North Western Coastal Highway North Western Coastal Highway in Western Australia is a 1340km highway linking Geraldton and Port Hedland. It is a part of the Australia's Highway 1 network. It is an important highway linking Perth to the resource rich north west and tourists spots on the coast. Prior to the completion of the Newman-Port Hedland stretch of the Great Northern Highway, it was the only fully sealed highway to the northwest. Road trains are important economic lifelines in these parts.
From Geraldton to Carnarvon it passes through remote and dry semi desert area. There are no towns for about 400km. Roadhouses catering the highway traffic are the only settlements available. Travellers are advised to bring adequate water as the roadhouses will only sell water in any form and public water facilities are prone to vandalism. In between, a turnoff at the Overlander Roadhouse leads to Shark Bay and the world-famous Monkey Mia.
Carnarvon, a subtropical oasis town, marks a change in climate. Bananas and other subtropical plants grow here. Unlike the subtropical towns on the east coast, the climate is much drier. Further on, the highways passses through the Gascoyne and the Pilbara regions, an important cattle and mining area. Bridges span many creeks and rivers, which from the distance can be spotted by stands of eucalyptus which grow along their courses towering above the surrounding spinifex and mulga. Appearences are deceptive however, as most of the creeks and river, except during brief wet spells, are dry most of the times with billabongs found on shaded banks .
Near Minylya Roadhouse, is the turnoff to North West Cape area which has a major nature reserve. Learmonth on the North West Cape is an ETOPS diversion airport. Exmouth on the cape houses a US Navy communications post.
5 km from the Nanutarra Roadhouse, about 220km away, is the junction of an unsealed road which leads to Pilbara mining towns of Tom Price, Paraburdoo and the former asbestos ghost town, Wittenoom. Further north, the highway leads to Karratha, the major town serving the North West Shelf natural gas fields. Not far from Karratha, Roeburne is the gateway to Wickham, the iron ore port on the coast. The highway ends in Port Hedland, important iron ore shipment port as well as the biggest town in the northwest.
Towns and settlements
The remoteness of the northwest can be gauged by the number of roadhouses serving the highway which are the only settlements around the long stretches of the highway. Vast distances separate big towns such as Geraldton, Carnarvon and Port Hedland with practically nothing in between. On some stretches distance markers gave distances to the nearest roadhouses.
See also
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