IMAGINE a destination that covers more than 170,000km² and is made up of ancient landscapes, an idyllic coastline, heritage-listed sites, some of the oldest rock art on earth and, importantly, contains some great four-wheel driving opportunities.
The Pilbara region of Western Australia dates back 4.3 billion years and is twice the size of the United Kingdom. It is regarded as the oldest place on earth and has deep red rock formations so ancient that it predates fossil remains.
It is thought Pilbara is the Aboriginal name for a mullet that's found in a creek off the Yule River. As the area is so vast, I wasn't sure how to tackle it, and really wasn't expecting to see as much as I did. I spent a few days in the southern part of the Pilbara exploring Millstream Chichester NP and across to the mining area near Pannawonica, and then back to Onslow to explore the coast.
Nicknamed 'Cyclone City', Onslow has been subjected to more than a dozen cyclones in which wind speeds have been measured as high as 232km/h. Originally built for pearling, mining and pastoral use, Onslow is a sleepy town that attracts tourists year round. Officially, Europeans travelled through here in 1861 when an expedition was led through the Pilbara, but prior to that Abel Tasman visited the islands off Onslow in 1644.
Onslow is an interesting town with a heritage trail and free riverside camping at Five Mile Pool. As well as a visit to the old Onslow town ruins, make sure you check out the huge salt lakes that cover 90km², and from which 2.5million tonnes of table salt is produced every year.
EXPLORING THE COAST
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX
WHEN TALKING LEGENDARY TRACKS, THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE HAS THE TITLE OF LONGEST HISTORICAL STOCK ROUTE IN THE WORLD, BUT TACKLING ITS 1850KM IN A 1970S LAND ROVER MAKES FOR ONE INTERESTING DRIVE FOR THE TV CREW FROM SERIOUSLY SERIES. YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VIEWING ROAD TO RUIN
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IF YOU’RE GOING TO SWAP FROM A DOUBLE-CAB UTE TO A 4X4 WAGON, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE. BRUCE HAS DONE JUST THAT AND EQUIPPED HIS GR SPORT 300 WITH THE BEST GEAR ON THE MARKET
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