Well the time has come to pack up here at Kalari transport and move on out of Port Hedland. One thing I will miss is the view of the moon rising
and the sun setting, from our campsite here. 
The employees were given a lovely dinner out at the Yacht Club, including oysters kilpatrick, I thoroughly enjoyed my dozen.! Apart from that Chris and I also met with friends, to say goodbye, had a feed of fish and chips from the caravan takeaway on the waterfront, never tire of this view of the port and lights.
To sum it up, 6 Months here has been interesting and well worth doing, and yes I’d do it again. So now it’s time to move on.
Chris is back working 6 days a week at the moment, so this has given me a chance to sort through photos and add more posts, however his work finishes at the end of the month. We intend to look at working in the grain belt area, further south, for a couple of months, when we leave here. I think we have had the best of weather and work in the last 6 months. Driving a road train and doing such long hours, takes its toll and chris is starting to get tired.
We have been given a finish date of 31st oct, for copper drivers, which, includes Chris, as the company’s contract ends. Temperatures are getting up around the 40deg most days and it will soon be cyclone season here, and I’ve no desire to hang around for that. This last week has been quite windy and bushfires have closed roads past Marble Bar, going into the mines.
This also causes a threat to the drivers, as well as down time for both the drivers and their company. Chris and others spent 2 days blocked in at Telfer mine this last week.
Another reason to move on…..
I have really enjoyed our time here. Mostly because of the contrast in landscape to that of the eastern states. The ever changing piles of salt in town and the busy port, with it cargo ships and tugboats. Trucks and trains run 24/7. The place never sleeps. Going into town, you usually have to wait at the railway crossings for the locomotives to go through, pulling around 260 carriages.
Takes around 5 minutes for them to go past, depending on speed. 
Chris often counts them! Parking and shopping is easy, there is both Woolworths and Coles /Kmart stores. The South Hedland aquatic center is one of the best we have been to, we use the pool a couple of times a week. Gina Rinehart, has painted one of her trains pink, in support of breast cancer, which has been a good talking point. October is breast cancer awareness month, so what better way to finish off this post, than to say we are living life in Jodies memory. 
Will catch up when we get on the move again…. till then may good health be with you all.
Not sure how far we travelled on the first day, but we pulled into a clearing off the road in the Mulga Downs area.
We set up camp and Neil showed us how a campfire is made. A few drinks and dinner by the fire, was a great way to start out. A beautiful evening, so we sat out under the stars till bedtime.
Chris’s previous boss and his wife live across the creek behind us, so we go over occasionally for a night out and I feed the chooks when they are away. 
Walking across the dry creek bed is interesting, coming home at midnight can be a bit tricky, as chris tends to get lost and fall over (drunk as) , makes for a good laugh, all by the light of a full moon.
Over the last week we haven’t had any work due to shortages at the mine, so as well as Chris having a rest we’ve been able to go swimming a few times.
South Hedland has one of the best aquatic centres we have been to, and we’ve swam in lots of pools, on our travels.
Last week I spent some time in at Port, watching the tugs bring in the boats to be loaded, it’s a favourite pastime seeing how these little vessels manoeuvre huge ships around.
Also just out of town are the salt pads, a good place to take photos of salt being scooped up into big piles, ready for loading.
Hope I’m not boring you with all my photos, but this is certainly a unique place, when you take the time to look around. Cheers for now. X
Thankfully the gearbox was replaced under warranty, although we were without our car for 5 weeks. Just as well we got here and not held up on the road somewhere, were able to use a work vehicle when needed. We had a trip down to Karratha, lunch, and a nice day out, when it was ready to be picked up.
Had a drink at the renowned Whim Creek Hotel, on the way home.
and the lights around Port are magical.
We have gone in for dinner on the waterfront a couple times.
They hold night markets, when there’s a full moon, and viewing the stairway to the moon is something not to be missed. 
When the wind and the heat of the day subsides, it’s very pleasant out of an evening.
Now that we have the car back I will go for a drive with the camera one day soon. Hope you enjoy seeing the update, till next time keep safe.
They have a great aquatic center only 15 mins away, so go in when we can. The pool is a constant 30deg all year round and open till 7pm. During the day it is still very hot around 38 most days. So I tend to stay indoors, reading ,cooking and playing with photos on computer, keeps me amused while Chris is away driving or asleep. Those that have been to Port Hedland know it is hot ,dry and dusty. RED Dust.!! So doesn’t have a lot going for it during the day.
We went into the markets last Saturday night, and were surprised at the hundreds of people there.
I guess enjoying the cooler evening air, although I was still sweating. We had snapper and chips in the park, on the waterfront, and a bit of fun with a crocodile ( a stone one)
Finally I’ve brought this blog up to date. Not sure whats ahead during our stay here, but no doubt I’ll be out with my camera soon, and have more to put on. If you have been following us on here feel free to add any comment, I welcome your thoughts. Cheers till then. Merelyn.
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