DESERT'S EDGE

This northern part of the Pilbara has a lot to offer in-between the massive mining operations and remote expanses

- WORDS AND PHOTOS KEV SMITH

I’D JUST spent a solid three weeks touring through the southern parts of the Pilbara and thought I’d seen it all until a last-minute detour took me through the northern parts.

I was camping on the fringes of the stunning and world-renowned Karijini NP and then I headed out towards the rich mining area of Newman, in mid-WA. My first stop was 80km before Newman to explore some local rock art. Not signposted, it’s an easy track to the parking area before a 10-minute walk up the small gorge that undoubtedly holds water in the wet season going by the stunning white gums that are growing out of the red sand.

Wandering up through the rocky gorge and getting my eye in, I was stunned to see several petroglyphs (art forms scratched into the rock as opposed to paintings) by the Martu people. There are literally hundreds of them representing all types of native animals, weapons, people, plants and some sort of enigmatic beings. It’s a quiet place where the more I looked, the more I saw.

NEWMAN AND SURROUNDS

DOWN the road, Newman – the largest inland town in the Pilbara, with a population of around 5000 that doubles with FIFO workers included – is regarded as one of the most isolated and inhospitable places to work and live in summer. Hot winds blow off the Great Sandy Desert making temperatures soar, yet in the cooler months nights often drop to 10°C.