# Coast Australia



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Watched the last in the current 'Coast Australia' series on the BeeB last evening. It featured Dampier and the iron ore trade. Things have most certainly changed since the mid-60's. It bore little resemblance to my memories of times past. I see now what was referred to as a 'dump' in an earlier post. Not much of a 'run ashore' there from what I could see. An awful long walk if nothing else !!

David
+


----------



## bluemoon (Jul 19, 2009)

I never made it to Dampier, nearest I got was to Shark Bay and Cape Lambert.

With regards to that episode of Coast. It showed the many salt pans where sea water evaporated leaving beds of sea salt. It got me thinking, with all that evaporation has it caused an increase in rainfall in that area or in other parts of Australia? I somehow doubt it, but it would be a marvellous "end product" if it did.


----------



## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

david.hopcroft said:


> Watched the last in the current 'Coast Australia' series on the BeeB last evening. It featured Dampier and the iron ore trade. Things have most certainly changed since the mid-60's. It bore little resemblance to my memories of times past. I see now what was referred to as a 'dump' in an earlier post. Not much of a 'run ashore' there from what I could see. An awful long walk if nothing else !!
> 
> David
> +


I think "...long, awful walk...." to be more accurate.


----------



## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

bluemoon said:


> I never made it to Dampier, nearest I got was to Shark Bay and Cape Lambert.
> 
> With regards to that episode of Coast. It showed the many salt pans where sea water evaporated leaving beds of sea salt. It got me thinking, with all that evaporation has it caused an increase in rainfall in that area or in other parts of Australia? I somehow doubt it, but it would be a marvellous "end product" if it did.


I visited Shark Bay recently, Blue Moon. Presume you were there loading salt for Japan at Useless Loop. I know what that was like but you'd be surprised to hear that on the other side of the bay, Denham and Monkey Mia are thriving tourist destinations now. The salt pans are still operating - company owned by the Japanese now, I believe.

I remcall Dampier as a bit of a dump too but with the addition of a lot of beer and the touring "Raumchy Girls", you could have a laugh there.

John T


----------



## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

My memory of Dampier is the mass of huge flying insects which invaded the ship during the night at anchor before berthing. A BHP company clinic with dentist and company bar were all there was to it. My first experience of rip-top beer cans, so I cut my thumb to the great amusement of all the off-duty ore-men!
This was 1970.


----------



## Donald McGhee (Apr 5, 2005)

I watch this Coast variation with great attention, especially Dr Xanthi Mallet, who is one of the most gorgeous presenters of them all. Are there other areas of interest?


----------



## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Xanthe certainly looks good in a spray on singlet, Donald. With a name like that, I thought she might be an albino from Swaziland or somewhere, but I looked her up and she's from Scotland. It turns out she was a forensic scientist in Dundee and used to help the police identify paedophiles (not difficult - their eyes are too close together).

Xanthe saw the light and emigrated to Australia. "Coast Australia" is a pretty good show but I hope that that long haired git Oliver doesn't get the urge to emigrate. He really gave me the pip when he got inside Skull Rock off the Prom - a place I always fancied going and probably never will.

John T


----------



## Dartskipper (Jan 16, 2015)

You guys in the antipodes are lucky you didn't see the UK version of Coast. We not only had Oliver's hair blowing every which way, but also had to endure Andy Crane, a tall geek permanently attached to a rucksack with a walking stick poking out of it. The programme was OK, and sometimes very interesting, but the presenters...........

Roy.


----------



## JET (Oct 22, 2005)

The company operating the mine sites of Tom Price and Paraburdoo, shipping out iron ore and pellets from Dampier, was known as Hamersley Iron in those days, which was owned by Rio Tinto.
BHP shipped out ore from Port Hedland.

John


----------



## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Dartskipper said:


> You guys in the antipodes are lucky you didn't see the UK version of Coast. We not only had Oliver's hair blowing every which way, but also had to endure Andy Crane, a tall geek permanently attached to a rucksack with a walking stick poking out of it. The programme was OK, and sometimes very interesting, but the presenters...........
> 
> Roy.


We did get the UK "Coast" and I was an avid watcher. Oliver only seemed to be a minor player in that one. I didn't mind the Crane bloke - tall, fit, headfull of hair, lantern jaw, posh accent .... not unlike myself in many ways. I think that was a brolly sticking out of his backpack - since the floods here, I never leave home without one.

John T


----------



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I have just remembered something else about the programme. The 'long haired git' went out with the pilot to bring in a large carrier - I think it was called 'Tom Price' not sure though. He seem astounded that there was only a metre under the keel on docking. It occurred to me after that the addition of a couple of hundred thousand tons of ore might make a difference to the draught, so was the pilot 'honest' with him or................. ??

David
+


----------



## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Might the vessel have ballast to drop?


----------



## pilot (Jan 8, 2006)

Unless the bulky was carrying out a low water berthing, coming alongside on the last of the ebb? Not sure what rise and fall is in that part of the world. 

Quite common to sail them in ballast on the last of the ebb in European ports with that sort of UKC in a river. 

I would imagine that 1m ukc would be the loaded sailing ukc too in the final load port.


----------



## truthinbeer (May 24, 2015)

Tide in Pt Headland around 3-4m.

Dampier used to be a company town until around 1980. The only pub in town the Blue Mermaid. This is (or was then) the wild west. Only in the wild west then, in an intoxicated state I was introduced to the owner of an offshore shipping company as a chief engineer. We shook hands and said owner said "Do you want a job?"


----------



## truthinbeer (May 24, 2015)

R651400 said:


> Try Port Kembla circa 1959!


Kembla is a mecca of urban chic compared to Dampier.


----------



## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

truthinbeer said:


> Kembla is a mecca of urban chic compared to Dampier.


That's true. Pity we didn't get to see Oliver quaffing Toohey's Old in the Middle Pub.

John T


----------



## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

posted by JET


> _The company operating the mine sites of Tom Price and Paraburdoo, shipping out iron ore and pellets from Dampier, was known as Hamersley Iron in those days, which was owned by Rio Tinto.
> BHP shipped out ore from Port Hedland._


Went to Port Hedland too: same ship, different day!

My apologies for getting them confused and you are quite correct: Hamersley in Dampier, BHP in Port Hedland: destination Kakogawa in either instance.

As I know absolutely nothing about the TV shows or presenters referred to by other contributors I will now disappear back under my rock.


----------



## Norm (Jun 21, 2006)

Very high tides in that part of the world. 
re dropping ballast. Not allowed. has to be carried out on voyage in ballast by swapping water around. Too many nasty things have been dropped off at ports.
Re Neill Oliver. What a miserable whinging example of a Scotsman. reminds me of Neill the hippy in the Young Ones.


----------



## truthinbeer (May 24, 2015)

Norm said:


> Very high tides in that part of the world.
> re dropping ballast.
> re dropping ballast. Not allowed. has to be carried out on voyage in ballast by swapping water around. Too many nasty things have been dropped off at ports....


When I typed my reply it was after consulting the tide chart for the week and it indicated about 3 .5m which I did think odd. Just down the coast we used to get 6-7m at Broome. I real bugger when you staggered back to the supply boat with a skinfull after a night out. 

Agreed re ballast. Unfortunately it is not everyone that complies with regulations and so we have imported nasties that decimate the local fish and even essential weed colonies. People don't appreciate what a unique eco-system exists in Australia. Hence the recent upset with Cpt Jack Sparrows dogs.


----------



## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

I would have thought land sufficiently inexpensive for ballast water reception facilities. More excuse for not having them in more populous zones. Of course where the cost can be shoved onto the owner.......


----------



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I just thought that the BeeB were doing their usual 'dumbing down' routine. We viewers are not supposed to be clever you know !!

David
+


----------

