Day 71 Port Hedland, WA

 Port Hedland is a pretty amazing place and we have enjoyed our few days here.  As I stated in my first post it is an industrial town and and an extension of the mining industry, but it is also home to 15,000 residents. It has an international airport that sees seventy flights per week that are mostly filled with fly in fly out workers.  Most of the giant drag lines that we see moving the iron ore are automated with somebody sitting in an office (more than likely Perth) operating these massive machines.   Iron Ore is brought in by rail from the majority of the mines and these trains can be up to three kilometres in length. Some of these trains are also fully automated. The train wagons are unloaded two wagons at a time and this is also an automated process that does not require the wagons to be unhooked. These are just some of the facts that we learnt from our tour guide this evening on our Sunset Harbour Tour.

Our tour began around 5.00pm and went for an hour and a half.  It was very interesting, more so because of our knowledgeable guide who was able to answer most of the numerous questions.  We watched as the ships were being filled with ore and we were told it takes more than 24 hours for a ship to be fully loaded. Once a ship is loaded and ready to leave the port there is already another lined up in the harbour to take its place.  The harbour master's job requires meticulous timing.  There is 550,000,000 tonnes of ore exported through the port each year but the port authority intends ramping that up to 640,000,000.  It is a big ask, but as more and more of the harbour becomes automated it does seem possible.

Innovation and forward thinking is the key when it comes to the mining industry and no-one does it better than Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest.  Fortescue's Iron Bridge Project will deliver iron ore as a slurry with the installation of a 135km pipeline to Port Hedland, together with a return water pipeline.  Production is set to commence by the end of 2022.  Although the initial outlay is massive, long time will see great returns.  

Apart from the tour this evening we did a grocery shop and also went for a drive to Finucane Island Tug Haven.  Our journey took us underneath the giant conveyor belts that are are seen everywhere in Port Hedland, in fact there is 500km's of conveyor belt!  As I said in my post yesterday, in Port Hedland everything is big (and red).

Our journey takes us to Point Samson tomorrow where we will be fortunate enough to see the "Staircase to the Moon".  I've always wanted to see this natural phenomenon and I'm so grateful that we will be in the perfect spot to see it.  Hopefully it will be a clear sky......