http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/travel/a/-/travel/5898989/island-hideaway-in-the-pilbara/

WA's Pilbara region is not generally regarded as a tourism hot spot but a small hideaway in the form of an island could be on its way to becoming the Rottnest of the North-West.

West Moore Island, a former pearl farm, about halfway between Port Hedland and Karratha, has a self-sufficient lodge with its own generator and desalination machine and is a mecca for wildlife, marine life and fishing.

A weekend visit at the end of June was an ideal time - the weather was mild and the water fresh.

Wendy and Peter Chester, formerly of Mandurah, are the new managers of the lodge and of a fishing charter business.

The Chesters collected us from Point Samson, a seaside resort town about 50km along the Great Northern Highway from Karratha. From there it was a bit more than an hour's boat ride in choppy waters to West Moore Island, which lies at the base of imposing Depuch Island - the Uluru of the Pilbara.

Docking a fair way out from the beach, we were transported to the island via dinghy due to the temperamental tides in the region.

We were soon shown to our no-nonsense accommodation - two single beds in an air-conditioned room, one of four such rooms plus two family rooms containing a double and single bed. The ablution block at the back provided clean, serviceable amenities. It was early evening and Wendy started cooking up some Spanish mackerel caught that day by one of our fellow guests. Meals are fully catered for by Wendy, who often uses a mix of freshly caught fish, prawns and scallops.

The communal dining area has a TV, magazines and snack food available. There is also wireless broadband and Telstra Next G reception.

With the wind a little chilly on the otherwise inviting veranda with its exceptional views on to the ocean, we remained indoors for a night of wine and gentle conversation.

Rising at a lazy morning hour, a huge cooked breakfast was on the menu, with sausages, baked beans, eggs and toast, all piled generously on to a plate.

On the agenda for the day was a stroll around the island, an A-class reserve which is home to a menagerie of ospreys, terns and ibises. Reef booties were a must as we climbed over rocks exposed by the tide.

Octopuses left baking in the sun squirted a warning spray of water at us as we gingerly climbed around exploring the reef.

Brightly coloured stingrays and reef sharks frolicked in the shallows of the small rock pools and tiny blue-coloured crabs scuttled under our feet as we crossed over a sandbar to East Moore Island. Turtles and dolphins can be found occasionally around the island.

Unknown to us, the island experiences dramatic tidal movements of more than 5m, which means the landscape can change considerably in the space of minutes. Our leisurely journey across the sandbar soon became a rush to make it back to West Moore as we realised the tide had already erased our path.

We found ourselves wading through thigh-deep water back to the main island as small reef sharks were swept past us, helpless against the powerful tide.

Back on dry land we breathed a sigh of relief as we took a more leisurely stroll back to the lodge and enjoyed a casual lunch.

While our stay was a brief one, many other activities are on offer at West Moore, including snorkelling on the north side of the island in the rock pools and kayaking to nearby Depuch Island to explore its Aboriginal rock art. There is also the opportunity to go oyster picking with many oyster-covered rocks exposed when the tide goes out.

The rock pools at the eastern end of the island, close to the lodge, are home to blue-bone groper, Spanish flag and mangrove jack. But the hosts ask that any fish caught here are released so as not to disturb the balance of stocks around the island. For bigger fishing opportunities, a good idea is to take a full-day reef tour in the Geographe Shoals, one hour north-east of West Moore.

An ideal break for hard-working miners in the region, the island also has appeal as a family holiday and an eco-tourism destination.

> Philippa Perry stayed as a guest of West Moore Island Lodge.

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·West Moore Island Lodge operates until the end of December each year and closes until March. Accommodation costs $300 a night for adults and $175 per child under 12. The price includes all transfers from Karratha Airport, Point Samson or Balla Balla, meals, drinks and complimentary wine or beer. Details: www.westmooreisland.com.au or (08) 9184 5145.