Dampier

We're in Dampier after a quick stop of in pardoo station last night which was good and had more toilet/shower facilities then all the places we have been in the last 3 weeks put together! No queues is good!

Stocked up in Port Hedland (we seem to eat a lot!). Saw one of the incredibly long 3km iron ore trains. Ciara counted the second half and it had 132 trailers! It was slowly moving out of town and we drive alongside it for 4km!! And saw some ships being loaded as well. Soooo much red dirt. Also saw the salt mountains which are like giant shining white snow cones! The road trains are massive as well .. 4 trailers long but the roads are very straight so good chances to over take.

The drive to Port Samson was very scenic thru the desert type landscape. Red sands and dunes, rusty outcrops covered in olive Spinifex, fields of purple/mauve tinged Mulla Mulla flowers, and a multitude of other flowering bushes and small shrubs which I have no idea what their names are but the colours were incredible. Yellow, Orange, white, cream, purple, red, and greens of all sorts. We did see the iconic Sturt desert pea as well which was very exciting (maybe I have been out on the road too long!). Such a beautiful plant. Port Samson is lovely and very quiet. Kind of wish we had stayed but the caravan Parks were jammed 

Headed an hour on to Dampier instead which is another port town with a huge iron ore facility. Across the water from the campsite is like daylight with all the lights from trains, conveyors and ships being loaded. There must be some very very large empty holes in the Pilbara region. It's quite surreal as it's a naturally beautiful area but so industrial at the same time. Had the best AFL oval with the softest looking grass. Was tempted to go for a run with the crowd training there after eating too much chicken parmy at the local (overpriced and strange) pub but felt I was probably a couple of decades too experienced and didn't want to embarrass the locals. 

The campsite is silent and quiet aside from the hum of iron ore being converted into AUD $$$ filling the govt coffers and building great roads up here. 

Tomorrow we head to Millstream Chichester national Park for 3 days and then karijini for 4 days. It'll be great to not have to drive more then a couple if hours tomorrow after covering about 1200km in the last two days. 

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