Tuesday 9th April

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Tuesday 9
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April, Port HedlandG’day Discovery Park Port HedlandCost $43 per night with membershipRated by us 6/10Mileage 17089 travelled 0Port Hedland is unashamadley all about Iron Ore it is the biggest Iron Ore exporting port in the world, the numbers are staggering.The information bureau is really helpful and the ladies know there stuff. Unfortunately the Harbour Tour on a boat is not running until The end of this month due to the tourist season. However they rae giving a talk today at 10.30 in the Information Centre giving you all the facts you get on the boat and with a power point of the harbour. We found some shade for Tippy in his crate in the back and headed in to listen.The lady running the talk was from the Mission to Seafarers which is a charity organisation with missions all over Australian and in fact the world. They provide pastoral care to the sailors on the ships and go out to the ships and bring them in for a few hours shore leave, they can relax at the mission, call home, use the internet and buy stuff from home in the special shop. Most of the sailors are from the Philippines and are so grateful for the break, lately Chinese crews are becoming more prevalent but they are not allowed off the boats which is sad.Ships leave port one hour either side of the high tide, using the 19 operational berths in the port, 8 BHP, 5 FMG, 2 Roy Hill and 4 Port Authority for general cargo. IN 20/21 the port exported some 733 Billion tonnes of ore and it is growing with Gina and Twiggy building for berths. The iron ore is brought by trains from various mines and I quote “they all, have their own train sets they never play together” so you have three major lines coming into port and this is were the numbers get silly for exampleBHP trains pull 264 cars about 3km in length and carrying 120/130 tonnes per carAll of this ore is going to China taking fourteen days for the trip and then five days to unload then they do it all again. You have to wonder how sustainable this isDampier Salt also operates out of Hedland exporting some 3,2 million tonnes of industrial salt per year, you really feel like you are in the engine room of Australia here.The talk was very interesting and wed purchased a small booklet which give syou all the facts it was too much to take in in one hit. I also picked up a beanie knitting pattern, the beanies can be dropped at any of the missions and they are provided free to the sailors thought I might get a few together in Perth and produce some on mass could be fun, there is a mission in Fremantle we could drop them off to.At the end of the street from the centre is a viewing park which sits at the side of the channel into which the ships are brought, it is amazing to be so close you could touch the sides of the ships. They are brought in by the pilots as the harbour floor is only 10meters clear of a fully loaded ship. It takes the pilots two years to be fully trained to negotiate ships in and out of the harbour, assisted by the 18 tugs in the port stationed at the port.We sat and watched them bring in three ships to be loaded it was fascinating G was in his element.

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Comments

[arlene]

keeping G entertained by ships
I can see the fascination of these beautiful large business beasts, yes the numbers are staggering

[arlene]

keeping G entertained by ships
I can see the fascination of these beautiful large business beasts, yes the numbers are staggering