Goldsworthy, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Goldsworthy is a former mining town in Western Australia
east of Port Hedland
and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia
.
reported seeing iron ore in the region during his Pilbara explorations in late 1861 and the Government Geologist
H.P. Woodward confirmed the discovery of iron ore there in 1890. In 1919 Government Geologist Gibb Maitland confirmed these deposits but at the time mining them was not an economically viable proposition.
In 1938 Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons. In the lead up to the Second World War, due to the classification of iron as a strategic material the Commonwealth of Australia placed an embargo on the export of ore. The export embargo was lifted in December 1960 and competition to develop the mine commenced in earnest with the government intending to issue an export license for ore mined at the site.
Frank Thompson Jr., owner of Pardoo Station
had established wells, windmills and paddocks in the area and also pegged mining leases there as they were on the southern end of the station, but he allowed these leases to lapse because of this embargo.
The granting of the export license did not go without controversy. Ernie Mitchell, Chairman of Directors of an indigenous
corporation known as the Pindan Group, called for an iron ore export licence to be issued to his organisation. Mitchell argued in a pamphlet issued in the early 1960s that:
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
east of Port Hedland
Port Hedland, Western Australia
Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Early discoveries
The explorer Francis Thomas GregoryFrancis Thomas Gregory
Francis Thomas Gregory was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.-Biography:Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory...
reported seeing iron ore in the region during his Pilbara explorations in late 1861 and the Government Geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
H.P. Woodward confirmed the discovery of iron ore there in 1890. In 1919 Government Geologist Gibb Maitland confirmed these deposits but at the time mining them was not an economically viable proposition.
In 1938 Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons. In the lead up to the Second World War, due to the classification of iron as a strategic material the Commonwealth of Australia placed an embargo on the export of ore. The export embargo was lifted in December 1960 and competition to develop the mine commenced in earnest with the government intending to issue an export license for ore mined at the site.
Frank Thompson Jr., owner of Pardoo Station
Pardoo Station
Pardoo Station is a pastoral lease, formerly a sheep station, and now a cattle station approximately 120 km to the east of Port Hedland, Western Australia.-Description:...
had established wells, windmills and paddocks in the area and also pegged mining leases there as they were on the southern end of the station, but he allowed these leases to lapse because of this embargo.
The granting of the export license did not go without controversy. Ernie Mitchell, Chairman of Directors of an indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
corporation known as the Pindan Group, called for an iron ore export licence to be issued to his organisation. Mitchell argued in a pamphlet issued in the early 1960s that:
Goldsworthy (named after the geographical feature Mount Goldsworthy) is a former mining town in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
east of Port HedlandPort Hedland, Western AustraliaPort Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in the Pilbara Region of Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Early discoveries
The explorer Francis Thomas GregoryFrancis Thomas GregoryFrancis Thomas Gregory was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.-Biography:Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory...
reported seeing iron ore in the region during his Pilbara explorations in late 1861 and the Government GeologistGeologistA geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
H.P. Woodward confirmed the discovery of iron ore there in 1890. In 1919 Government Geologist Gibb Maitland confirmed these deposits but at the time mining them was not an economically viable proposition.
In 1938 Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons. In the lead up to the Second World War, due to the classification of iron as a strategic material the Commonwealth of Australia placed an embargo on the export of ore. The export embargo was lifted in December 1960 and competition to develop the mine commenced in earnest with the government intending to issue an export license for ore mined at the site.
Frank Thompson Jr., owner of Pardoo StationPardoo StationPardoo Station is a pastoral lease, formerly a sheep station, and now a cattle station approximately 120 km to the east of Port Hedland, Western Australia.-Description:...
had established wells, windmills and paddocks in the area and also pegged mining leases there as they were on the southern end of the station, but he allowed these leases to lapse because of this embargo.
The granting of the export license did not go without controversy. Ernie Mitchell, Chairman of Directors of an indigenousIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
corporation known as the Pindan Group, called for an iron ore export licence to be issued to his organisation. Mitchell argued in a pamphlet issued in the early 1960s that:
Goldsworthy (named after the geographical feature Mount Goldsworthy) is a former mining town in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
east of Port HedlandPort Hedland, Western AustraliaPort Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in the Pilbara Region of Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Early discoveries
The explorer Francis Thomas GregoryFrancis Thomas GregoryFrancis Thomas Gregory was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.-Biography:Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory...
reported seeing iron ore in the region during his Pilbara explorations in late 1861 and the Government GeologistGeologistA geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
H.P. Woodward confirmed the discovery of iron ore there in 1890. In 1919 Government Geologist Gibb Maitland confirmed these deposits but at the time mining them was not an economically viable proposition.
In 1938 Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons. In the lead up to the Second World War, due to the classification of iron as a strategic material the Commonwealth of Australia placed an embargo on the export of ore. The export embargo was lifted in December 1960 and competition to develop the mine commenced in earnest with the government intending to issue an export license for ore mined at the site.
Frank Thompson Jr., owner of Pardoo StationPardoo StationPardoo Station is a pastoral lease, formerly a sheep station, and now a cattle station approximately 120 km to the east of Port Hedland, Western Australia.-Description:...
had established wells, windmills and paddocks in the area and also pegged mining leases there as they were on the southern end of the station, but he allowed these leases to lapse because of this embargo.
The granting of the export license did not go without controversy. Ernie Mitchell, Chairman of Directors of an indigenousIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
corporation known as the Pindan Group, called for an iron ore export licence to be issued to his organisation. Mitchell argued in a pamphlet issued in the early 1960s that:
The granting of an export licence [for iron ore from Mount Goldsworthy] to us, the only successful self-contained Aboriginal group in Australia, would go a long way towards silencing the many critics of Australia's policy towards the original Australians.
Furthermore: We do not ask for an export licence on terms different from those that would be applied to other persons or groups. We do ask that the following facts be considered:
- We are lifetime residents of the district.
- We have the mining skills, and the workforce necessary to handle the project.
- We are familiar with the problems that may arise, and have experience of solving such problems in recent years. We have been basically responsible for producing many thousands of tons of valuable minerals.
- We can make arrangements equivalent to those of any other sound business concern, and we have a pool of labour, resident in the district, and accustomed to working in the climactic and other arduous conditions of the Mount Goldsworthy area.
- We are aware, as all Australians should be, that our country’s policy in New Guinea towards the natives, and in Australia towards us, has been vigorously attacked in the councils of the United Nations Organisation ... We feel to grant us, the Aboriginal people of the Pindan Group, an iron ore export licence, would go a long way towards convincing such critics of our Government's sincerity and goodwill towards us, and would be a major contribution to the realisation of our plans to raise our standards to the level of our white fellow Australians by enterprise and hard work. We do not seek charity.
Early development of the mine
In February 1962, three international mining companies: Consolidated Goldfields (Aust) Pty Ltd of SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Cyprus Mines CorporationCyprus Mines CorporationThe Cyprus Mines Corporation was an early twentieth century American mining company based in Cyprus. In 1914, Charles G. Gunther began prospecting in the Skouriotissa area after reading in ancient books that the island was rich in copper and noticing promising ancient Roman slag heaps in the area....
of Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Utah Mining Company of San Francisco formed Mount Goldsworthy Mining Associates (GML). The consortium was granted an export licence in early 1963 to ship 4 million tonnes of iron ore per year from a port to be built at Finucane Island at Port HedlandPort Hedland, Western AustraliaPort Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
, 100 km west.
The consortium signed a contract with Japanese steel mills in February 1965 with a stipulation that the first shipment of ore had to me made within 15 months.
Construction of the port and town commenced in February 1965 and the first rail-delivery of iron ore was made to Finucane Island on 1 December 1965, and the first of 24,900 tonnes of ore was loaded at Finucane island onto the Harvey S. Mudd on was 26 June 1966.
700 people lived at Goldsworthy at its peak. The town was abandoned when the iron ore deposit was depleted and the mine it served closed in 1994. Upon closure, all buildings were removed, all vegetation not indigenous to the local area was burnt and the roads torn up. This was done in accordance with the government's policy of regrowth to avoid the occurrence of ghost towns.
Today, very little remains on the site to indicate that the town ever existed. The pitOpen-pit miningOpen-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
that was the mine still exists, but is flooded. The railway to other mines passes nearby, and there is a (solar powered) radio repeaterRepeaterA repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
site to service the railway. The street layout can still be seen from the air.
External links
- Nicolas Rothwell, Memory is all we have, The Australian
The AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
, 7 October 2006- Bonzle map of Goldsworthy
