Heavenly Beverley : West Pilbara Journeys...

The Shire of the East Pilbara, the third largest local government area in the world meets the coast north of Port Hedland, but the town is not included in that shire. Instead, the Town of Port Hedland, the City of Karratha and the Shire of Ashburton are the only other shires within the Pilbara. Curiously, there is no shire of the West Pilbara, even though several towns could be argued that they deserve their own local authority, rather than being swallowed up within the City of Karratha.

We arrived in Roebourne at around two o'clock on a Thursday afternoon. The historic town was looking even better than in 2019. The streets were scrupulously clean, the buildings proudly titled with the names of the Aboriginal corporations who are integral parts of Roebourne's continued revolution. The Ieramugedu Cafe was still open, so we stopped for a late lunch. Staffers Alisha and Dequarne are terrific assets for their town. The radio station across the road was bopping away, the completed parks with interpretive panels were gloriously beautiful on a late "winter" afternoon, exquisite and sweet-smelling public loos certainly passed my sniff test and the newly filled Harding River was a beautiful background vista.

Yindjibarndi tourism information, educational and cultural centre had been completed and was buzzing with interested visitors. There were significant restorations underway within the old prison precinct and we met and chatted with Giles and Evelyn, volunteer artists working with Lorraine Coppin's Juluwarlu Elders art group. Alas, this visit, we did not meet Michael Woodley, Lorraine's husband and one of the major influencers of the success story that Roebourne is becoming. However, we did catch up with that petite dynamo Sam Donaldson, whom we'd met on our previous stay and Marietta, Dequarne's partner who was also working in the Yindjibarndi Centre. We returned for lunch at the Ieramugedu on Friday and just immersed ourselves in Roebourne's metamorphosis. There are still some signs of Roebourne's demon past, but the current movers and shakers in the town are determined to continue the progress and preserve country and their traditions.

Point Samson, north of Roebourne, was the ideal location to stay. Close to Wickham, Cossack and Roebourne, this little seaside idyll also had the advantage of being thirty minutes from Karratha, the largest centre in the Pilbara. The Cove caravan park, with its amenable reception staff, visitor-friendly infrastructures such as concrete walking paths, viewing platform and central park, along with the famous Point Samson Tavern make this spot an exceedingly pleasant base.

We have only been to the shopping centre at Wickham and have not been to the newer southern section at all. In my opinion, Wickham lacked the life and enthusiasm of Roebourne, particularly amongst the Aboriginal people we saw. Perhaps we need a closer look.

Karratha was a shock. I remember little of the place when I visited in 1998. Now, Karratha is a fairly attractive city with all the services, traffic lights and legions of shops. The landscape has softened with greenery but the surrounding country of ancient rocks marks Karratha as firmly in the Pilbara.

Cossack was marvellous. The Art Awards were a low-key affair due to COVID 19 and the winning entries were deserved. Carrie McDowell, Cossack Artist-in-Residence has lived in the Pilbara for the last decade and has incorporated metal, rust, sand and other found objects into her stitching pieces.

We were instantly entranced and showed her our current collection stacked in the back of Lily. She was eagerly interested in Beverley's Artist-in-Residence programme, with the thought of escaping some of the fierce heat of Karratha most appealing.

Finally, I will not forget the Staircase in the Moon in Point Samson. The moon was no longer full but a blood red and the shadows that were cast were the best I'd seen. And although we missed the spectacle at our next destination, Onslow, there is always next year.