Another morning rest today to recharge the batteries. Charging batteries is usually revolting but we had a great day.

The Mulla Mullas are a distinctive natural feature of the Pilbara and street art sculpture in Karratha reflects this.

Dampier salt has three solar salt operations at Dampier, Port Hedland and Lake MacLeod near Carnarvon. It is the world’s largest exporter of seaborne salt with capacity to produce approximately 10.3 million tonnes every year. I was going to try another salt joke but decided Na, people mightn’t like it. Speaking of Na, this weekend is Karratha’s annual FeNaClNG Festival (Fe for iron, Na Cl for salt and NG for natural gas – three major exports from the port.) It is pronounced Fenackling. A local said that in the week after the festival, the town usually suffers from FeNaClNG Flu. Lucky we are leaving tomorrow!

There is a number of art/sculpture/items? in the evaporative ponds (Karratha word above karroding).

Here are a few of the better ones:

For those of you who didn’t know where he was, Wally is on an evaporative pond at Dampier.

Trouble for the swans (cue the six basses, eight celli, four trombones and tuba!)

William Dampier Lookout – views over Hampton Harbour and the Intercourse Islands of the Dampier Archipelago (Intercourse Island, East Intercourse Island, West Intercourse Island, East Mid Intercourse Island and West Mid Intercourse Island).

There is not one Red Dog statue at Dampier but two…

…no, make that three.

Dampier Mermaid Hotel where scenes from the Red Dog movie were filmed.

The Dampier waterfront. The Bureau of Meteorology Dampier Radar is on East Intercourse Island.

Dampier beach

The guy with the bright red beak used to be friends with the seagulls but terned on them.

Yellow-throated miners were very common on the Burrup Peninsula.

Salt ready for shipping

Pied butcherbirds at Dampier

The igneous ranges of Murujuga National Park

Pilbara kurrajongs were common on the ranges of Murujuga NP.

Pilbara kurrajong trunk

Usually we scout trees for birds, here rocks make great perches

Next to Murujuga NP is the processing site for Woodside’s  North West Shelf Gas Project.

Woodside has massive plans to expand its gas projects and the expansion of the Burrup Hub.

Maitland Lookout at Karratha over mangroves and the tidal flats – there was a 3.3 metre tidal variation here today.

We saw a few of these structures from the lookout. They appear to be framework for gunyas.