Welcome to the Pilbara
The Pilbara.
It’s where the raw and rugged beauty of Australia’s Outback comes to life.
We believe the Pilbara is Australia’s most underrated region and one of the most awe inspiring.
Known as the heart of Australia’s iron ore industry, the Pilbara is often thought of as industrial area that only serves the mining industry. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
With landscapes that can only be described as prehistoric, there’s a raw unadulterated beauty to the Pilbara. Couple this with the fact that it is one of the most isolated regions in the world, and you can start to see why it’s such an adventure lover’s paradise.
Being so remote and unforgiving, it’s not surprising that many people seek out guided tour options when travelling through the Pilbara. It adds a level of safety.
We break down all the different types of tours that come through this region.
Guided Tours in the Pilbara
- Adventure Tours
- 4WD Tag-Along Tours
- Fishing Tours
- Bus Tours
- Industry Tours
4WD Tag-Along Tours
We believe that 4WD tag-along camping tours are the single best way, to really immerse yourself into cultures and landscapes and come away with an understanding of how life is in these areas.
As a 4WD tour operator, are we biased when we say that? Absolutely! But, we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t believe it completely.
Rough As Guts 4WD Tours (East Pilbara, Rudall/Karlamilyi, Talawana, Marble Bar)
We are a tag-along tour company that focuses solely on remote Western Australia. Out of all tag-along operators, we have the biggest focus on the Pilbara. It’s also where we’re from.
Our 8 day Pilbara tour takes us through the remote East Pilbara and includes:
- Karlamilyi (Rudall River) National Park
- Desert Queen Baths
- Carawine Gorge
- Nullagine
- Marble Bar
- Much more
The reason we focus on the East Pilbara specifically, is not just that it’s a stunning landscape, but it’s also one of the most remote regions anywhere, and we often have places to ourselves. Places like Karijini – while still being beautiful – have become busy and with sealed roads to all major locations. It’s no longer a frontier of adventure.
Want to learn more about our 8 day Pilbara 4WD tour?
Adventure Tours
Spacechameleon Adventure Co (Karijini)
Spacechameleon Adventure Co. invites adventurers to explore the hidden depths of Karijini National Park like never before. As the exclusive licensed commercial operator with access to restricted gorge canyons, they take explorers beyond the surface to discover Karijini’s breathtaking secrets.
Travelers seeking the ultimate adrenaline rush can descend into Karijini’s most spectacular restricted canyons through expert-guided abseiling, thrilling water slides, roped traverses (via ferratas), and more advanced techniques that unlock the park’s true wonders.
The public access areas are merely the beginning. Those who journey all the way to Karijini deserve to experience its full magnificence. Spacechameleon offers both immersive multi-day expeditions with comfortable accommodations at the Karijini Eco Retreat and action-packed single-day adventures.
Their signature multi-day experiences include:
- Five-day Karijini Original expedition
- Seven-day Pilates and Canyoning retreat
- Seven-day Yoga and Canyoning journey
- Six-day Photography and Canyoning experience
Discover all of their Karijini adventures at: Spacechameleon Adventure Co
Fishing Tours
The Pilbara is a ripper spot to go fishing.
Warm tropical waters and a small population, mean that there’s always something good on the bite. If you’ve never caught a metre Barra, now might be your chance.
Blue Lightning Fishing Charters (Montebello Islands)
Blue Lightning Fishing charters offer multi-day fishing tours to the Montebellos, departing from Karratha.
Fishing in the Montebellos is best undertaken between June and December, which is when these guys run their tours.
The Montes are known for GTs, Spanish Mackies, Coral Trout and much more.
Mackerel Islands Fishing Charters (Onslow)
The Mackerel Islands are a small atoll group off the coast of Onslow.
The islands have a few facilities such as accommodation and a shop, and also run fishing tours from the islands.
Being the beautiful and warm waters that the Pilbara offers, you can expect to see Sailfish, Mackerel, Coral Trout, Red Emperor and many of the other usual suspects that share these kinds of waters.
Bus Tours
Outback Spirit (Karijini & Millstream)
If you see Outback Spirit during your search for a bus tour in the Pilbara, just be aware that there’s a bit of Pilbara action to be seen, but not all that much.
Their West Coast Expedition covers Karijini, a bit of Millstream as well as Karratha and Port Hedland. So you’ll see a bit of the Pilbara Outback, but mainly the areas that are the busiest and most touristy and you’ll see a bit of the industry side of things in Newman, Karratha and Port Hedland.
But then again, if you’re the sort of person who is looking for a bus tour, this probably will cover all of your bases.
The Flying Sandgroper (Karijini)
The Flying Sandgroper offer a variety of charter options, as well as bus tours.
They operate between Karijini and Exmouth. They have a variety of tickets to accommodate whether you’re staying in Tom Price, Karijini & Exmouth, or if you’re flying into Learmonth or Paraburdoo airports.
Go West (Karijini)
Go West are a long standing provider for the resources industry and more recently have expanded into tourism in the area as well. They offer day trips by bus between a variety of Karijini’s gorges and depart from/to Tom Price and Karijini Eco Retreat.
Industry/Mining Tours
Pilbara Tours (Port Hedland)
Pilbara Tours offer several mining industry tours in Port Hedland including a salt industry tour as well as their Twilight Industry Tour which shows off the world’s largest bulk export port, (the port in “Port Hedland”).
We’ve had good feedback, from some of our own tour guests that have stayed in Port Hedland, after finishing one of our Pilbara 4WD tours.
Mt. Whaleback Mine Tour (Newman)
The Newman Visitors Centre runs tours that showcase Newman’s impressive iron ore industry.
If you’re driving through Western Australia via the Great Northern Highway, you can see where the iron ore gets dug out of the ground when Passing through Newman, and then see where it gets shipped to Asia, when you pass through Port Hedland.
Planning Your Pilbara Tour
When to Visit the Pilbara
The “best time” to visit the Pilbara is during the cooler months, from May to September, when temperatures are milder and rainfall is minimal.
If you can hack it in the heat however, I personally think that the wet season is the best time to visit the Pilbara. When the rivers are flowing and that warm, tropical rain is coming down, there’s absolutely nothing better. Plus, everyone else has flaked out, so you just about get it to yourself. However, it is bloody hot when it’s not raining. Marble Bar, is the hottest town in Australia after all.
That’s why we run our Pilbara 4WD tours between May and September.
How to Get to the Pilbara From Perth
Driving
- If you’re driving to Karratha, without intending to go via Karijini, then your most direct option is the North West Coastal Highway which takes you through Geraldton and Carnarvon. This gives you the option to also go to Shark Bay, Exmouth/Coral Bay, and Kalbarri.
- If you’re driving to Port Hedland, the most direct option is the Great Northern Highway, which takes you past Newman. However, it is not much longer if you wish to take the North West Coastal Highway and stop in at some of the sights on the way.
- If you’re driving to Newman, then you will need to take the Great Northern Highway.
- To get to Karijini, you can take the North West Coastal Highway and come via Tom Price. Alternatively, you can come inland via Newman. This gives you the option to enter Karijini from the South, or you can follow the Great Northern Highway a bit further to Auski Roadhouse, and enter Karijini from the North side, which is a gravel road. Note, there is an asbestos risk if you choose to come this way.
Flying
Flights to the Pilbara are short (1 to 2.5 hours), but despite this can be expensive. The majority of flights are run for the mining companies that employ FIFO workers, so they rarely (if at all) run promotional fares.
- Karijini: You can fly into Paraburdoo airport and get transport to Tom Price. Most of the tour options listed above that include Karijini, will have transfers from Paraburdoo.
- Newman has a public airport with regular flights.
- Karratha has a public airport with regular flights.
- Port Hedland has an international airport.
Rough As Guts 4WD Tag-Along
Our Pilbara tour starts at Kumarina roadhouse, about 180km south of Newman.
The most direct and easiest way to get there, is to follow the Great Northern Highway via Meekatharra.
However, if you wan to see the sights along the coast such as Exmouth, you’ll have to drive all the way North to Nanutarra Roadhouse and then drive inland via Tom Price and Karijini. When you meet the Great Northern Highway, you follow it South via Newman.
What to Pack for Your Tour
This depends very much on the type of tour you’re choosing, but you it’s safe to say you wont need to pack your winter clothes.
A good pair of thongs (flip flops for you international readers), is a must for enjoying the good weather.
If you’re doing any walking, the Pilbara is covered in spinifex. Spinifex is a native ground cover that looks a bit like grass, but each blade comes to a sharp point. For most people, this will warrant a good pair of walking shoes, but avoid the lightweight mesh style ones as the spinifex will poke through it. For the rest of us that believe shoes are just prisons for the feet and opt for thongs instead, it’s a good idea to wear something like Rockos or Aerials, that are wider than the foot, for a bit of added protection.
