor to make the night’s stay an enjoyable one.
A nother industry tour was on the itinerary, this time of BHP’s Mt Whaleback mine site and operations was on the itinerary and Alison found the size of the mine site and the amount of iron ore that is mined every day, staggering.
The pair They stopped in at Martumilli Art to view works by local artists, some of whom have met the Queen.
through an exhibition of their work in Victoria.
Kalgan Pool was the destination for the afternoon,where Alison and Justin admired in the spectacular view and cooled off with another swim.
That evening they took in one last view, this time of the Mt Whaleback mine site at night with the lights shining brightly over the town.
Day Five
An early start got the touring group to Karijini by early afternoon, with the first stop at Dale’s Gorge and down to Circular Pool for a picnic lunch.
The walk down the gorge was breathtaking and Alison found the rock structures unlike anything she had seen before.
The water at Circular Pool was crystal clear and surrounded by small waterfalls.
which created a tranquil oasis.
That evening, they dined on a range of native delicacies from crocodile and emu to kangaroo.
Accommodation at Karijini Eco Retreat was luxurious and Alison enjoyed the experience of the open-roofed shower.
Day Six
The travellers awoke to the sound of native birds and animals in the bush nearby — a blissful way to start the day.
They stopped at the Karijini Visitor Centre, which is modern and filled with an impressive amount of historical and cultural information.
Kalamina Gorge was the next stop, which provided another breathtaking moment for the Perth travellers.
Next on the itinerary was Oxer Lookout and Weano gorge for more spectacular views.
Alison admits that she could easily spend a week exploring Karijini and states that every gorge she sees is better than the one before.
The evening came with lightning over the horizon so they took in one last view before turning in for the night.
Day Seven
Alison and Justin woke with excitement, ready for the West Oz Active Red Gorge tour. After a safety briefing they headed to Knox Gorge and into the restricted class six area where travellers must be accompanied by a guide. They abseiled down a narrow waterfall and then slid down a natural rockslide into a deep water pool.
Alison said it was scary, but a buzz.
The tour group climbed over more rocks before reaching a large waterhole where they sat on inflated rubber tubes and drifted into Red Gorge.
Then they reached Junction Pool where four gorges meet.
The group then headed into Hancock Gorge and then hiked through Regan's Pool. Alison said it was an awesome day.
"Not just a highlight of My Pilbara Adventure, but a highlight of my life," she said.
Day Eight
The group departed Karijini early in the morning, bound for Point Samson.
They drove for hours on a gravel road which led them to the picturesque Millstream Chichester National Park and stopped at Deep Reach Pool for a picnic lunch.
Next stop was Python Pool, a waterhole surrounded by a huge rock wall. They made it to the North West Coastal Highway and found accommodation at Point Samson Resort.
They enjoyed dinner at TaTa's Restaurant which was adorned by artwork.
Alison said the food was great and "the dessert was sensational".
Day Nine
After a cooked breakfast, Alison and Justin headed to the Roebourne Visitor Centre and Old Gaol Museum.
They jumped on board a bus for a tour of Roebourne, Cossack and finally to Rio Tinto's port operations. The tour got them right up close, underneath the conveyor belt and really close to the jetties.
"I was surprised how much I enjoyed Roebourne and Cossack, I love all the old stone buildings and the history of them," Alison said.
They stopped in at Yinjaa-Barni Art studio and met some local artists in Roebourne, before heading to Karratha.
"We stopped in at the local shopping centre in Karratha to buy some new board shorts and thongs as mine were covered in orange dust and green algae from the gorge tours. I call it 'Pilbarised'," Alison said.
The pair enjoyed tapas and a drink at Blanche Bar before turning in for a well-earned rest at Velocity Village.
Day 10
Day ten started with a delicious breakfast at Soul Cafe, then it was onto the Karratha Visitor Centre for an industry tour.
They got a look at the Dampier Salt mining operations, the largest in the Pilbara, and then arrived at the North West Shelf Visitor Centre which had a lot of information about the Karratha Gas Plant.
Next stop was Parker Point to see the loading and unloading of iron ore onto ships.
Then they drove to East Intercourse Island to a hilltop known as the Queen's Lookout for a spectacular 360-degree view of the town of Dampier and the port facilities, as well as the nearby islands.
After a few hours rest, the group headed out to Withnell Bay on the Burrup Peninsula to go night fishing with local fisherman Jed Teague, also known as "Shark Boy".
Day 11
The travellers ventured out to Dampier and enjoyed a morning tea under the palm trees. Skipper Brad Beaumont from Discovery Sailing took them on a boat tour of the Dampier Archipelago. The first stop was Sam's Island where they learnt about Sam Ostojich, the inhabitant of the island who hand-made a castle where he lived for more than 40 years. Brad took them to Pirate Cove on East Lewis Island where Alison and Justin cooled off with a swim.
"It was such beautiful surroundings on the water, a very nice day out," Alison said.
Day 12
On the last day of the adventure, Alison had mixed feelings about leaving.
"All good things must come to an end, and it will be great to go home and see my kids," she said.
"I would love to come back and visit all the people I met and see more of the Pilbara."
The Pilbara Development Commission hosted a breakfast at the beach to farewell the travellers and acknowledge the businesses that supported the campaign.
Alison and Justin had a quick look at rock art near Hearsons Cove and then made their way to Karratha Leisureplex for a game of glow-in-the-dark golf and tour of the facility.
"It's a really good set up with the kid's splash area, pools and beach volleyball," Alison said.
At the airport they said a teary goodbye to their host from the Pilbara Development Commission, who accompanied them on their journey.
