Safety in the Pilbara

I’d avoid staying inPort Hedland itself not because of social issues.
The caravan park in town is busy and hard to get into and at South Hedland it was pretty run down.
Only stayed at both because I’d been a bit remote and needed a shower.
It’s a pity because I find the whole iron ore export business interesting. And you might need a couple of days there if that interests you.
80 mile beach is fine (provided any cyclone repairs done)
Likewise Cape Keraudren.
Stayed at Marble Bar CP a few times. Problem there was a few caravanning nomads who got into the wine.
I’d stay at the Meentheena Retreat or bush camp at Dooleena Gorge next time.
Tom Price is a mining town so no social probs but the caravan park is usually pretty busy.
Enjoy the trip. A favourite part of WA.

Cheers

Marble Bar can have big problems at times, we had to evacuate town when they had a funeral.

Unfortunately this seems to be an ever-increasing problem .
I have always worked on the theory when camping out to be out of sight or be with a large group of like-minded campers but all this is no guarantee of keeping out trouble
We were up around Halls Creek area when a group of undesirables bashed & stole a car off tourists in the caravan park where you would expect to be perfectly safe but this of course can happen anywhere. I personally wouldn't work on a theory of someone said it was perfectly safe .. I would be using my own gut feeling & common sense . Good luck safe travels

Hard thing to answer, because there’s a lot of different opinions out there. I try not to be to paranoid .
I motorcycle travel a lot and haven’t had any issues , camping or otherwise. I leave my bike in the street to go into shops/eateries, i leave my jacket covering my helmet and tank bag , so definitely not secure. I use a bit of gut feeling, check what the area looks like and rarely worry.
Touch wood no problem so far.

Thanks all.
I guess its hard not to be paranoid when we have been hearing and seeing how places in the KImberley have deteroiated, and now Darwin , Katherine etc. We have have several scary incidents at some campsites in the Territory, so just trying to uderstand the places where this is less likely to happen.

What a huge pity though that we now have to think like this.

It is all over Australia. The News reports are full of it. Rockhampton, Qld has had vigilante group meetings, Mckay, Qld has a poster advising of a curfew for youths. A stolen car killed 3 women in Maryborough, Qld. Even sleepy Toowoomba has crime problems. So it appears you should stay away from Qld as well as NT and WA.

The towns are where the potential for problems lie, due to vicinity to bottle shops, families, and authorities where the conflicts arise but as soon as you get out onto the remote bush camps in your 4WD all that is far behind you. It’s always been this way but the media just focus on the town problems.
First hand - we live and travel in WA and last winter spent 2 months in the Pilbara. Loved it.
Michelle