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Gold mining in Western Australia

December 15, 2023

Main article: Mining in Western Australia

Gold mining in Western Australia is the third largest commodity sector in Western Australia (WA), behind iron ore and LNG, with a value of A$17 billion in 2021–22. The 6.9 million troy ounces (214 tonnes) sold during this time period was the highest amount in 20 years and accounted for almost 70 percent of all gold sold in Australia.[1]

Gold mining in Western Australia
Position of Western Australia within Australia highlighted
Location
StateWestern Australia
CountryAustralia
Regulatory authority
AuthorityDepartment of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Websitehttp://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/index.aspx
Production
CommodityGold
Production 6.9 million troy ounces (214 tonnes)
Value A$17 billion
Employees 36,087
Year2021–22[1]

Gold mining in Western Australia dates back to the 1880s but became a significant industry in the 1890s, following gold discoveries at Coolgardie in 1892 and Kalgoorlie in 1893. It reached an early peak in 1903, experienced a revival in the 1930s and a further revival in the 1980s. Between, the industry declined a number of times, such as during the two world wars, experiencing an absolute low point in 1976.[2]

History edit

See also: History of Western Australia and Western Australian gold rush

Early history edit

class=notpageimage|
Major gold mining locations in Western Australia with Perth as a reference

Until the 1880s, the economy of WA was based on wheat, meat and wool. A major change in the colony's fortunes occurred when gold was discovered, and prospectors by the tens of thousands swarmed across the land in a desperate attempt to discover new goldfields.

The first gold rush occurred in 1885 when Charles Hall discovered alluvial gold in the Kimberley region, near the future site of a town named after him. Further alluvial finds occurred across the state during the following five years, with finds in Marble Bar, Southern Cross and Yalgoo. From these discoveries, the prospectors moved further afield.

In 1890, gold was discovered in the Norseman region at Dundas, 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of present-day Norseman, followed in 1894 by a gold discovery near the future town of Norseman itself, by prospector Laurie Sinclair, who named the deposit after his horse, Hardy Norseman.[3][4]

In 1891, the rush to the Murchison goldfields began when Tom Cue discovered gold at the town which now bears his name. In the years that followed, gold towns such as Abbots, Austin, Barrambie, Big Bell, Day Dawn, Garden Gully, Lennonville, Moyagee, Munarra, Nannine, Peak Hill, Pinnacles, Reedy and Rothsay flourished, only to be abandoned when the mines were worked out.

The major discovery at Coolgardie in 1892, by William Ford and Arthur Bayley, set off a new gold rush. This was accelerated by the discovery the following year by Paddy Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea of gold at Kalgoorlie. These early discoveries in the Eastern Goldfields sparked a true gold rush.

 
Sons of Gwalia Gold Mine, c. 1921

In 1896, the Sons of Gwalia mine, named after an archaic Welsh name for Wales, Gwalia, was established[5] by Welsh miners. Herbert Hoover, the later President of the United States, served as the mine manager in its early days from May to November 1898.[5][6]

In 1896, gold was discovered in the Wiluna region, which was then known as Lake Way, by three prospectors, George Woodley, James Wotton and Jimmy Lennon.[7] On 29 December 1897, a 460-troy-ounce (14 kg) nugget was found in Wiluna, then the largest found in the colony of Australia. The location of its discovery was later to become the spot for the powerhouse of the Wiluna Gold Mine Limited, the operators of the early mine.[8]

By the end of the 1890s, more than a third of the colony's population was located in the Eastern Goldfields. The political influence of this population was demonstrated in proposals that the region should become a new, separate colony, with a name such as Auralia, and Coolgardie or Kalgoorlie as its capital. These campaigns accelerated when there was opposition in Perth to Australian Federation. There were calls for "Auralia" to join federation as a separate state.[9]

In many cases, the boom was short-lived, with towns and mines in the Goldfields disappearing quickly, once the surface deposits were depleted. Only where larger companies developed in underground mining did towns survive. By 1903, the gold mining industry in Western Australia reached its peak, and population of the Goldfields started to decline again.[2]

First World War edit

The decline of the gold mining industry in Western Australia was reinforced with the outbreak of the First World War. The effects of the war, a large number of miners enlisted in the armed forces and a drying up of overseas investment meant that, by 1920, gold production in the state had fallen to a third of what it was at the height of the boom. A large number of mines in the state had been closed.[2]

Great Depression edit

Western Australian gold mining received a boost in the 1930s from the Great Depression. The gold price rose once more, the Commonwealth Government determined to pay a gold bonus and foreign investment increased. Gold mining towns like Wiluna or Kalgoorlie experienced a revival from entrepreneurs like Claude de Bernales.[10] The discovery of the Golden Eagle nugget at Coolgardie in 1931, at the time the largest ever found in Western Australia, attracted many prospectors to return to the state.[2]

Second World War edit

The boom started during the Great Depression was short-lived, with the outbreak of the Second World War, the gold mining industry declined once more, for very similar reasons as it had at the beginning of the First World War.[2]

Post-war edit

Gold mining temporarily recovered after the war but by the mid-1960s, mining declined once more. By 1976, the Western Australian gold mining industry reached its low point, with production at a level of one tenth of the production in 1900. The Goldfields mining industry was saved by the discovery of Nickel in the region and, by the mid-1980s, gold mining was on the up again, too. New technologies led to the reopening of many mines. Where, at the turn of the 19th century, mining was only profitable at above 15 grams per tonne (0.11 gr/lb) of gold per ore, mines could now operate profitably on grades as low as 1 gram per tonne (0.0070 gr/lb). Mines like the Super Pit at Kalgoorlie now incorporate many former surface and underground operations in one large open pit.[2]

In the more remote mining locations of Western Australia, the work force however has moved away from being residential to a fly-in fly-out roster. This led to the former mining towns not sharing the current boom, with most of the work force residing in Perth, Kalgoorlie or even the capital cities on the east coast and in nearby Indonesia. Population and services in the Goldfields towns are far short of what they were during the golden era of the 1930s.[11]

Current situation edit

See also: Economy of Western Australia
 
KCGM's Super Pit gold mine on the Golden Mile.

Western Australia produced over 50% ($69.5 billion) of all Australian mineral and petroleum sales, which made up 88% of the state's merchandise exports in 2015–16. In 2015–16, gold was ranked third in the list of resources exported by Western Australia with regard to value, behind iron ore and petroleum, with a value of A$10 billion. The state produced 6.27 million troy ounces of gold, or 195 tonnes, 6% of world production. During 2014-15 the Western Australian gold mining industry directly employed 19,175 people.[12][13]

By 2008–09, gold had jumped into fourth spot in regards to export value with a value of A$5.2 billion, overtaking alumina. The average gold price was US$874 per ounce in 2008–09, or A$1,171 per ounce, which was 28 per cent higher than the previous year.[14] While the value of sales increased by 25%, the gold output of the state decreased by 4%, to 4.4 million ounces. Western Australia accounted for 62% of Australia's gold production in 2008–09.[15]

In 2008–09, 41% of Western Australia's gold exports went to the United Kingdom, followed by India with 34%. Thailand and the United Arab Emirates hold third spot jointly, with an 8% share.[16]

The Golden Mile, producing 20 tonnes of gold, was Western Australia's top-producing mine in 2008–09, followed by the Telfer with 18.1 tonnes and St Ives with 13.4 tonnes. With a project cost of US$2.9 billion, the Boddington Gold Mine is by far the biggest gold project to commence production in the state in 2009, being capable of produce 900,000 ounces of gold per annum.[16]

The number of people employed in the Western Australian gold mining industry rose to 36,087 in 2021–22.[1]

Safety edit

Main article: Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry

Since the late 1960s, when the Department of Mines began categorising fatalities by commodity, until 2019, 143 work-related fatalities have occurred in the gold mining industry in Western Australia.[17]

In the decade from 2001 to 2010, 14 employees lost their lives in the state's gold mining industry. From 2011 to 2019 there were seven gold mining-related fatalities, with 2017 and 2012 the last fatality-free years.[17]

In 2017–2018 the injury incidence rate (lost time injuries per hundred employees) for the Mining Industry division was 1.39—less than Manufacturing (2.41), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (2.17), Construction (1.90), Transport, Postal and Wharehousing (1.84), and Wholesale Trade (1.82).[18]

Gold production edit

Main article: List of active gold mines in Western Australia
 
Major West Australian commodities in 2022

Gold production in Western Australia begun in the 1890s, reaching its first peak in 1903, with over 50 tonnes of gold produced annually. Production gradually fell to reach a first low in the late 1920s. At that point, Western Australia was almost the only state in Australia to still produce gold. Production rose once more during the Great Depression, to reach a second peak in 1939.[19]

After a short slump during the war, gold production remained relatively steady until the mid-1960s. From there, it fell to levels not seen since the late 1890s, to reach a low point in 1976. It remained low until the mid-1980s, when a new gold boom hit the state.[19] By 1990, production hit 150 tonnes of gold per year, three times the previous peak of 1903. It reached an all-time record in 2001 with close to 250 tonnes of gold produced that year. Production in 2009 has declined to 142 tonnes per annum.[20]

World gold mine production was at a record in 2001 with 2,640 tonnes produced. Production has fallen since, to 2,415 tonnes in 2008. World gold production is expected to rise in 2009–10, with Australia scheduled to increase production by 15 percent.[19]

As of 2022, Newmont's Boddington gold mine, located in Western Australia, is Australia's biggest producing gold mine.[21]

Statistics edit

 
Quarterly expenditure ($millions) on exploration for gold in Western Australia since 1988
 
Western Australian gold production and value from 2000 to 2022

Annual statistics for the Western Australian gold mining industry:[1][22][23][24][25][26][27]

Subject 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Production (kg/annum) 161,790 181,170 182,040 179,800 193,600 187,850 205,890 228,020 239,460 220,820
Production value (A$ billion) 2.60 2.76 2.69 2.83 3.42 3.13 3.40 3.41 3.47 3.24
Subject 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Production (kg/annum) 204,960 201,210 185,000 187,240 177,010 167,350 166,170 161,770 141,480 136,610
Production value (A$ billion) 2.95 3.25 3.28 3.44 3.11 3.02 3.71 4.22 4.14 5.23
Employees 10,879 11,938 12,653 12,801 13,398 12,121 12,314 13,733 14,459 16,686
Subject 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Production (kg/annum) 163,830 183,800 180,390 178,680 196,074 193,162 195,968 203,003 212,060 211,534
Production value (A$ billion) 6.55 8.19 9.40 8.97 8.89 9.11 10.11 10.86 11.42 11.96
Employees 16,997 18,859 22,439 20,541 17,337 19,587 23,556 27,075 29,266 31,369
Subject 2020 2021 2022
Production (kg/annum) 212,142 207,567 213,757
Production value (A$ billion) 15.87 16.57 17.37
Employees 31,679 34,153 36,087

See also edit

Further reading edit

  • Garrick Moore: Mining towns of Western Australia, published: 1997, ISBN 1-875449-34-5
  • Franklin White. Miner with a Heart of Gold - Biography of a Mineral Science and Engineering Educator. FriesenPress. 2020. ISBN 978-1-5255-7765-9 (Hardcover) ISBN 978-1-5255-7766-6 (Paperback) ISBN 978-1-5255-7767-3 (eBook).

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2021-22 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 3 March 2023
  2. ^ a b c d e f Mining towns of Western Australia, page: 48
  3. ^ The Norseman Project 17 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine Norseman Gold website, accessed: 30 December 2009
  4. ^ History Shire of Dundas website, accessed: 30 December 2009
  5. ^ a b Gwalia Historic Site - History 10 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 4 September 2009
  6. ^ St Barbara website - Leonora accessed: 3 September 2009
  7. ^ Wiluna – Edge of the desert, author: Phil Heydon, publisher: Hesperian Press, published: 1996, page: IV, accessed: 23 March 2003
  8. ^ Wiluna – Edge of the desert, author: Phil Heydon, publisher: Hesperian Press, published: 1996, page: 15, accessed: 23 March 2003
  9. ^ Mining towns of Western Australia, page: 45
  10. ^ Wiluna and the Goldfields. Chapter 3 in: Franklin White. Miner with a Heart of Gold - Biography of a Mineral Science and Engineering Educator. ISBN 978-1-5255-7765-9 (Hardcover) ISBN 978-1-5255-7766-6 (Paperback) ISBN 978-1-5255-7767-3 (eBook). FriesenPress. 2020.
  11. ^ Mining towns of Western Australia, page: 93
  12. ^ "Mineral and Petroleum Industry 2015-16 review". Perth, WA: Department of Minerals and Petroleum, Government of Western Australia. 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2014–15" (PDF). Perth, WA: Department of Minerals and Petroleum, Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  14. ^ Western Australian Resources Industry Continues to Grow – Overview 2008-09 Department of Mines and Petroleum website, accessed: 14 January 2010
  15. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008-09 page: 29, accessed: 16 January 2010
  16. ^ a b Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008-09 page: 30, accessed: 16 January 2010
  17. ^ a b Western Australian mining fatalities database 25 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 19 February 2011
  18. ^ "Key OSH Statistics, Western Australia, Work-related lost time injuries, diseases and fatalities in Western Australia" (PDF). WorkSafe. East Perth, WA: Government of Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. October 2019. p. 8. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  19. ^ a b c Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008-09 page: 31, Gold production graph, accessed: 6 February 2010
  20. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2009 page: 20, Gold production graph, accessed: 6 February 2010
  21. ^ Lucas, Jarrod (5 March 2023). "Foreign ownership of gold mines would rise above 50pc if Newmont-Newcrest deal goes ahead, analyst says". ABC Goldfields. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  22. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2020-21 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 25 March 2022
  23. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2019-20 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 31 March 2022
  24. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2012-13 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 12 March 2023
  25. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2002-03 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 12 March 2023
  26. ^ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 1998-99 Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 31 March 2023
  27. ^ 2017 Economic indicators resources data Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, accessed: 30 May 2018


External links edit

December 15, 2023
gold, mining, western, australia, main, article, mining, western, australia, third, largest, commodity, sector, western, australia, behind, iron, with, value, billion, 2021, million, troy, ounces, tonnes, sold, during, this, time, period, highest, amount, year. Main article Mining in Western Australia Gold mining in Western Australia is the third largest commodity sector in Western Australia WA behind iron ore and LNG with a value of A 17 billion in 2021 22 The 6 9 million troy ounces 214 tonnes sold during this time period was the highest amount in 20 years and accounted for almost 70 percent of all gold sold in Australia 1 Gold mining in Western AustraliaPosition of Western Australia within Australia highlightedLocationStateWestern AustraliaCountryAustraliaRegulatory authorityAuthorityDepartment of Mines Industry Regulation and SafetyWebsitehttp www dmp wa gov au index aspxProductionCommodityGoldProduction6 9 million troy ounces 214 tonnes ValueA 17 billionEmployees36 087Year2021 22 1 Gold mining in Western Australia dates back to the 1880s but became a significant industry in the 1890s following gold discoveries at Coolgardie in 1892 and Kalgoorlie in 1893 It reached an early peak in 1903 experienced a revival in the 1930s and a further revival in the 1980s Between the industry declined a number of times such as during the two world wars experiencing an absolute low point in 1976 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1 2 First World War 1 3 Great Depression 1 4 Second World War 1 5 Post war 2 Current situation 3 Safety 4 Gold production 5 Statistics 6 See also 7 Further reading 8 Notes 9 External linksHistory editSee also History of Western Australia and Western Australian gold rush Early history edit nbsp nbsp Telfer nbsp Wiluna nbsp Leinster nbsp Boddington nbsp Laverton nbsp Tropicana nbsp Coolgardie nbsp Leonora nbsp Mount Magnet nbsp Kalgoorlie nbsp Southern Cross nbsp Norseman nbsp Meekatharra nbsp Kambalda nbsp Sandstone nbsp Peak Hill nbsp Perthclass notpageimage Major gold mining locations in Western Australia with Perth as a reference Until the 1880s the economy of WA was based on wheat meat and wool A major change in the colony s fortunes occurred when gold was discovered and prospectors by the tens of thousands swarmed across the land in a desperate attempt to discover new goldfields The first gold rush occurred in 1885 when Charles Hall discovered alluvial gold in the Kimberley region near the future site of a town named after him Further alluvial finds occurred across the state during the following five years with finds in Marble Bar Southern Cross and Yalgoo From these discoveries the prospectors moved further afield In 1890 gold was discovered in the Norseman region at Dundas 22 kilometres 14 mi south of present day Norseman followed in 1894 by a gold discovery near the future town of Norseman itself by prospector Laurie Sinclair who named the deposit after his horse Hardy Norseman 3 4 In 1891 the rush to the Murchison goldfields began when Tom Cue discovered gold at the town which now bears his name In the years that followed gold towns such as Abbots Austin Barrambie Big Bell Day Dawn Garden Gully Lennonville Moyagee Munarra Nannine Peak Hill Pinnacles Reedy and Rothsay flourished only to be abandoned when the mines were worked out The major discovery at Coolgardie in 1892 by William Ford and Arthur Bayley set off a new gold rush This was accelerated by the discovery the following year by Paddy Hannan Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea of gold at Kalgoorlie These early discoveries in the Eastern Goldfields sparked a true gold rush nbsp Sons of Gwalia Gold Mine c 1921In 1896 the Sons of Gwalia mine named after an archaic Welsh name for Wales Gwalia was established 5 by Welsh miners Herbert Hoover the later President of the United States served as the mine manager in its early days from May to November 1898 5 6 In 1896 gold was discovered in the Wiluna region which was then known as Lake Way by three prospectors George Woodley James Wotton and Jimmy Lennon 7 On 29 December 1897 a 460 troy ounce 14 kg nugget was found in Wiluna then the largest found in the colony of Australia The location of its discovery was later to become the spot for the powerhouse of the Wiluna Gold Mine Limited the operators of the early mine 8 By the end of the 1890s more than a third of the colony s population was located in the Eastern Goldfields The political influence of this population was demonstrated in proposals that the region should become a new separate colony with a name such as Auralia and Coolgardie or Kalgoorlie as its capital These campaigns accelerated when there was opposition in Perth to Australian Federation There were calls for Auralia to join federation as a separate state 9 In many cases the boom was short lived with towns and mines in the Goldfields disappearing quickly once the surface deposits were depleted Only where larger companies developed in underground mining did towns survive By 1903 the gold mining industry in Western Australia reached its peak and population of the Goldfields started to decline again 2 First World War edit The decline of the gold mining industry in Western Australia was reinforced with the outbreak of the First World War The effects of the war a large number of miners enlisted in the armed forces and a drying up of overseas investment meant that by 1920 gold production in the state had fallen to a third of what it was at the height of the boom A large number of mines in the state had been closed 2 Great Depression edit Western Australian gold mining received a boost in the 1930s from the Great Depression The gold price rose once more the Commonwealth Government determined to pay a gold bonus and foreign investment increased Gold mining towns like Wiluna or Kalgoorlie experienced a revival from entrepreneurs like Claude de Bernales 10 The discovery of the Golden Eagle nugget at Coolgardie in 1931 at the time the largest ever found in Western Australia attracted many prospectors to return to the state 2 Second World War edit The boom started during the Great Depression was short lived with the outbreak of the Second World War the gold mining industry declined once more for very similar reasons as it had at the beginning of the First World War 2 Post war edit Gold mining temporarily recovered after the war but by the mid 1960s mining declined once more By 1976 the Western Australian gold mining industry reached its low point with production at a level of one tenth of the production in 1900 The Goldfields mining industry was saved by the discovery of Nickel in the region and by the mid 1980s gold mining was on the up again too New technologies led to the reopening of many mines Where at the turn of the 19th century mining was only profitable at above 15 grams per tonne 0 11 gr lb of gold per ore mines could now operate profitably on grades as low as 1 gram per tonne 0 0070 gr lb Mines like the Super Pit at Kalgoorlie now incorporate many former surface and underground operations in one large open pit 2 In the more remote mining locations of Western Australia the work force however has moved away from being residential to a fly in fly out roster This led to the former mining towns not sharing the current boom with most of the work force residing in Perth Kalgoorlie or even the capital cities on the east coast and in nearby Indonesia Population and services in the Goldfields towns are far short of what they were during the golden era of the 1930s 11 Current situation editSee also Economy of Western Australia nbsp KCGM s Super Pit gold mine on the Golden Mile Western Australia produced over 50 69 5 billion of all Australian mineral and petroleum sales which made up 88 of the state s merchandise exports in 2015 16 In 2015 16 gold was ranked third in the list of resources exported by Western Australia with regard to value behind iron ore and petroleum with a value of A 10 billion The state produced 6 27 million troy ounces of gold or 195 tonnes 6 of world production During 2014 15 the Western Australian gold mining industry directly employed 19 175 people 12 13 By 2008 09 gold had jumped into fourth spot in regards to export value with a value of A 5 2 billion overtaking alumina The average gold price was US 874 per ounce in 2008 09 or A 1 171 per ounce which was 28 per cent higher than the previous year 14 While the value of sales increased by 25 the gold output of the state decreased by 4 to 4 4 million ounces Western Australia accounted for 62 of Australia s gold production in 2008 09 15 In 2008 09 41 of Western Australia s gold exports went to the United Kingdom followed by India with 34 Thailand and the United Arab Emirates hold third spot jointly with an 8 share 16 The Golden Mile producing 20 tonnes of gold was Western Australia s top producing mine in 2008 09 followed by the Telfer with 18 1 tonnes and St Ives with 13 4 tonnes With a project cost of US 2 9 billion the Boddington Gold Mine is by far the biggest gold project to commence production in the state in 2009 being capable of produce 900 000 ounces of gold per annum 16 The number of people employed in the Western Australian gold mining industry rose to 36 087 in 2021 22 1 Safety editMain article Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry Since the late 1960s when the Department of Mines began categorising fatalities by commodity until 2019 143 work related fatalities have occurred in the gold mining industry in Western Australia 17 In the decade from 2001 to 2010 14 employees lost their lives in the state s gold mining industry From 2011 to 2019 there were seven gold mining related fatalities with 2017 and 2012 the last fatality free years 17 In 2017 2018 the injury incidence rate lost time injuries per hundred employees for the Mining Industry division was 1 39 less than Manufacturing 2 41 Agriculture Forestry and Fishing 2 17 Construction 1 90 Transport Postal and Wharehousing 1 84 and Wholesale Trade 1 82 18 Gold production editMain article List of active gold mines in Western Australia nbsp Major West Australian commodities in 2022Gold production in Western Australia begun in the 1890s reaching its first peak in 1903 with over 50 tonnes of gold produced annually Production gradually fell to reach a first low in the late 1920s At that point Western Australia was almost the only state in Australia to still produce gold Production rose once more during the Great Depression to reach a second peak in 1939 19 After a short slump during the war gold production remained relatively steady until the mid 1960s From there it fell to levels not seen since the late 1890s to reach a low point in 1976 It remained low until the mid 1980s when a new gold boom hit the state 19 By 1990 production hit 150 tonnes of gold per year three times the previous peak of 1903 It reached an all time record in 2001 with close to 250 tonnes of gold produced that year Production in 2009 has declined to 142 tonnes per annum 20 World gold mine production was at a record in 2001 with 2 640 tonnes produced Production has fallen since to 2 415 tonnes in 2008 World gold production is expected to rise in 2009 10 with Australia scheduled to increase production by 15 percent 19 As of 2022 Newmont s Boddington gold mine located in Western Australia is Australia s biggest producing gold mine 21 Statistics edit nbsp Quarterly expenditure millions on exploration for gold in Western Australia since 1988 nbsp Western Australian gold production and value from 2000 to 2022Annual statistics for the Western Australian gold mining industry 1 22 23 24 25 26 27 Subject 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999Production kg annum 161 790 181 170 182 040 179 800 193 600 187 850 205 890 228 020 239 460 220 820Production value A billion 2 60 2 76 2 69 2 83 3 42 3 13 3 40 3 41 3 47 3 24Subject 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Production kg annum 204 960 201 210 185 000 187 240 177 010 167 350 166 170 161 770 141 480 136 610Production value A billion 2 95 3 25 3 28 3 44 3 11 3 02 3 71 4 22 4 14 5 23Employees 10 879 11 938 12 653 12 801 13 398 12 121 12 314 13 733 14 459 16 686Subject 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Production kg annum 163 830 183 800 180 390 178 680 196 074 193 162 195 968 203 003 212 060 211 534Production value A billion 6 55 8 19 9 40 8 97 8 89 9 11 10 11 10 86 11 42 11 96Employees 16 997 18 859 22 439 20 541 17 337 19 587 23 556 27 075 29 266 31 369Subject 2020 2021 2022Production kg annum 212 142 207 567 213 757Production value A billion 15 87 16 57 17 37Employees 31 679 34 153 36 087See also editHints to Prospectors and Owners of Treatment Plants Mineral fields of Western Australia State Batteries in Western Australia Western Australian gold rushesFurther reading editGarrick Moore Mining towns of Western Australia published 1997 ISBN 1 875449 34 5 Franklin White Miner with a Heart of Gold Biography of a Mineral Science and Engineering Educator FriesenPress 2020 ISBN 978 1 5255 7765 9 Hardcover ISBN 978 1 5255 7766 6 Paperback ISBN 978 1 5255 7767 3 eBook Notes edit a b c d Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2021 22 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 3 March 2023 a b c d e f Mining towns of Western Australia page 48 The Norseman Project Archived 17 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine Norseman Gold website accessed 30 December 2009 History Shire of Dundas website accessed 30 December 2009 a b Gwalia Historic Site History Archived 10 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed 4 September 2009 St Barbara website Leonora accessed 3 September 2009 Wiluna Edge of the desert author Phil Heydon publisher Hesperian Press published 1996 page IV accessed 23 March 2003 Wiluna Edge of the desert author Phil Heydon publisher Hesperian Press published 1996 page 15 accessed 23 March 2003 Mining towns of Western Australia page 45 Wiluna and the Goldfields Chapter 3 in Franklin White Miner with a Heart of Gold Biography of a Mineral Science and Engineering Educator ISBN 978 1 5255 7765 9 Hardcover ISBN 978 1 5255 7766 6 Paperback ISBN 978 1 5255 7767 3 eBook FriesenPress 2020 Mining towns of Western Australia page 93 Mineral and Petroleum Industry 2015 16 review Perth WA Department of Minerals and Petroleum Government of Western Australia 2016 Retrieved 24 October 2016 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2014 15 PDF Perth WA Department of Minerals and Petroleum Government of Western Australia Retrieved 24 October 2016 Western Australian Resources Industry Continues to Grow Overview 2008 09 Department of Mines and Petroleum website accessed 14 January 2010 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 09 page 29 accessed 16 January 2010 a b Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 09 page 30 accessed 16 January 2010 a b Western Australian mining fatalities database Archived 25 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed 19 February 2011 Key OSH Statistics Western Australia Work related lost time injuries diseases and fatalities in Western Australia PDF WorkSafe East Perth WA Government of Western Australia Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety October 2019 p 8 Retrieved 17 January 2020 a b c Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 09 page 31 Gold production graph accessed 6 February 2010 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2009 page 20 Gold production graph accessed 6 February 2010 Lucas Jarrod 5 March 2023 Foreign ownership of gold mines would rise above 50pc if Newmont Newcrest deal goes ahead analyst says ABC Goldfields Retrieved 5 March 2023 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2020 21 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 25 March 2022 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2019 20 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 31 March 2022 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2012 13 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 12 March 2023 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2002 03 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 12 March 2023 Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 1998 99 Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 31 March 2023 2017 Economic indicators resources data Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety accessed 30 May 2018External links editDepartment of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety MINEDEX website Database of the Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gold mining in Western Australia amp oldid 1176186213, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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