Guided tours of Fortescue port operations kick off

Visiting grey nomads can view Hedland’s iron ore industry from a new angle now the seafarers centre has begun guided tours into miner Fortescue Metals Group’s port operations.

Beginning at the Port Hedland Seafarers Centre, the tour takes tourists by bus into Fortescue’s Herb Elliott Port operations where they pull up alongside vessels loading iron ore.

Seafarers centre senior chaplain Alan Mower said the tour allowed visitors a unique insight into the operations of the world’s “fourth largest seaport exporter of iron ore”.

“(We go) in through the front gate… past the stockyards, looking at stackers and reclaimers,” he said.

We have also been given access to go… along the wharf, in under the ship loaders, to see the ships being loaded.

“There is a real sense of getting behind the scenes.”

The Fortescue tour joins the Seafarers’ innovative harbour tour and the visitor centre’s guided ride through BHP Billiton’s Nelson Point port operations in allowing visitors access to Hedland’s iron ore industry.

The Seafarers’ harbour tour allows tourists to join the centre’s staff as they use a small boat like a taxi to motor between iron ore carriers and pick up visiting crew wishing to come ashore to shop and relax.

Mr Mower said Hedland’s mining-related tours had increasingly put the town on the grey nomad tourist trail.

He tipped an even bigger tourist season this year after the Town of Port Hedland decided to open its Turf Club discounted caravan camp-grounds for an even longer period from May until the end of August.

With Fortescue also allowing the Seafarers to pocket the proceeds from the new port operations tour, the Christian pastoral care mission hoped it would generate substantial income to help fund its plans to build a new, larger centre.

“It is a very practical way (for Fortescue to) support the building of our new mission,” Mr Mower said.

Fortescue group manager government and community Alexa Morcombe said the miner was proud to grant “access to our Herb Elliott Port for weekly tours that will help the (Seafarers) with its ongoing fundraising, while also sharing our journey with visitors”.