Port Hedland, Western Australia

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Port Hedland (Template:Coor dm) is Australia's biggest mineral port, with a population of about 18,000 making it the fifth largest country town in Western Australia. It is located in the Pilbara region and acts as a hub for the iron ore mining in the ranges located inland from the town, which are some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. The ore is moved by railway from the mines inland and is exported from the town. Natural gas offshore is also a major source of income for the region, whilst extremely extensive grazing of cattle and sheep was formerly a major revenue earner for the region but has declined.

The climate of Port Hedland is hot year round and extraordinarily harsh, with temperatures ranging from an extreme 47°C in January to a very warm 25°C (77°F) in July. Annual rainfall (falling almost exclusively between December and June) averages 300 millimetres (12 inches) but because of erratic cyclones is subject to some of the largest variations in the world. As an illustration, in 1942 1040 mm (41 inches) fell, but in 1944 only 28 mm (1.1 inches) fell and the town went for over 300 days with no rain!

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Located between Port Hedland and South Hedland are the large salt hills of Dampier Salt. These large mounds have almost become a tourist attraction in their own right.

A natural phenomena which occurs in certain seasons is the "Stairway to the Moon" which is caused by a coincidal effect of moonlight and tides.

In 1991 an immigration detention facility was opened at Port Hedland to deal with the arrivals of Chinese boat people. Port Hedland was seen as a good location as it is located far away from the major cities, and had an international airport that would allow for easy deportations when required. Privatised by the Howard Government in the late 1990, the Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre was the location of many protests and suicide attempts by its detainees, as well as so-far unresolved deaths (see Mohammed Saleh). The centre was closed in 2004 due to the falling numbers of unauthorised boat arrivals to Australia's northwest, but still stands; the town mayor has called for its demolition.

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