Port Hedland
The Pilbara truly is the land of adventure, with an abundance of wide-open spaces waiting to be explored. Situated in the north of the Pilbara, Port Hedland is located on Karriyarra country. The Karriyarra traditional owners name for Hedland is Marapikurrinya, inspired by the hand-like formation of the tidal creeks which run off the nearby natural harbour. A year spent in Port Hedland looks like a quintessential Australian experience – red dirt, a close-knit community, and a world-class national park on your doorstep.
One of the four original RCSWA sites, Port Hedland RCSWA office is located approximately 2km from the Hedland Health Campus in the suburb of South Hedland. Students have access to the office any time they wish for study and printing purposes, along with a library with a broad range of literature. Tutorials are held in the office twice weekly in the afternoons.
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Accommodation and Transport
RCSWA students have access to two modern three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouses located next door to each other. There is a very large green park at the front of the homes, and a beachside footpath is located a couple of minutes away - perfect for an evening stroll. The houses are a 15-minute drive to the RCSWA office in South Hedland, with the Health Campus only a couple of minutes further away.
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Health Services
Hedland is the regional centre for health services in the Pilbara. This means that Hedland has the lion’s share of the region’s specialist medical practitioners.
Hedland Health Campus is a modern facility staffed by procedural GPs (District Medical Officers) along with specialist doctors covering paediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, anaesthetics, internal medicine, and emergency medicine. As the regional centre, Hedland receives the more challenging patients from around the Pilbara. The hospital is served by visiting specialists such as cardiology (paediatric and adult), ophthalmology, ENT, orthopaedics, nephrology, rheumatology, and dermatology.
There are also plenty of other health services around the town that the RCSWA works with as part of the Port Hedland program. Hedland is home to a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) base, and students are regularly rostered to accompany the RFDS doctors on their travels. There is an Aboriginal Health Service, Wirraka Maya, where medical students spend time with Aboriginal Health Workers, doctors, nurses, and allied health staff. Students are also sent to the three general practices in town - Port Hedland Medical Centre, Port Hedland Family Practice and Sonic Healthcare, and the Pilbara Mental Health and Drug Service, our local psychiatric service provider.
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Extra activities
The town itself has a young population, so there is no shortage of sporting activities for those who are interested. We have an amateur theatre group, turtles, a swimmable beach at Pretty Pool and a community where newcomers are made to feel very welcome. To find out more about the town and the wider Pilbara region, check out the following links:
I have lived here with my family for 19 years and strongly recommend the beautiful Northwest to any student doctors with a taste for adventure! Rob Whitehead
Lead Medical Coordinator, Port Hedland
Staff Profiles
Lead Medical Coordinator, Port Hedland
Rob Whitehead
Rob looks after the teaching in Port Hedland, covering nearly 400 topics across the year in an interactive format. He joined the RCSWA in 2004 and helped to launch the Karratha site in 2006. Rob has lived in Port Hedland for a long time and loves being in the state's great north-west region.
What I love about the RCSWA
Working with the school allows me an unrivalled opportunity to directly teach an extremely wide range of subject matter. I also enjoy living and working in the Pilbara - land of deep gorges, endless skies and crazy summer storms.
academic services officer, Port Hedland
Sam Shirreffs
Since joining the RCSWA team in late 2022, Sam supports MC Rob Whitehead and students with day-to-day logistics and clinical placements. A Port Hedland local for three years, she enjoys helping our penultimate students settle into the community. Sam and her young family love the lifestyle and 'small country town' vibe of Hedland.
What I love about the RCSWA
The sense of community and the fact that students and staff become like a family.
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