EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

It's over 500km on the North West Coastal Highway from Carnarvon to the industrial twin towns of Dampier and Karratha, with nothing but the occasional roadhouse along the way. At Nanutarra Roadhouse a road heads east to Tom Price and the Pilbara's highlands, and further on a road leads north 80km to the cyclone-battered ONSLOW (camping and motel, $70-90), an old coastal settlement bypassed by the highway and most travellers. Between Onslow and Dampier another turn-off leads to Robe River Iron's mine at Pannawonica, a closed town with no facilities for tourists. However, suitable vehicles can take a track starting 20km west of the town, which crosses the Robe River on the way to the Millstream-Chichester National Park, a distance of 127km.

The two young towns of DAMPIER and KARRATHA are a major industrial conurbation and the Northwest's largest population centre. Dampier is the port for Hamersley Iron's mines at Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Marandoo, linked by a 350-kilometre railway. Karratha was established in 1968 when Dampier's boulder-strewn environs were deemed unsuitable for further expansion, growing dramatically when the North-West Shelf Natural Gas Project got underway in the early 1980s. The project collects gas from an offshore platform 135km northwest of Dampier, from where it's piped 1500km to Perth or liquefied for export to Japan.

While being well equipped for shopping, vehicle repairs and other services, the two towns hold little of interest to the traveller apart from tours of the industrial installations or as a launchpad for a mission into Karijini. For those keen and determined enough, exploration of the prolific Aboriginal engraving on the Burrup Peninsula (enquire at CALM). Snappy Gum Safaris (tel 08/9185 1278) organizes day-tours from Karratha/Dampier to the Roebourne, Cossack and Point Samson area, and further afield to Millstream-Chichester National Park. There is a host of quality accommodation in Karratha but most is pitched at business travellers. The Mercure Inn (tel 08/9185 1155, fax 9185 4325; $115-150), on Searipple Road has four-star accommodation while the Karratha Lodge (tel 08/9144 4600; $50-70) has budget units. Karratha Backpackers (tel 08/9144 4904 or 9144 4600; under $20) is at 110 Welland Way - take the second turning right after the Shell service station. For eating , Jasmine Chinese Restaurant (tel 08/9185 2725) on Balmoral Road also has a passable Thai menu and does takeaway. Internet facilities are at the town library and Adrienne's Cafe in Karratha City Shopping Centre. The Northwest's regional CALM office is based in the SGIO Building, Welcome Road, Karratha (tel 08/9186 8288), and is a good place to pick up information and maps on all the national parks of northern WA.

In Dampier, the Mercure Inn (tel 08/9183 1222; $90-115) and Peninsula Palms Resort (tel 08/9183 1888; $90-115) provide an alternative to Karratha's motels.