aussiechick2006 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hello, Just wondering if anyone has ever been to, lived in or worked in Port Hedland? I can see that it is extremely HOT! But just wondered what it's actually like there. Especially with young children. I guess I'm wondering if there's actually enough to keep busy with or am I going to be spending a fortune buying flights to Perth to keep us going? Also, may be a bit of a daft question, but can you swim in the sea there? I'm sure I saw something about crocs. Although I may have got that mixed up with another place.. AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryDXB Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Just like any other regional town, just a bit bigger than some. Enough of the basics needed for life. You can actually fly to Bali from Port Hedland airport - some of my mates fly back to the UK via Bali - its a lot cheaper (although much more hassle to organise) than flying international from Perth. Good luck with regular flights to Perth - you should check the QANTAS and Virgin Australia websites - you get occasional 'specials' but I doubt you'll ever get anything for much less than $500 return. Swimming isn't a real problem - just follow the locals to a safe beach. Rumours of crocs appear now and again but no-one appears to have tangled with one for a while and although there have been 3 fatal shark attacks in WA in the last 3 months - they were all down south. There might be a problem with jellyfish - with reports of irukandji being found thereabouts and moving westwards. The real pain is sandflies which make beaches a no-go for me - I don't know I've been bitten until after the event when it's too late - don't even start itching until the next day when 100's of little bites begin to bleed - just horrible. Affect some more than others though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussiechick2006 Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Thanks for that. I'm Australian, and grew up in a small town. Without letter boxes and only a general store. Although had reasonable sized towns close by and Melbourne only a couple of hours away, so have never been too isolated as such. I'm glad to hear that there are areas to go swimming, I'm not sure we could cope with the heat without a little dip here and there. Obviously depending if we actually get a job up there! I have read the odd horror story about crime, especially in South Hedland. Although everywhere these days has some sort of crime it seems. Many thanks for your reply. AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussiechick2006 Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 And oh how I forgot about those pesky Sandflies. My poor mum used to end up with lumps all over her after a day at the beach! AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 G'day mate, I lived there a couple of times, once when it was "Sleepy 2 Pubs" and the next when it was 10,000 people and honestly, my only 2 memories are 1, great fishing off the wharf and the incessant easterly winter winds bringing the dust from the desert.:arghh: Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryDXB Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 "Without letter boxes and only a general store" - got all of them now...!! I guess, like any place, it's what you make of it - keep your expectations realistically low and you'll be just fine. There are worse places to be. You won't see PH in any tourist brochures, and for good reason. But it's only a 6 hour drive to Broome and the fabulous Kimberleys... Its difficult to feel isolated..especially if you can jump through the hoops and get Telstra internet installed..and if you're a fan of 70's classics like 'Hogan's Heros' or 'On the busses' you coudl even get Foxtel installed. Seriously though, its OK -the downside is that being remote everything is just that 'little bit' more expensive. Its in a cyclone area: everything is trucked in (mainly from Perth) and last year the road at Carnarvon was washed out for a few days so the supermarket shelves started to get a little bare - just needs a bit of planning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisme Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I would definately live in Port Hedland not South, there's a relatively new primary school in Port and a nicer place to live. I lived there, opposite the beach for a year and never went in, no one else seemed to either. Theres a little shopping centre in Port and a larger one in South Hedland. It's usually around $400 return to Perth but if you plan your 'escape' around flight specials you can get a return for around $300. I lived there for a year, everyone is friendly, your all in the same isolated boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowow2011 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hi have you seen the prices for rentals in port hedland my oh works in the mines up there and the rent if I was to live there is extortionate!! Have a look on realestate.com think cheapest I found was $2300 per week! xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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