Point Samson to Port Hedland

The TV issue was solved late in the day, when an electrician was called from Karratha. He was an ultra cheerful black African with a jolly face and he had the problem sorted by 6.00pm. Apparently all the rain that fell in the last 24 hours had damaged the main receiver in the office and caused a short circuit. So, TV news and a nature programme about migrating shore birds was again on the cards. The wi-fi was still awful, but I managed that by going over to The Cove Caravan Park and sitting outside their office. The signal remembered me from before!

The weather forecast continued to look dicey up ahead, with bands of rain coming in from the sea; but I’ve been lucky so far. Outside Karratha there had been some flooding over the road at one point, but that was all. There was plenty of stagnant water beside the road most of today, but no hold-ups and clear blue skies all the way.

It was a short day to Port Hedland so I was in no rush. Keeping the speed low also makes my fuel go further. I stopped for a coffee break at Whim Creek. The hotel is closed and boarded up, but I have good memories of camping there, once with the Nats Club and once with JL. What a pity it’s in such a bad state, but this area is cyclone prone so it would be an expensive job to restore it to its former glory:

Driving into Port Hedland was not easy. The traffic was heavy, with big trucks coming in all directions and roads entering the main highway every couple of minutes. You need all your wits about you to negotiate this part of the trip.

I was glad to remember the turn-off to Cooke Point so that I could find my way to the Caravan Park, now owned by Discovery Parks. I had been obliged to book a 2-bedroom cabin since that was the only thing available. Port Hedland is full to bursting at the moment.

After a much-needed siesta, I went for a walk along the inlet and took a few pics:

A few people were fishing and a couple were even snorkelling. It was a lovely evening.