West & North June - July 2016 : Day 07 - Monday 04 July - Karijini National Park to Port Hedland

Just on bed time last night some tentative, gentle rain started. We decided to stay sleeping outside, trusting in our swags for protection. The gentle rain kept up on and off all night leaving us warm and mostly asleep in our swags until about 6 a.m. when it turned into the real thing and sent us scurrying to break camp (a muddy, messy business) and get on our way, eating a makeshift breakfast as we drove. Coffee had to wait until lunch-time in Port Hedland.

The road out of the park was muddy but by no means impassable. Beautiful views of the preceding afternoon were shrouded in cloud - in some cases hardly visible at all.

Once out of the park we found ourselves sharing the road with the ever present mining industry.

 

There must have been close on a hundred ore road trains going to or returning from Port Hedland.

 

After passing through a strikingly beautiful and changing hilly landscape, the coastal plain takes over, flat and not all that interesting.

A spot of interest in a vast plain. 

 

 Port Hedland is not an attractive city. Iron ore shipping and salt harvesting are its main industries, although a creditable attempt has been made to acknowledge its links to an earlier service history.

An sunset walk along the shore near the motel finished our day.

We have changed from warm clothes into shorts and t-shirts. 

Broome - here we come 32C forecast for tomorrow.