Marble Bar Western Australia

We drove from Newman to Marble Bar 180kms of which 150kms is dirt, along the way I had a tyre blowout and 3 punctures in the other side a sharp arrowhead rock, a nail and a split. Lucky for me along came John a local worker and David who I had met earlier at the caravan park they helped change the tyre the punctures I did with my trusty tyre plugs. There is no where out here that can repair tyres so I will have to wait until Broome hopefully they will hold.

Marble Bar has earned the reputation of Australia’s Hottest Town from the consistent high temperatures during summer months of over 38 degrees for days on end. The record is 160 consecutive days over 38.7 degrees recorded in summer of 1923-1924..

Marble Bar is named after a local deposit of mineral first thought to be marble, but later turned out to be jasper. It crosses the Coongan River about 5km west of town. This area is really stunning and you can picnic down by the river bank. Also nearby is Marble Bar Pool and Chinamans Pool. Further along the road is Flying Fox lookout and the Comet Gold Mine. There is a museum at The Comet Gold Mine with exhibition of minerals and gemstones as well as old relics. At the Jasper deposit you can fossick around and take a bit home this is the only place you are allowed to take any jasper from.

The town’s government buildings built in 1895 of local stone and houses the Police Station, Courthouse and the Mines Department. The Ironclad Hotel in the main street is a great place to have a cold beer in the early days, beer was stacked on wire frames and covered with wet hessian to keep it cool.