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ABC News
28-04-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Tourism operator calls for investigation into water levels at Karijini National Park
The condition of Karijini National Park's spectacular gorges is worrying traditional owners and business operators as Western Australia's tourism season looms. The national park, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, is the traditional home of the Banjima, eastern Kuruma, and Yingawangka people. Banjima man Felix Wilfert is a wood carver who often cuts paperbark trees from Karijini. He said there was a creek that flowed through the back roads and that the water was always deep enough to cover the bonnet of his vehicle. "The last time I went there, last year, there was no water there — nothing," he said. Felix Wilfert says he has seen trees dying in parts of the national park. ( ABC Pilbara: Mietta Adams ) Mr Wilfert said trees appeared to be dying in the area and that parts of the park were drier than usual. Mr Wilfert said that because of the area's high altitude, the water at Karijini ran down the hills to neighbouring tributaries. "Water and rain are a big thing to us," he said. "It mainly runs all underground. "It's like the backbone of our culture — that's what the elders left behind. "They said: 'Take care of the land and the water.'" Repeat visitors and tourism operators say the trail leading to Hancock Gorge is usually filled with waist-high water. ( ABC Pilbara: Mietta Adams ) Risk of partial closure Karijini Eco Retreat manager Drew Norrish said long-time staff and repeat guests were noticing lower water levels at some gorges. "We need the gorges to remain open all season," he said. "When there's no water flow, it can cause stagnated water and parts of the national park can close. " There are several hundred thousand people that come through every year and water plays a massive part in the experience. " Mr Norrish said the situation was puzzling because he believed the area had received more rain over the most recent wet season — November to April — than the previous season. The Bureau of Meteorology's only weather station in the national park has already recorded 113 more millimetres of rain this wet season than the 2023–24 season. Mr Wilfert suggested neighbouring mining companies could be causing the lower water levels. "I think it's something to do with mining and there should be water there all the time, really," he said. Karijini's waterfalls and gorges attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to WA's Pilbara region every year. ( ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates ) Miners vow to protect park The national park sits within the heart of the Pilbara's multi-billion-dollar network of iron ore mines, which are owned by some of the country's biggest companies, including BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, and Hancock Prospecting. Rio Tinto's Marandoo mine is bordered by the national park on three sides and is about 50 kilometres from some of the most popular gorges. Since 2010, Rio Tinto has mined below the water table at Marandoo, which involves the removal of groundwater to access the iron ore. A Rio Tinto spokesperson said the aquifer connected to Marandoo was regularly monitored. There has been speculation about the impact mines in the area could be having on the park. ( ABC Pilbara: Charlie Mclean ) "We continue to conduct monitoring of all water sources we access as required under our environmental approvals," the spokesperson said. " Our work is ongoing to reduce water usage across our operations. " Fortescue Metals Group, which also operates mines near Karijini, said it always tried to minimise its impact on the environment. "Regarding Karijini National Park specifically, we recognise its environmental and cultural significance and remain committed to safeguarding this iconic region," a spokesperson said. Calls for investigation Mr Norrish said it was time for the state government to investigate the condition of the gorges. "It's not healthy to have speculative reasons," he said. "I just feel like we as a community … need to get the facts on the table so we can deal with it knowing that everyone has the same information." The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation did not respond when asked if it would investigate the situation, but pointed out rainfall during the past three wet seasons at Karijini National Park had been below the long-term average. "This results in low recharge to watercourses and aquifers," the department said in a statement. " The government is confident that the monitoring regimes and protections in place are appropriate. " Drew Norrish wants the government to investigate, but says the national park is still a top destination. ( ABC Pilbara: Charlie McLean ) The ABC understands an organisation representing some of the national park's traditional owners has started its own investigation and commissioned a hydrogeologist to assist. Mr Norrish said people visiting Karijini this year could still expect a great experience. "You know, [there are] two billion years of geology, but also the cultural connection to country — it's very active and still very much alive with the traditional owners," he said. "Karijini is one of the most amazing places in Australia … so we're very keen to make sure it remains at the top of the list for tourists travelling through WA."
ABC News
26-04-2025
- General
- ABC News
Newman's 'retro house' celebrates outback town's mining history
The mining town of Newman, 1,170-kilometres north-east of Perth, is an iron-ore powerhouse. Today, the mines that surround it are worth more than $24 billion a year in revenue. But like many towns in WA's remote Pilbara, it does not have a local museum. And it means there's nowhere that publicly celebrates the human stories behind the immense mineral wealth. "When I walk down the street of this town, when I walk past buildings; they're full of stories, they're full of history," local historian Lisa Rickert said. "And they're worth preserving." The 'snake man' Twelve years ago, Ms Rickert, who has lived in Newman almost her whole life, decided to do just that. Lisa Rickert has recorded more than 100 interviews with current and former Newman residents. ( ABC Pilbara: Charlie Mclean ) Using more than 100 interviews with current and former residents, and an ever-growing collection of archival photos, she built One of her favourites is the late Charlie Snell, a man who came to Newman in 1966, when it was just a collection of tents supporting the construction of the Mt Whaleback mine. "He was known as the 'snake man,'" Ms Rickert said. "Back then there were two men to a tent but no-one would share with Charlie because he usually had a reptile on his person. "He, along with the help of the local First Nations people, collected seedlings and started Newman's first nursery ... to grow plants in the town." Charlie Snell (right) was known as the "snake man" for his love of the reptiles. ( Supplied: Lisa Rickert/Newman History 6753 ) From an early age, Mr Snell had helped his grandfather, in south-west WA, grow flowers and vegetables for the Perth market and he used that knowledge in Newman. Photos of Mr Snell are now hung on the walls of an original, "1968" home Ms Rickert has restored for her latest project: the Newman "retro house". Joint effort to create 'retro house' At the end of the "tent city" era of the 1960s, Mt Newman Mining Company (bought out by BHP in the early 90s) built a series of identical cottages for its workers. In 1966, Newman was a tent city as the country's biggest open-pit iron-ore mine was being established. ( Supplied: Lisa Rickert/Newman History 6753 ) Ms Rickert bought and restored one of the first homes built in the remote mining town, to celebrate the formative years of WA's mining industry. She has set up the home exactly as it would have looked in the late 60s by sourcing original furniture and other common items from her childhood. But she hasn't had to do it alone, with past and present Newman residents donating old belongings for the project. "I've even had people bring things back from out of town," Ms Rickert said. "Other people have posted things up [online] when they've found them. "They think, 'Oh, will I throw this out? Or will I donate it to the history project?'" In 2022, Ms Rickert bought a worker's cottage built in 1968 and has recreated its original interior design. ( Supplied: Darren Field Photography ) Earlier this year, Ms Rickert made the home's three bedrooms available to travellers or workers on short-term contracts needing a place to stay. "[When] they are ex-residents of Newman, they will go crazy for these old 70s or 80s pieces of furniture because they have that connection with it," Ms Rickert said. "It brings back memories of their time here." Love-letter to mining life Ms Rickert hopes the stories laid out in the house and on the website challenge the view that mining towns are places only to work, not to live. She said right from the town's opening, its isolation and extreme temperatures bonded people together. Ms Rickert's collection of archival photos capture the spirit of Newman's formative years. ( Supplied: Lisa Rickert/Newman History 6753 ) "I think it was an exciting time [in the 60s] for those young people and they looked upon it as a challenge. "Being so isolated back then and so far away from family, which we are today … the people, the friends that you make in town, they sort of become your family. "The bond between Newman people is so strong they actually have an annual reunion every year in March." Some of Ms Rickert's items poke fun at Newman's isolation and reputation for being a tough place to live. ( ABC Pilbara: Charlie Mclean ) But she recognises not everyone is up for the "challenge". "There's the other side," Ms Rickert said. "When Dad first came to town in March of 1970 the average stay was two weeks. "So a lot of the men that came here took one look around and just said 'No, I'm not bringing my family here' and jumped on the next flight home."
ABC News
21-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
WA's iron ore sector faces new competitor in Africa's giant Simandou mine
Iron ore is the economic lifeblood of Western Australia. Last year alone, a quarter of the state government's entire revenue came from iron ore royalties, flowing directly into state coffers from the red dirt of the Pilbara. But WA's iron ore sector is about to face a new competitor in the form of the Simandou mine in the African nation of Guinea. Simandou holds one of the largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposits in the world. When is export slated to begin? After setbacks and delays, the massive mine is finally on track to deliver a fresh wave of high-grade iron ore to the market. Export is slated to start by the end of the year, according to Rio Tinto, the principal investor in the region. It expects production to ramp up over 30 months to a capacity of 60 million tonnes per year. And the iron ore from the Simandou deposit is expected to fetch a high price too. Tim Treadgold says the iron ore desposit at Simandou is very high grade. ( ABC News: Angela Ho ) Resources analyst Tim Treadgold said this was due to the grading process. The percentage of iron in the ore at Simandou is "very high and very good" at 65 per cent compared with the Pilbara's iron ore, which has "dropped" to an average of 61 per cent. While a few percentage points may not seem like much, a higher grade can indicate fewer impurities, meaning the commodity will fetch a higher price. Could Simandou be the 'Pilbara killer'? Not likely. The project has been dubbed the 'Pilbara killer' for its potential to dethrone Australia's economic crown jewel. But some economists and mining analysts believe the title is nothing more than a snappy headline. Iron ore royalties account for a significant part of WA's income. ( ABC Pilbara: Laura Birch ) WA exported nearly 950 million tonnes of iron ore according to the state government's 2024 iron ore profile, making WA the largest iron ore supplier in the world and accounting for 38 per cent of global supply in 2023. "Put it in perspective — 60 million tonnes against [around] 900 million tonnes. Well, it's not even 10 per cent. It's not going to put WA out of business," Mr Treadgold said. He also pointed out that mines start closing the moment they open because resources are finite. "Mines are closing every day, and you need new mines to come online to fill the gap. It's a perfectly natural process," he said. Photo shows Empty iron ore wagons on train tracks in bushland near Kalgoorlie. WA's Yilgarn region has been home to iron ore mining on and off since the 1950s, but the final trainload of the steel-making ingredient has arrived at Esperance Port. China is the largest market for WA's iron ore exports, followed by Japan and South Korea. Iron ore production rose rapidly from the 2000s to the mid-2010s, in large part due to demand from China. But Chinese steel production appears to be peaking, as the country shifts towards recycling its own scrap steel like the US and Europe. Mr Treadgold said this "natural progression" meant less reliance on raw iron ore, with recycled steel becoming a main source. "All the iron ore that's been turned into steel over the last couple of hundred years is still out there somewhere," he said. " You can call it an above ground mine. There's an enormous industry involved in collecting scrap and reproducing it. " But Mr Treadgold believed this did not pose a real threat to the local iron ore sector, as WA could provide high-grade supplementary "top-ups" to production, finding a "new place in the pecking order". Matt Grudnoff, a senior economist at the Australia Institute, agreed the impact from Simandou was going to be far from dramatic. "If it has an impact, it will be over the longer term, and we will see the WA economy adjust over time," he said. Matt Grundoff doesn't expect to see any dramatic effect from the output of the Simandou mine. ( Supplied ) "I don't think it would necessarily spell the doom of the WA economy. It's likely just to see a slowdown in growth." So what is the risk? While short-term effects aren't imminent, the WA economy's dependence on the resources sector has long raised eyebrows among leading national economists. "Financial planners will tell you to not put all your eggs in one basket. Absolutely, the WA economy has too many eggs in the iron or the resource basket," Mr Grudnoff said. Photo shows Iron ore stockpiles line up on a coastline China's cooling property market has seen iron ore prices tumble faster than expected this year, and the decline could see $3 billion wiped from the federal budget. How concerned should WA be? "Economic history is littered with examples of economies that were overly specialised, and then something came along and disrupted that market … and so those economies have withered and died." The best economies are diversified but Mr Grudnoff conceded this was "easier said than done". It's difficult to predict ahead of time what areas are beneficial to diversity into, according to Mr Grudnoff. "It's the government's job, not necessarily to pick winners, but to allow the economy to be able to grow into areas that it is particularly good at and expand in those areas," he said. But what if demand did dry up? House prices and unemployment rates in WA would be affected. With mining workers typically earning high wages, the sudden loss of employment would have an "immediate downward impact on house prices", as unemployed workers rush to sell, unable to service a mortgage. Photo shows A dump truck emptying a pile of red dirt into a very large mine - there are hills in the background. Whether WA can ever develop industries to replace iron ore is a pressing question that appears to have few answers in Treasurer Rita Saffioti's inaugural budget. "Yes, we would definitely see perhaps an uptick in unemployment. Yes, house prices in particular would be impacted by a slowdown," Mr Grudnoff said. "We've seen this over decades, where the boom and bust in the mining industry has caused these ups and downs in the housing market. "But more broadly, I think the economy would continue on, just perhaps at a slower rate." Loading
