Outback Towns

Port Hedland

While technically the coastal township is not located in the outback, we thought it critical to include as a number of outback adventures start from this fascinating transport hub.

About Port Hedland

 

Port Hedland lays 1761km from Perth via the North West Coastal Highway or 1600km via the Great Northern Highway.  While technically the coastal township is not located in the outback, we thought it critical to include as a number of outback adventures start from this fascinating transport hub.

Since the 1960s, Port Hedland has been the center of a thriving iron-ore industry; its natural harbour handles the largest tonnage of any Port in Australia. Its pristine beaches and mangroves are home to an abundance of fish and other wildlife.

Port Hedland lies on an inlet fringed with mangroves that are teeming with life; a number of hand-shaped tidal creeks come off its shallow natural harbour. The town is relaxed and open.

Much of the population lives at the satellite town of South Hedland 18km inland, which was established due to the lack of suitable land above storm surge levels caused by cyclones. South Hedland is home to 40 000 people and is quite modern, once housing the largest shopping center outside of Perth.

Port Hedland is an industrial center focused on the extraction, processing and exporting of iron-ore from the massive deposits in surrounding ranges. Its hinterlands are dry areas with ranges, rock formations and grasslands.

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