Broome to Coral Bay - Western Australia

The coastal region of the north west is remarkable, different all the way along, and fringing some of the harshest country we have been in. In fact the rough, rocky, dry, hot area is as good a place as any for a mine; and there are plenty of them.
Broome is a tourist and commercial hub for the area with lots of new homes being built for all the FIFO workers from the mines.  Cape Leveque is beautiful and a stunning contrast to the red desert inland.  We were amazed at the colours of the red cliffs, orange sand, white sand, and greens and blues of the oceans.
One of the highlights of our whole trip was our seaplane flight and boat ride through the Horizontal Waterfalls north of Broome and west of Derby.  The huge upthrust ridges run out to sea and the falls are created by a narrow gap through two ridges through which the entire tide must run.  Derby experiences tides of up to 12.5m.  Landing on the water between steep rocky ridges was fun and the sharks and crocodiles around the pontoon focussed us on staying on board.  The power of the moving tides are awesome from the air and from the boat going through the falls.
Marble Bar was great to see and who would have thought that the name referred to a real bar of marble (jasper actually) running across a local creek bed.
The iron ore ports of Dampier and Port Hedland are booming industrial centres' that are impressive to see and easy to move on from.
Exmouth is a tourist town with the nicest snorkelling waters, reefs, and inshore coral that we have experienced. We could easily return for a long stay at Cape Range Nat Park.
Coral Bay, as the name suggests, is at the bottom of Cape Range Nat Park and hosts whale shark and manta swims. We swam with giant 4.5m wide manta rays and also spent time snorkeling the close in reef coral that were teeming with brightly coloured fish, turtles, sharks, rays, and the prettiest and thickest coral we have snorkeled.

Broome's sunset over the beach - the Stairway to heaven at other times

the two Horizontal Waterfalls

and from the water, the power of the boiling water was scary and threw the boat around

the Tours owner following us closely and getting some good advertising material for next year

Pearl Shell covered pulpit at the Beagle Bay Church - a Christian Aboriginal Community

the beautiful outside of the Beagle Bay Church

Dark red cliffs, orange / red sand, and white sand stay separate on Cape Leveque's western beach

Broome's wharf - great for fishing and watching the supply ships supplying the gas wells of the NW Shelf

Iron Ore ships being loaded in the main street of Port Hedland

Salt stockpiled awaiting shipping

Port Hedland sunset

Government Offices in Marble Bar built in the 1800's

Dales Gorge in Karajini Nat Park in the middle of iron ore & asbestos country

mountains of iron ore outside Hamersley / Tom Price

beautiful pools, waterfalls and green ferns in Dales Gorge

iron ore being railed and loaded onto ships in Dampier - great little van park opposite the ship...

Woodside gas trains and processed liquid storage tanks near Dampier

rich red iron ore headed overseas

very friendly locals at Exmouth

perfectly clear water and great colours on the beaches of Cape Range Nat Park

a soft sunset at Ned's Camp....

stunning colours the next night.....

...just had to double up on this my favorite sunset photo

swimming with the Manta Rays off Coral Bay

black tipped reef sharks were not at all threatening but that eye follows your every move

pretty giant clams

   Next Carnarvon and south....