Follow the Sun Relay participants Jess and Ridge travel from Broome to Port Hedland. Read on as they explore along the way.
We have done road trips before, but this drive is a whole other level. I’m writing this from Karijini National Park, which means we have driven roughly 1000km so far, and have around 2000 to go until we get to Perth! We definitely aren’t complaining though, the scenery is incredible and the motorhome is so comfortable. We are having the best time and we are so lucky to have this opportunity.
After a fantastic couple of days in Broome, we began our drive down south for our next stop at Eighty Mile Beach. The road is very long and VERY quiet, with no options of stops or turn-offs for about four hours, so make sure you have plenty of petrol and snacks (especially if you are travelling with kids or a hungry boyfriend). Just as we (mostly Ridge) were starting to get pretty worried about running out of fuel, we were able to stop at Sandy Fire Roadhouse- thank goodness!
After another hour of driving we arrived at Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park. We didn’t really know what to expect of this place, but it is literally just a caravan park and a beach! Make sure you arrive before 7pm to avoid being locked out- you wouldn’t want to be stuck with nowhere to stay along this drive. The staff were very hospitable and accommodating, and it’s the perfect place to stay for a night to break up the drive.
We arrived at sunset and after quickly setting up the Winnebago, we went for a walk down the beach, and WOW. The sunset was pretty spectacular and it was the lowest tide we have ever seen- the beach is huge and we walked towards the water but didn’t even get close before it got dark and we had to turn back.
The next morning we got up early and walked down again, and it took us about 2km of walking to get to the water!
After breakfast we hit the road again and drove to Port Hedland, where we went straight to the Visitor Centre and got some great tips.
We followed the tips from the staff at the Visitor Centre and went for lunch at the Dome restaurant, where they had a really impressive range of food to suit all ages and tastes. We then spent a lovely afternoon exploring the Courthouse Gallery, Koombana Lookout and Pretty Pool before staying the night at Discovery Parks Port Hedland.
The park is in a great location, right next to the water and within walking distance of Pretty Pool, where turtles often lay eggs!
They had good bathroom facilities as well as barbecues, a playground, swimming pool, picnic area, kitchen and more!
There were HEAPS of cabins as well, so this would be a great place to come even if you don’t have a motorhome. The staff were really friendly and gave us some great recommendations- we followed their advice and headed to the Yacht Club for dinner, where the prices are very reasonable and the meals are HUGE! We went at about 6pm and sat outside watching the sunset- a perfect ending to another big day.
The next morning we filled up on fuel and stopped in at the Redbank Bridge Salt and Train Lookout, which is the perfect place to view trains moving along with the railway, and also Rio Tinto Dampier Salt’s massive stockpile- the salt piles almost look like snow-covered mountains and you can’t miss them!
Broome to Port Hedland was a big trek.
We then consulted our maps and hit the road to drive to Karijini National Park. This is one of the things we have been most looking forward to so we can’t wait to give you our review!
–Jess and Ridge
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