Mount Whaleback Mine in Western Australia, was the largest mine in Australia, producing approximately 88.8 million metric tons per annum (mmtpa) of Run-of-Mine (ROM) in 2021. The Mount Whaleback Mine is owned by BHP;Mitsui & Co Ltd;Itochu Corp, and is due to operate until 2037.
Now fully owned by Newmont Goldcorp, the mine reopened in 2009 after a major expansion project that increased the throughput to become Australia's largest gold mine.
Australia's mining industry is 86% foreign owned, Although many people think BHP and Rio Tinto as Australian companies, BHP is 76% foreign owned, and Rio Tinto is 83%. Between them they constitute 70% of listed mining company resources.
Officially known as the Fimiston open pit mine, the Super Pit gold mine in Western Australia is the country's largest mine in terms of scale, covering 3.5km by 1.5km on the surface, and currently undergoing expansion work to extend to a depth of 700m.
What are the biggest iron ore companies listed on the ASX? BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group are the top by market cap. Iron — the world's most commonly used metal — is key for the steel making industry.
This central purchasing power is designed to control demand and enhance Chinese steel producers' negotiating power over prices.
China's purchases of iron ore from Australia rose AU$2 billion or 20 per cent over the month, while meat imports increased 28 per cent to A$57 million.
Located in the Sudirman Mountains of the Irian Jaya province of Indonesia, the Grasberg complex is one of the largest gold and copper mining operations in the world.
Boddington gold mine
The project also produces 80 million pounds of copper per year, making the mine one of the most productive in Australia.
Gina Rinehart, Australia
Australia's Gina Rinehart, the chairman and director of Hancock Prospecting group, had a net worth of $18.6bn in July 2014, making her the world's richest mining magnate and the sixth richest woman billionaire.
The world's largest hard-rock lithium mine, the Greenbushes mine, is in Western Australia. It is co-operated by the Chinese company Tianqi Lithium and the Australian companies Talison Lithium and IGO Limited. In 2021, it contributed 40% of the lithium mined in Australia.
Your finds. Minerals are the property of the Crown. If you discover gold or other minerals or gemstones on land not covered by a mining tenement, and the ground is Crown land (under the Mining Act 1978), then you are free to keep what you have found (as long as you hold a Miner's Right).
The destination: Mount Isa, the deepest mine in Australia, 5,187 kilometers (3,223 miles) away. The trip involved a four-hour hop across the continent to Brisbane, an overnight stay, followed by a two-and-a-half hour flight deep into Queensland, Australia's great north west.
Australia is estimated to have the world's largest gold reserves, with 9,500 tonnes or 17 per cent of the total world estimated gold reserves of 57,000 tonnes.
The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility, owned by MP Materials, is an open-pit mine of rare-earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range in California, 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.
About 244,000 metric tons of gold has been discovered to date (187,000 metric tons historically produced plus current underground reserves of 57,000 metric tons). Most of that gold has come from just three countries: China, Australia, and South Africa.
WA is ranked by the Fraser Institute as the top region in the world for mining investment. The state hosts 98 per cent of Australia's iron ore. Approximately 60 per cent of Australia's gold reserves can be found in WA. The sector directly employs more than 20,000 people.
''Even if China could secure all the available non-Australian seaborne ore, including distant producers such as Sweden, Canada, Russia and Ukraine, it would still need to develop an additional 300 million tonnes of supply to meet its needs and completely replace Australia as an iron ore supplier by 2030,'' he says.
Leading markets for gold exports from Australia FY 2022
China was the leading export destination for Australian gold in terms of value.
“First, it would mean too big a disruption to the Chinese economy.” Iron ore imports from Australia are worth $85 billion annually, and so far, the agricultural imports hit by China's tariffs and bans are worth just $6 billion, he said. “China would not be able to make up its iron ore needs from other sources.”