Port Hedland, Western Australia

We visited in February 2013 on the Celebrity Solstice.

Port Hedland Western Australia - main shipping port for export of iron ore, bauxite and salt.

Nothing to do - shuttle bus into information office and then on to small town centre.

Woolworths supermarket was well priced, a couple of coffee shops and not much else.

Near the information centre the Seamen's Club had 30 minutes free WiFi and internet.

The only ship tour offered was to tour part of the BHP mining operations $US54 for one hour tour - reports came back that it was interesting.

No local tour operators around to offer anything else.

There's a very nice little art gallery with a book shop and local artists work for sale.

We were also to Port Hedlund in February. While it was rather hot that day, we still enjoyed the tour of the iron ore facility. This is where the money is in Western Australia. I remember our guide telling us that is costs many millions to shut down operations even for a day as the facility runs 24/7. They in fact had to do exactly that a couple of days after our departure due to a Category 4 cyclone. There were 20 ships waiting to come into port the day we left. No, it was not the shopping capital nor was it glitzy. It was seeing another facet of Australian life that we would not have known about. All in all our circumnavigation of Australia showed us the variety the country has. All our ports were different and showed us different things. I would not have wanted all our 35 days to be the same.

Perhaps with more ships stopping, Port Hedlund will become more attractive to more people.

Pearl

We were on the Feb cruise as well and felt that Port Hedland was a waste of time. Not sure why Broome wasn't chosen instead?

Suggest X go to Broome or skip PH and go directly to Bali.

We were on the Feb cruise as well and felt that Port Hedland was a waste of time. Not sure why Broome wasn't chosen instead?

Suggest X go to Broome or skip PH and go directly to Bali.

Broome can't handle the big ships - huge tides and currents.

Port Hedland can take the world's largest ships but the important bit is that it is the hub of Australia's rich economy - minerals.

Wouldn't it be boring if every port was the same.

Broome can't handle the big ships - huge tides and currents.

Port Hedland can take the world's largest ships but the important bit is that it is the hub of Australia's rich economy - minerals.

Wouldn't it be boring if every port was the same.

Perhaps Broome would not allow docking, but tendering?

All the people on our cruise that we talked to about Port Hedland agreed that it was of minimal value to the cruise and should have been skipped.

Broome can't handle the big ships - huge tides and currents.

Port Hedland can take the world's largest ships but the important bit is that it is the hub of Australia's rich economy - minerals.

Wouldn't it be boring if every port was the same.

Indeed it would.

Perhaps Broome would not allow docking, but tendering?

 

All the people on our cruise that we talked to about Port Hedland agreed that it was of minimal value to the cruise and should have been skipped.

I'll even bet many of them were Australians. Sadly there are many of us who do not value our own country. It is such a richly diverse place (as is the US). Perhaps many in America do not visit the likes of the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa because they do not offer the big ticket items that many of the surrounding States do. But I'm sure the people there would be proud to welcome visitors.