Port Hedland is an industrial port on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia, roughly halfway between Karratha and Broome in distance rather than comfort. It exports iron ore on a huge scale: long freight trains run in from the inland mines, salt flats edge the road, and bulk carriers queue offshore.
That industrial character is the point. Port Hedland is dusty, hot, and expensive for what you get, but it is also one of the few places where a traveller can look directly at the machinery behind modern Australia. The best stops are close to the harbour and beaches: Marapikurrinya Park for the freighters, Cooke Point for the Staircase to the Moon, and Cemetery Beach for flatback turtles in season.
Come in the cooler months if you can. In summer the heat and humidity make even short walks feel like work.