Pilbara iron ore reserves

Iron ore mining in Western Australia
Position of Western Australia within Australia highlighted
Location
State	Western Australia
Country	Australia
Regulatory authority
Authority	Department of Mines and Petroleum
Website	Official website
Production
Commodity	Iron ore
Production	398.99 million tonnes
Value	A$48.542 billion
Employees	27,537
Year	2010

Iron ore mining in Western Australia, in the financial year 2008-09, accounted for 47 percent of the total value of the state's resources, with a value of A$33.56 billion. The overall value of the mineral and petroleum industry in Western Australia was A$71.3 billion in 2008-09, a 19 percent increase compared to the previous financial year.

Western Australia's iron ore output for 2011 was 474 million tonnes, 97% of Australian production. The bulk of Western Australian ore went to China, which imported 70 percent of 2010 production, followed by Japan with 19% and South Korea with 10%. The state has the world's largest Economic Demonstrated Resources of iron ore with 22% of the world's iron ore followed by Brazil with 17%, Russia with 15% and China with 14%.

In the financial year 2015-2016, the Western Australian Government received over A$3.4 billion in royalties from the iron ore mining industry in the state.

While iron ore deposits were known, like the Mount Whaleback deposit discovered in 1957 by Stan Hilditch, it was not until 1960, when the Australian Government lifted the embargo on iron ore exports it had put in place because of concerns the mineral was in short supply, that mining began in earnest. Up until the mid-1960s, iron ore production in Western Australia, and Australia as a whole, was negligible, in the range of less than 10 million tons a year. By the mid-1970s, this figure had reached 100 million tonnes, with the majority coming from Western Australia. Production slightly declined in the 1980s but it improved in the 1990s, reaching 150 million tonnes for the country by 1997 and 200 million tonnes by 2003.

The first mine in the Pilbara, the Goldsworthy mine, was developed by Utah Development Co. in 1965. A private railway line, the Goldsworthy railway, as well as port facilities at Finucane Island, Port Hedland, were also constructed. On 1 June 1966, the first shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara left on board the Harvey S. Mudd.

BHP's operations in Newman date back to 1968, when the Mount Whaleback mine was opened, the biggest single-pit Open-pit iron ore mine in the world. A new town, Newman, was constructed, as well as a 426 kilometre railway line, the Mount Newman railway. The first train left Newman on 1 January 1969 and the first shipment of Newman ore left port on 1 April 1969 on board of the Osumi Maru. Newman remained a "closed" company town until 1981.