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" />Exmouth was spectacular! We didn’t really want to leave this paradise and the amazing Ningaloo Reef with its abundant marine life. But it was time to move on and continue our travel around Australia in 185 days. After all there was so much more to see!
Before we knew it we were in the Pilbara region of North West Australia. This vast area is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red red earth; its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore; and sparse population.
Distance: From Exmouth 356kms
Where We Stayed: Robe River Rest Area
Cost: FREE
Rest Area Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: We found fellow caravanners and campers to be extremely friendly at these free camp areas. It’s a great way of hearing about what other people have experienced and where the best places are to visit. Getting together for a few drinks at happy hour is normal practice!
For more reading on the Pilbara Coast see my post titled Pillaging The Pilbara Coast
Distance: From Robe River 95kms
Where We Stayed: Forty Mile Beach Gnoorea Point Camp Area
Cost: $15 per night
Camp Area Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This is a great camping area but beware of sand flies. They are rife here so bring appropriate insect repellent and cover up.
Distance: From Forty Mile Beach 95kms
Where We Stayed: Cleaverville Camp Area
Cost: $15 per night
Camp Area Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: Most camping areas do not have fresh water, so you need to bring in your own. You can fill up your water containers at the Karratha Visitor Centre.
We left Karratha en route to Port Hedland where we had a quick look around. Our aim was to get to Barn Hill Station so we decided to break the trip up into manageable portions. After leaving Port Hedland we came to Pardoo Roadhouse and then found the Stanley Rest Area north of here. However there are plenty of rest areas along the Great Northern Highway where you can park and spend the night.
Distance: From Port Hedland 397 kms
Where We Stayed: Stanley Rest Area
Cost: FREE
Rest Area Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: The drive along the Great Northern Highway and the Great Sandy Desert is a long boring one, so break up the trip with regular stops at points of interest along the way.
Distance: From Stanley Rest Area 95kms
Where We Stayed: Barn Hill Beachside Station Stay
Cost: $25 per night unpowered site
Caravan Park Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This station stay is incredible. Eighty Mile Beach is picturesque and pristine with great fishing.
Read more about Barn Hill Station here
Distance: From Barn Hill 139kms
Where We Stayed: PCYC Campground Broome
Cost: $35 per night powered site
Campground Facilities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: Broome is a fantastic holiday destination with so much to do and see in the area. The contrast of colours of the red earth against the blueness of the Indian Ocean is spectacular. I would recommend spending at least a week here.
For more information on Broome read my post titled B is For Broome
This part of our trip covered some of the most expansive and unpopulated regions of Western Australia. The Pilbara in particular was eye-opening with its massive mining industry in crude oil, salt, natural gas and iron ore. The coastline along this stretch boasted dazzling white beaches, bright turquoise seas and abundant fish.
Linking up with Travel Photo Thursday
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
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Sandie McNamara
November 6, 2017Love reading your blogs Kathy. We hope to get our new van Feb or March next year and will then be able to start our journey. So looking forward to being able to experience this wonderful country. Thankyou for sharing.
Kathy
November 7, 2017Hi Sandie, that is very exciting. We also set off in a brand new van not knowing what to really expect as we travelled around this massive country of ours. Within a few weeks I was absolutely hooked on caravanning. Everyday was a new adventure and everywhere is magnificent. I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Life Images by Jill
November 9, 2017great post Kathy. You visited a few places I haven’t been to yet, and this is my state!
Kathy
November 9, 2017Now I find that hard to believe! I thought you’d travelled WA extensively? The West is amazing and hopefully I will make it over there again someday. Next year we’re exploring the Murray River down to South Australia and Kangaroo Island. I can’t wait!
Jo
November 9, 2017What some remote and fabulous places you went to in The Pilbarra. Your photos are super too. I like this new style of information for this type of post – bite sized and informative so that readers can get the nitty gritty need to know stuff quickly. I’ll definitely come back to this post when we do our lap. Thanks for Kathy :)
Kathy
November 10, 2017Hi Jo, these blogs are actually from the book that I started to write about our travels. So the format was taken from the book. I agree that readers take in more when the content is short and to the point. I’m not sure whether the book will ever come to fruition but I’ve had fun re-living our wonderful trip.
Ruth
November 10, 2017You stayed in so many spectacular places! I still haven’r done a big road / camping trip. I would be nice if we can do 2 – 3 weeks. There is a lot to see in the western area of the United States but that would be a good amount of time to see two or three states. #TPThursday
Kathy
November 10, 2017Yes the US is a vast country like Australia and it takes months to do it justice. We are heading off next year for 6 weeks of travelling in our caravan down to South Australia.
budget jan
November 11, 2017Barn Hill looks amazing. I love all of the campgrounds you feature. I feel like pulling up a camping chair beside you at that campfire, I love the red dirt of Robe River, the overview of Cleaverville Beach. In a country as big as Australia it is so necessary to have a selection of different priced stops. Free ones are a bonus but those for $15 and $25 are also good. I also do appreciate the amenities that the higher priced parks offer. W.A. sure packs a punch. Thank you for linking up with Travel Photo Thursday.
Kathy
November 12, 2017Barn Hill was amazing, but so were some of the other places we stayed at. If you’re travelling on a budget you need to mix up free camping and low cost camping with caravan parks in WA as they are rather costly. If you’re self sufficient it’s easy to this. Some of our best camping experiences were free or low cost. :)