Thread: considering move to Port Hedland... WA advice/opinions??

I lived in Hedland for 12 months, loved it. (Mind you we lived beachfront in the port, not South Hedland).

It is HOT. Many days over 40 deg in summer, in fact they had a 49 this year.

The Pilbara is a sensational area of the world. Best explored in winter when the weather really is ideal, cold nights and warm days.

Accommodation is expensive but if that is supplied you are quids in. Go for it.

Lovely place, never lived their but had family who have and have visited a lot. Plenty of jobs for anyone that is breathing. They say "a change is as good as a holiday" so go for it. There is good fishing and lots of places to go driving on the weekends.

Dad says you should be in luck but for the best answer you need to send us a pic of teh blonde so we can assess her employability


;P

oh mum says go for it and both say dont try buying a house ATM, if thats on the cards...



wheres my edit button.

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

Dad says you should be in luck but for the best answer you need to send us a pic of teh blonde so we can assess her employability

Lol, at risk of hijacking my own thread - I can't help it



Reckon she's in with a shot?

Just moved to Karratha 10 months ago so I think I can give a bit of perspective.
The Pilbara is beautiful, Land Rover dealers are unknown, It can be warm.
If you get a Job you NEED accomodation you can pay from $1500 to $3000 a week for a house here so if you dont get it dont come.
No disrespect but $60000 in Hedland is pretty poor money by local standards be careful even the cleaners here get $80000 provided you are in the mining game.
Hedland to me is not a pleasant place today the social problems in South Hedland are real and its not nice.
If you have a heart beat you will get work you just need accomodation and if you think I am exaggerating the accom side think again it is this bad.
If you work in Mining and earn the money you will also pay the price they get thier pound of flesh.
I looked at a post recently about what people were spending every week to live and had quite a chuckle I have a wife and 1 child and we spend between $280 and $300 a week on groceries.
Fuel is $1.72 for Diesel $0.99 for LPG and $1.62 for ULP
The Cyclones this year were non existent but they are something to be aware of.

Should you do it I would be asking about the accom and what it is and where it is first.
But Id go for it

How do you describe a place like Port Hedland. A few words spring to mind..

What exactly do you do? Is the accomodation they are offering in South Hedland?

There are two parts to Hedland, the origional Port Hedland and the newer "South Hedland". South Hedland was created because they ran out of land above the cyclone flood level and created a second town. The only decent parts of Hedland to live in my opinion is Pretty Pool, Cooke Point and the strip along to the Hospital which is on the Port Hedland side. South Hedland is about as close to a DMZ that you will find after dark and is not that great in day light hours either.

BHP crush the iron ore in Port Hedland before loading onto the boats so every thing there has a coating of "Pilbara Pink" on it including the sea gulls and pidgeons. The place is in essence a mining town on the coast. Most people there work for BHP or Dampier salt as they are the two larger employers.

If you can breathe and move your arms and legs you will get a job any where in the Pilbara as the area is desperate for workers. The work oppertunities are tremendous. Get the partner to get a HR License as well and she will be on good money.

The downside is the cost of living is very high as every thing is trucked up from Perth or in by ship. Lucky you have accomodation thrown in as a caravan site if you can get one to put a van on is $300 + a week plus you also pay for power. ( I am not kidding, ring up a caravan park in Hedland or Karratha)

A lot of people are FIFO and do not give a stuff about the place along with a large population of "how politically correct can I say it" long time Australians.

There is fantastic fishing and mud crabbing to be had there if that is your bag. Along with some beautiful places to go camping, especially right on the beach.

My wife and myself went straight to Hedland for a job when we left SA after a 2 year stint but only spent six weeks in Hedland as a better oppertunity came up in Karratha. We have been in Karratha for two years now which is 250 klms south of Hedland and hope to do at least another four to five.

I too am origionally from Brisbane and my advice is come to the Pilbara, check it out and see where you fit best. It can be a rewarding place to be for a while.

Did I mention the guy to girl ratio is about 15:1 or higher so your friend will a very popular lady if she wears the outfit about.

PM me if you want to know any more.

Regards,
BradM

Originally Posted by djam1

Just moved to Karratha 10 months ago so I think I can give a bit of perspective.
The Pilbara is beautiful, Land Rover dealers are unknown, It can be warm.
If you get a Job you NEED accomodation you can pay from $1500 to $3000 a week for a house here so if you dont get it dont come.
No disrespect but $60000 in Hedland is pretty poor money by local standards be careful even the cleaners here get $80000 provided you are in the mining game.
Hedland to me is not a pleasant place today the social problems in South Hedland are real and its not nice.
If you have a heart beat you will get work you just need accomodation and if you think I am exaggerating the accom side think again it is this bad.
If you work in Mining and earn the money you will also pay the price they get thier pound of flesh.
I looked at a post recently about what people were spending every week to live and had quite a chuckle I have a wife and 1 child and we spend between $280 and $300 a week on groceries.
Fuel is $1.72 for Diesel $0.99 for LPG and $1.62 for ULP
The Cyclones this year were non existent but they are something to be aware of.

Should you do it I would be asking about the accom and what it is and where it is first.
But Id go for it

Thanks Mate, you've confirmed some of the things I'd seen hinted at elsewhere.
I'm not in the mining game, this would be a Cultural type job, so it's good money for my industry. I'll leave making big money on the heavy work to the Missus, she enjoys it
So it sounds like, adjusted for cost of living, $60-70K is more like $40-50 in the West eh?