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East Pilbara Diversion
Difficulty:
Suitable for:
A great alternative trip avoiding the highways that is both a shortcut and very scenic. Shay Gap to Marble Bar and then along the Ripon Hills and Skull Springs loop around Carrawine Gorge and Eel Pool.
Start
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park
Finish
Newman
Distance
793.87 km
Minimum Days
3
Average Speed
70.18 km/hr
Driving Time
11 hr 18 min
Article By: ExplorOz Team Updated: 13 Mar 2008
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Description
Environment
Interactive Route Map
History
Permits
Driving Directions
Things to See & Do
Trek Feedback
Preparation
Related Pages
Camp Sites & Accomodation
Recommended Reading
In this Trek Note
Description
The
Pilbara
region is one of the oldest landscapes on earth. It covers a vast area of magnificent ranges, gorges and deserts. The
Pilbara
is generally accessed by two major road arteries - the North West Coastal Highway, which is best for accessing the west of the region and the fringing coastline of the Gascoyne or the Great Northern Highway, which passes through Newman in the east of the region.
This Trek Note however, explores the east side of the
Pilbara
via the Shay Gap offroad track departing the North West Coastal Highway near Eighty Mile Beach (east of Port Hedland). The route then traverses through abandoned mining settlements, remote gorges, and remote tracks to the east of Marble Bar, Nullagine and Newman. This has long been an area with idyllic campsites, however Cyclone Faye in early 2004 has made a devastating effect on Eel Pool (Running Waters) and the campsites at Carrawine Gorge.
(Note - further east of the Telfer Road you can access
Australia
's most remote National Park - Rudall River and even further east along the Wapet Track pick up the
Canning Stock Route
trek note near Well 33 and the Kunawarritji Aboriginal Community (fuel, supplies).
Interactive Route Map
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park is located on the beachfront between Port Hedland and Broome, and is an ideal stopover on this long stretch of road. Eighty Mile Beach is famous for it's fishing and shell collecting.
Features:
Position: 120.6702ºE 19.7557ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Great Northern Hwy & Boreline Rd
Distance:
60.01km
Average Speed:
86.82km/h
Great Northern Hwy & Boreline Rd
Turn off highway into dirt track signed Boreline Road marked with a Shire of East Pilbara sign stating: "Road Users should contact (08) 9176 1008 before using this road. Road Conditions may change following rains."
Features:
Position: 120.2204ºE 19.9687ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Marble Bar
Distance:
170.22km
Average Speed:
81km/h
Marble Bar
Marble Bar, is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia. It is well known for its extremely hot weather.The town was officially gazetted in 1893 following the discovery of gold in the area in 1890.
Features:
Position: 119.7444ºE 21.1707ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Marble Bar Pool
Distance:
3.69km
Average Speed:
56.6km/h
Marble Bar Pool
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 119.7127ºE 21.1780ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Marble Bar
Distance:
3.69km
Average Speed:
56.6km/h
Marble Bar
Marble Bar, is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia. It is well known for its extremely hot weather.The town was officially gazetted in 1893 following the discovery of gold in the area in 1890.
Features:
Position: 119.7444ºE 21.1707ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Tumbinna Pool
Distance:
83.14km
Average Speed:
78.58km/h
Tumbinna Pool
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 120.4951ºE 21.2262ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Nullagine River Camping
Distance:
0.52km
Average Speed:
66.42km/h
Nullagine River Camping
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 120.4977ºE 21.2249ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Carawine Gorge
Distance:
89.39km
Average Speed:
78.08km/h
Carawine Gorge
Located on the Oakover River and not far from Woodie Woodie. Bitumen road to within 15 kilometres and then an easy gravel track in. Once there it is a sand bed to get close to the water hole. Best camping down to the right now that the trees are gone.
Features:
Position: 121.0294ºE 21.4809ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Two Sisters
Distance:
25.46km
Average Speed:
58.04km/h
Two Sisters
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 121.1243ºE 21.4896ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Eel Pool
Distance:
28.84km
Average Speed:
59.72km/h
Eel Pool
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 121.1260ºE 21.6854ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Nullagine
Distance:
138.21km
Average Speed:
51.61km/h
Nullagine
Nullagine is a former goldming town located on the Great Northern Highway. It is 1186 km north of Perth and 189km north of Newman. Nullagine is the local Aboriginal name for the river that runs through the centre of the town.
Features:
Position: 120.1103ºE 21.8906ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Jimblebar Junction
Distance:
173.44km
Average Speed:
89.59km/h
Jimblebar Junction
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features: Place Name
Position: 119.8590ºE 23.3075ºS (GDA 94)
Next Place:
Newman
Distance:
17.26km
Average Speed:
79.11km/h
Newman
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Features:
Position: 119.7296ºE 23.3578ºS (GDA 94)
Route Control
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Permits
None - unless you wish to fossick around the Nullagine area.
Things to See & Do
Eel Pool
No description entered.
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.
Marble Bar Pool
No description entered.
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.
Carawine Gorge
Located on the Oakover River and not far from Woodie Woodie. Bitumen road to within 15 kilometres and then an easy gravel track in. Once there it is a sand bed to get close to the water hole. Best camping down to the right now that the trees are gone.
Tumbinna Pool
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Nullagine River Camping
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Two Sisters
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Enter description or photos
.
Eel Pool
Carawine Gorge
Nullagine River Camping
Marble Bar Pool
Tumbinna Pool
Two Sisters
Easily accessible gorges, great
camping
, good views, mining ruins, fossicking.
Preparation
Fuel Supplies & Usage
Marble Bar
,
Nullagine
,
Newman
Diesel
4cyl 111 litres
ULP
4cyl 128 litres
LPG
4cyl 159 litres
6cyl 122 litres
6cyl 181 litres *
6cyl 140 litres
8cyl 135 litres
8cyl 126 litres
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel
(* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
There is also fuel available at 80 Mile Beach Caravan Park.
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Pardoo Station
Distance from Trek Mid Point 185.72km NW
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mean Max. °C
36.4
35.4
36.1
35.3
31.6
28.3
27.9
30.0
32.6
35.3
36.6
36.0
Mean Min. °C
25.8
25.8
24.4
21.5
17.3
14.8
12.8
13.6
16.0
19.6
21.9
24.9
Mean Rain mm
59.6
74.8
64.0
20.0
25.2
27.1
9.7
5.1
2.8
0.8
3.3
23.1
Best time to travel
Ok time to travel
Travel NOT recommended
Services & Supplies
The following locations have various services and supplies:
Marble Bar
,
Nullagine
,
Newman
80 Mile Beach Caravan Park sell a good range of food supplies, Marble Bar has a small store (not open Sundays) and Nullagine has a small supermarket.
Camp Sites & Accomodation
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park is located on the beachfront between Port Hedland and Broome, and is an ideal stopover on this long stretch of road. Eighty Mile Beach is famous for it's fishing and shell collecting. Experience the magnificent sunsets, sunrises and re-charge your batteries by enjoying peace and solitude!
Marble Bar
Marble Bar, is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia. It is well known for its extremely hot weather.The town was officially gazetted in 1893 following the discovery of gold in the area in 1890. The name Marble Bar was derived from a nearby jasper bar, known as Marble Bar, which runs across the bed of the Coongan River.
Eel Pool
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Nullagine
Nullagine is a former goldming town located on the Great Northern Highway. It is 1186 km north of Perth and 189km north of Newman. Nullagine is the local Aboriginal name for the river that runs through the centre of the town. Nullagine was caught up in the Pilbara Goldrush in the 1880s and 1890s.
Newman
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Carawine Gorge
Located on the Oakover River and not far from Woodie Woodie. Bitumen road to within 15 kilometres and then an easy gravel track in. Once there it is a sand bed to get close to the water hole. Best camping down to the right now that the trees are gone.
Nullagine River Camping
No description entered.
Enter description or photos
.
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park
Nullagine
Carawine Gorge
Marble Bar
Newman
Nullagine River Camping
Eel Pool
Environment
The
Pilbara
region can be divided into 3 distinct areas: a large coastal plain, inland ranges and an arid desert region extending into
Australia
’s dry centre (which on ExplorOz we categorise as the
Western Deserts
).
The
Pilbara
is predominantly arid, with high temperatures, low and variable rainfall and high evaporation. The temperate averages 25°C in winter to 32°C in summer. The north-west of the region is influenced by the summer monsoon, bringing cyclones. The town of Marble Bar in the eastern
Pilbara
actually holds the record for the longest hot spell in the world with 160 days over 30°C. It is commonly referred to as "
Australia
's hottest town".
The
Pilbara
is one of a handful of locations in the world where rocks older than 3.2 billion years are preserved at the surface of the Earth. Geologists call the period they were formed the "Early Archaean". No-one knows for sure when life first began on Earth, but looking at the rocks of the
Pilbara
, scientists have found signs that life may have been present when the rocks were deposited - 3.2 billion years ago. The best signs currently available include structures known as stromatolites or "layered rocks" of which there are numerous sites in the
Pilbara
.
History
Based on archaeological evidence, it is believed that thirty distinct socio-linguistic Aboriginal groups lived in the
Pilbara
region prior to European settlement.
Although Dutch explorers visited the
Pilbara
coastline in the early 1600s, settlement of the
Pilbara
region did not occur until the 1860s, some 30 years after the colonisation of Perth. Pastoralism and prospecting dominated the region’s economy for about 100 years. The
Pilbara
was declared a "Goldfield" in 1888 with prospectors flocking to Bamboo Creek, Marble Bar and the Nullagine fields.
In 1968 the introduction of a pastoral award meant farmers could not afford to pay full wages to the station workers. This resulted in a massive movement of Aboriginal people away from the inland stations to the coastal towns.
Almost every imaginable mineral has been found and mined in the
Pilbara
region, peaking with the nickel and iron boom times of the 1960s and 70s which resulted in the establishment of nine new towns - Dampier, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, South Hedland, Newman, Wickham, Pannawonica, Goldsworthy (now closed) and Shay Gap (now closed).
In the 1960s and 1970s, discoveries of oil and natural gas off the north west shelf were also made, and in the 70’s and 80’s the development of these resources expanded the region’s economy and population enormously.
Today, tourism is playing an ever-increasing role in the regions economy.
Driving Directions
Time
Direction
Distance
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park to Great Northern Hwy & Boreline Rd
60.01 km
SW
243°
41 min
Great Northern Hwy & Boreline Rd to Marble Bar
170.22 km
S
200°
2 hr 6 min
Marble Bar to Marble Bar Pool
3.69 km
W
256°
3 min
Marble Bar Pool to Marble Bar
3.69 km
E
76°
3 min
Marble Bar to Tumbinna Pool
83.14 km
E
95°
1 hr 3 min
Tumbinna Pool to Nullagine River Camping
0.52 km
NE
62°
Nullagine River Camping to Carawine Gorge
89.39 km
SE
117°
1 hr 8 min
Carawine Gorge to Two Sisters
25.46 km
E
96°
26 min
Two Sisters to Eel Pool
28.84 km
S
180°
28 min
Eel Pool to Nullagine
138.21 km
W
258°
2 hr 40 min
Nullagine to Jimblebar Junction
173.44 km
S
189°
1 hr 56 min
Jimblebar Junction to Newman
17.26 km
SW
247°
13 min
Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park to Newman
793.87 km
11 hr 18 min
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
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The Pocket Guide to The Pilbara
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The Pilbara and Coral Coast CD Map is a digital verson of the information found on the popular paper maps, plus an introduction page and a product registration screen. This CD is compatible with most PC-based major navigational progammes, and if you have a GPS, laptop or personal organiser then it can provide in car navigation.
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This new NATMAP Raster was released in April 2005. This is a 2 DVD set that contains all 1:250 000 scale NATMAP topographic maps covering Australia, published to December 2004.
$119.00
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Pilbara and Coral Coast Explorer Card
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Golden Quest Discovery Trail Guide Book $39.95
The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail Guide $34.95
Pilbara and Coral Coast Explorer Card $20.00
Cape York Explorer Card $20.00
Murray River Access Map - Yellow $6.95
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