 Attractions
The Coral Coast: Exmouth and Coral Bay are the main towns on the Coral Coast which surrounds most of the Morth West Cape. The area is renowned for game fishing and beach activities.
Cossack: The town's death knell was sounded in 1898 when a cyclone disrupted its pearling industry and blocked the harbour with silt, after that it was no longer possible for larger boats to enter, and Point Samson became the major port after 1910. The town features a museum, cemetery and several restored stone buildings.
Dampier: The deepwater port and modern town were built by Hamersley Iron in the 1960's and it is here that the iron ore from mines at Tom Price and Paraburdoo is railed, stock piled and loaded on to ships for export. Salt is also an important export. One of the large iron ore ports for the Pilbara. Permits are available for touring the works and port. Good sailing, boating and fishing.
Exmouth: Site of the $600 million, Harold E Holt Base, established in 1966 as a joint US-Australian navy communications station. Exmouth was established as a support town for the base. Now the base is a radio relay station, sending and receiving messages to and from United States and Australian ships, the base has thirteen transmitter towers, all taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Midlands Scenic Way: This road is one of three routes that can be driven between Perth and Geraldton. It is the most scenic of the itineraries and travels through towns such as New Norica, Coorow, Carnamah, Three Springs, Mindenew and Dongara. Wildflowers abound in Spring, adding to the atmosphere of the scenic drive.
Millstream-Chichester National Park: A chain of permanent spring-fed pools, some 3 km long, 100 m wide and 14 m deep, linked by cool, clear-flowing channels. See stands of millstream palm, unique to the Pilbara region.
Monkey Mia: This settlement is home of the famous wild dolphins. These wild dolphins visit the Monkey Mia beach on a regular basis where they come to receive fish from the visitors. Scientists from around the globe conduct valuable research in this natural laboratory.
Murchison Goldfields: In the 1880's, gold was discovered in this area which covers Cue, Meekatharra, Yalgoo, Paynes Find and Mt Magnet. Historic buildings and old mining relics can be visited along the way with brilliant displays of fields of wildflowers in Springtime.
Ninngaloo Reef Marine Park: Ningaloo Reef is home to some 220 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. The reef is also home to some fascinating wildlife including the whale shark (world's biggest fish), and is a turtle breeding ground. The waters within the park are divided into sanctuary zones, to preserve an undisturbed environment for visitors. Covering about 4000 square kilometres of ocean, Ningaloo Reef is one of the world's major reefs.
Pilbara: Volcanis and sedimentary rock more than 4.6 billion years old form the continent's oldest crustal block. Iron ore dominates life: 20 years after mining began in the late 1960's, 200 billion tonnes of ore remain. Six major mines, 10 townships, 1200 km of railway and five separate port facilities have been built and the population has increased from 4000 to 50,000. Featured in this town are alot of historical sites, such as abandoned settlements and old mining towns. On the coast, vast tidal flats are interspersed with extensive mangrove thickets. Inland, the rugged uplands are intersected by steep river valleys. In the Hamersley Ranges, there are spectacular gorges where huge iron ore extraction projects take place.
Shark Bay: The bay consists of a series of semi enclosed gulfs, inlets, bays and islands, split in two by Peron Peninsular. With 1500 km of coastline, it is made up of 55% water and 45% land. The bay has a number of unique features sucha s the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, the dolphins at Monkey Mia and a number of islands providing sancturary for endangered animals. These distinctive features lead to its inclusion on the World Heritage list in 1991.
Karijini National Park: The scenery in this park is nothing short of spectacular, with mountains, gorges, rivers and plateaux. The ranges are the traditional home of the Panyjima, Kyinnawanjka and Injibaandi people and their is much evidence of their occupation. A wide range of wildlife habitats and plants and animals of the Pilbara are protected here in what is one of the largest national parks in Western Australia. Look for spotted bowerbirds near pools, they are a rare breed and here is one of the only places that they can be seen.
Kalbarri National Park: This National Park surrounds the Murchison River and is home to a large range of native animals and wildflowers. The settlement is located on the mouth of the river where visitors can surf, fish, windsurf, horse ride and canoe.
Lake Macleod-Solar Salt: Underground brine, 10 times saltier than sea water, is pumped into a network of evaporation ponds. The salt is exported to the Asia-Pacific region for use in manufacture of chemicals.
Steep Point: Named for its sheer vertical drop, our mainland's westernmost extremity forms the northern limit of the Zuytdorp Cliffs and is a popular fishing spot.
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