DON RHODES MINING AND TRANSPORT MUSEUM part 2 of 2 Video

CARAVAN TRIP 2007 Port Hedland was originally known by the Indigenous Kariyarra and Nyamal people as Marrapikurrinya, which either means "place of good water" Though the coastline in the area had been explored in the 1700s, Captain Peter Hedland was one of the first Europeans to explore the harbour for the purpose of developing an export port. Peter Hedland arrived in the area in April 1863 onboard his boat, Mystery that he had built himself at Point Walter on the banks of the Swan River. He named the Harbour Mangrove Harbour and reported that it would make a good landing site with a well protected harbour and that there was also fresh water available. What Hedland failed to point out was that the harbour was difficult to enter because of a huge sandbar that sealed the entrance meaning it was only accessible at high tide and that it was difficult to enter in bad weather because of the narrow entrance.[4] During 1866 the resident Magistrate of Roebourne Treverton Sholl commissioned Charles Wedge to investigating alternative towns site to Roebourne. Wedge reported that Port Hedland's suitability was pessimistic. In 1891 the exploration of the area by Tom Traine John Wedge and Syd Hedley identified two landings and described the harbour as "pretty as well as safe". During September 1895 Cossack residents requested the District Surveyor to survey the headland at Port Hedland and requested the Government to build a jetty. Goldsworthy mining discovered iron ore in the Pilbara in the late 1950s and built the towns of Goldsworthy and later Shaygap as mine sites. A rail line was then built to Port Hedland where dredging was undertaken to deepen and widen the port's channel and a wharf was built opposite the township of Port Hedland on Finicane Island. Shipment of ore began on 27 May 1966 when the Harved S Muddsailed from Port hedland to Japan with 24,900 tonnes of ore. In 1967 iron ore was discovered at Mt Whaleback and a mining venture was undertaken that included the establishment of a new Town, Newman, 426 km of rail from the mine to the port and the development of processing equipment at both Newman and Port Hedland. In 1986, at a cost of $87 million, the existing channel was dredged to allow the port to increase the tonnage of those ships able to enter the port. WIKIPEDIA