Great Sandy Desert

SUNSET IN AUSTRALIA'S HEARTLAND,JUST OF THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE,CENTRAL DESERTS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
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Unknown to most, Phil’s month of September in Australia was spent discovering himself in The Great Sandy Desert. I had been previously working in Katherine with Kimbo, Bora and Paul and had developed a nasty reaction to the citric acid in mangoes. I had been told of work in Newman and as I had been there before in August with Bora and had loved it, I decided to go. I had to now make my way back down the Kimberly's via Fitzroy crossing and Halls Creek then on to Port Hedland for an interview with B.H.P Iron Ore. I arrived in Port Hedland had my interview which went surprisingly well, passed my drug and medical, got my M.A.R.C.S.T.A and was stationed in Telfer.Telfer is situated about 600kms inland from PT Hedland in the mighty 'PILBARA'.I have used capitals to describe this area as mark of respect to the land. The pilbara is the hottest and most baron region in Australia. I was told I would be working for B.H.Ps sister company, MT Newman Joint Venture. When I arrived in Newman I was informed that I would be working on a drillers rig.Personell had told me that I would be working in some of the hottest and most remote places on earth, and it would not be an easy ride. I had heard Tour Company’s will not venture out here due to insurance risks. Our first job was to head up to Marble Bar to collect the rig and pick up vital supplys.Well well Marble Bar, now here is a town with a reputation. Why?, because it is the hottest town in Australia, it reached this stature when a few years back the mercury thermometer reached over 40 degrees Celsius for 136 days consecutivley.Afer Marble bar we were to head even more inland to Telfer,the further we went into the desert the hotter and more interesting the land got. I found myself mesmerized by this, and was often reminded that I was here to work! My breaks and nights were spent gazing at sunsets and sunrises over the endless horizions.The heat cannot be described out there, somedays it was like being in an open air-sauna.Newman, a town which is inhabited by miners and aboriginals is located 450kms inland from PT Hedland.This place made Kalgoorlie look like New York. I learnt a lot about the Great Sandy Desert here, mainly from aboriginals. They thought me always to respect the land physically and spiritually. And also when in crisis, don’t go against it. When in the desert to survive 'YOU GOTTA ROUTE RIGHT IN’. Amazing people. As we were based in Area camp C1 we were often situated on the brinks of the Gibson Desert mainly drilling port holes for surveyors. Some of the locations we visited were mind blowing.Like the countless amount of Aboriginal communitys we passed through.These are people located so far inland that they were only properly introduced to the white man in 1986.Can you believe that. I was now in the heartland of Australia! .Overall my experiences in the Great Sandy were my best in Australia, I had learnt so much about survival and also heard grim stories of deaths in this surreal area. As I was leaving I had felt as sense of loss and I have since promised myself to go return and discover more of this land in the near future.Now were were to head even futher inl;and to the Tanami Track..Phil.B GREAT SANDY DESERT (EAST PILBARA) SEPT 04.

When in the desert to survive 'YOU GOTTA ROUTE RIGHT IN’.