Pilbara Heavy Haul Railways
The Pilbara Heavy Haul Railways have become one of the world’s largest and most significant railway systems. The railways are an integral part of a major industry involving the mining, processing, railing and shipping of iron ore. Starting from scratch in the 1960s, the Pilbara region of Western Australia has become one of the world’s highest producing iron ore mining provinces. This required the development of new mines, railways, roads, towns, ports, power and communication systems and processing plants in a region that was then largely occupied by Aboriginal groups and the pastoral industry.
Remote from Perth and other centres of population, this development needed the provision or upgrading of all the facilities normally associated with industrial areas and their supporting communities. From the pioneering days of the 1960s there has been continual expansion and new development activity in the region. Many new mines have been established along with the necessary infrastructure. With the region’s still very extensive iron ore reserves and a continuing demand for the product, this development is likely to go on at some level for many years to come.
This heritage nomination is intended to recognise the significance of the whole of the Pilbara railway system, but concentrates on the four original heavy haul railways. These are the Mt Goldsworthy Port Hedland (Goldsworthy Railway), Paraburdoo Tom Price Dampier (Hamersley Railway), Newman Port Hedland (Mt Newman Railway), and Pannawonica Cape Lambert (Robe River Railway) lines. These railways are still operating, having been upgraded and added to over the last 50 years.
Ownership of the railways, mines and associated infrastructure has gone through various permutations over the years. These have included direct ownership, joint ventures and separate companies formed to operate the developments. The Goldsworthy and Mt Newman railways are now controlled by BHP Billiton or related companies, while the Hamersley and Robe River railways are controlled by Rio Tinto Iron Ore or related companies.
Rio Tinto supports the nomination for heritage recognition of their railways, and these are the subject of this formal nomination. In 2016 the company will be celebrating 50 years since its first shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara. It has asked if the placing and unveiling of the proposed heritage markers can be carried out that year, in conjunction with other commemorative activities relating to the original development of the overall mining project.
Whilst only two of the four earliest railways are being nominated for heritage recognition at this stage, it is considered most appropriate to include descriptions of all four. This is in order to recognise and illustrate the overall pioneering development of the railways serving the Pilbara iron ore mining industry and their significance to Australia. It is also relevant that significant collaboration took place between the companies developing the early railways in establishing engineering standards and practices. It is intended that at a later date the original BHP Billiton railways will be nominated for formal heritage recognition. Mention is also made of subsequent development of the original heavy haul railways, together with the more recent railways built or under construction by Fortescue Metals Group to the Solomon and Chichester hubs, and by Hancock Prospecting to the Roy Hill mine.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage International Marker (EHIM) |
| Award Date | 22 August 2016 |
| Heritage Significance | The original railways required engineering innovation to overcome local issues including high temperatures, cyclonic weather, remote locations, minimal existing infrastructure, lack of prior design and construction experience in the area, and lack of data on local conditions, particularly rainfall and runoff. In the early stages of operation, the planned quantities of ore to be hauled were quickly exceeded, leading to failures and maintenance difficulties. Heavy haul railways in the United States suffered similar problems. Whereas the US companies decided to reduce the loadings, the Pilbara companies decided to increase the railway capacities based on technical research and innovation, the outcomes of which are internationally recognised. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Not Available. |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Available here. |
