Crisscrossing the Pilbara landscape on an all-terrain vehicle, drawing and taking pictures of rocks? Right up my alley! The town of Marble Bar prides itself in being Australia’s hottest town, and as far sustained heat goes they have a convincing case. During the balmy 1923/24 summer this place experienced daily highs of over 38°C for 160 days….in a row.
Be as it may the recent wet season (November to April) brought prolific rains to the area, making for an extra green and water rich landscape; the likes of which many locals hadn’t seen for years.

The exercise this time round involved dragging a big trailer loaded with two ATVs into strategic points, then riding them off in straight lines for several kilometers, moving a bit then riding straight back. In this case straight line meant straight line – if there was a massive creek, one goes straight through, mountain – ride over, swampy boggy and overgrown meadow – come right in!

While this often put the team (of two) in a pickle every now and again it meant we got to see a hundred different facets of the beautiful Pilbara landscape in a way in which few people ever have.

My 16 days at Marble Bar have been the perfect introduction to the region and one I will remember for a good while. Click through and enjoy the Pilbara!