The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region (twice the size of the UK) – known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes dating back 4 billion years; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, particularly iron ore.

Onslow was my first ‘port of call’…very windy, but drone managed to capture this lovely salt-lake shot before teetering back to me….

Arrived in Dampier after HOURS of driving, but spirits were immediately lifted when I saw….the ‘Pilbara Wanderer’, the Red Dog statue! Born in Paraburdoo in 1971, named ‘Tally Ho’ by owner Col Cummings, he had to fend for himself when his owner left him. He spent most of his time at Hamersley Iron where he met bus driver John Stazzonelli, whom he followed everywhere, until he was tragically killed in Dampier. Red Dog, as he became known, wandered far and wide looking for his mate, hitching a ride throughout the Pilbara, adopting and uniting people along the way. His story became the inspiration for 2 motion pictures, ‘RED Dog’ (2011), and ‘Red Dog: True Blue’ (2016), both filmed in Dampier and Karratha.

And along the Dampier Highway, some humour in the salt……

I explored the Pilbara’s colonial past in Roebourne, the oldest settlement in the NW. The Withnell family were the first European settlers to arrive, settling at the foot of Mt Welcome in 1864. The town was ‘gazetted’ and named after the first WA Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe in 1866. Discoveries of gold, copper, and tin in the region and the development of the pearling industry at the nearby port town of Cossack, contributed to Roebourne’s prosperity. This is Yapurarra man, looking out south over his 520sq kms of territory.

Cossack is a ghost town with restored historical buildings. There is a perfectly positioned ‘Readers Head’ lookout overlooking Jarman Island’s lighthouse built in 1888, the long white sand and sparkling blue/green ocean that is Settlers Beach.

Honeycomb Cove Beach @ Point Samson….AHHHH!

The Burrup Peninsula allows you to discover the unique art, history and culture of the Aboriginal people in the Pilbara. Ngajarli (Deep Gorge) has a trail to see rock engravings, grinding stones, and shell middens. I saw a ‘Marni’, a motif of the Ngarluma tribe. It’s painted around the base of a man’s neck with ochre and worn when taking part in traditional ceremonies.

Hearson Cove is a small sandy cove, with steep rugged hills to the south and west and an outlook across Nickol Bay. At high tide it’s a great swimming spot, and at low tide, you can walk for hundreds of metres on the exposed tidal flats, walk to the turtle islands and try to spot the turtles in the coral cay. The cove is a historic site of the landing of the Northwest Exploring Expedition in 1861, which laid the basis for the rapid development of pearling and pastoral industries across the Pilbara region. My fave drone pic is of the water/sand/vegetation ‘terrine’.