North of Southern Cross, in the Yilgarn Shire and Central Yilgarn (Craton), there was exploration for gold during the late 1880s and 1890s (thought to be first discovered in 1887). Some of the larger gold mines included Frasers at Southern Cross, Copperhead at Bullfinch and Marvel Loch south of Southern Cross. Prospecting for gold also occurred further north such as at Mt Jackson and Mt Manning. Gold mining in the Yilgarn Shire spanned ninety years, from 1888 to 1978 with peak activity in the 1930s when gold prices increased and then in the period 1952 to 1963.
Mineral exploration for iron ore by BHP began in the 1950s at Koolyanobbing and Helena and Aurora Range. An iron ore mine was established at Koolyanobbing by BHP in the 1960s to provide iron ore for a BHP steel rolling mill at Kwinana. The Koolyanobbing town site, which serviced the Koolyanobbing mine, was gazetted in 1965. The mine at Koolyanobbing was closed down in 1983. Ten years later, after the closure of the mine, in 1993/1994, the iron ore mine at Koolyanobbing was re-opened by Portman Iron Ore Limited (Portman).
Mining north of Southern Cross since the year 2000
In 2001, Portman proposed the Koolyanobbing Iron Ore Expansion Project to include new iron ore mines at Windarling and Mt Jackson (both Banded Ironstone Formation, BIF, ranges). This was submitted to the EPA of Western Australia as a PER (Public Environmental Review).
Following approvals, the Koolyanobbing mine operations were expanded in 2004, enabling the blending of the high grade haematite iron ore (from Windarling and Mt Jackson mines) with the lower grade haematite iron ore at Koolyanobbing. This was needed to meet market requirements.
In May 2008, an agreement was reached (following a dispute on tenement ownership rights between Polaris Metals and Portman of the Bungalbin East, J4 and J5 iron ore deposits), that gave Polaris Metals 100% ownership of the Bungalbin tenements.
In 2008, Cliffs Asia Pacific Pty Ltd (subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc / formerly Cliffs Natural Resources Inc) took over Portman Iron Ore Limited (made a final takeover bid in September-November 2008).
In 2011, an iron ore mine was developed at Carina, by Mineral Resources Ltd (MRL*) / Polaris Metals Pty Ltd (Polaris Metals), located south-east of Helena and Aurora Range. Helena and Aurora Range (Bungalbin) was also included within the Polaris Metals’ Yilgarn Iron Ore Project when they were successfully granted four mining leases on the Range. Polaris Metals became a wholly owned subsidiary of MRL in 2010.
In 2015, MRL / Polaris Metals began mining J4 deposit (mining tenement M77/1242, located on the low NW hills outside the Helena and Aurora Range Conservation Park boundary).
Three years later in 2018, Cliffs was planning to close down its mines in the Yilgarn. In response, the Windarling and Koolyanobbing mines were sold to MRL in August 2018. This included an agreement with the State government that MRL would aim to operate these mines for up to five years or effectively ship 30 million tonnes. During this time, no royalties would be required to be paid on the iron ore extracted by MRL.
In 2019, MRL added Parker Range to its ‘Yilgarn Hub’.
In 2019, Ramelius Resources Ltd started mining Watermen (Marda) gold mine located north of Mt Jackson Range (in the Mt Jackson Goldfield). Had been purchased from Black Oak Minerals Ltd (which was in liquidation) in 2018.
In 2023, mining ceased at Watermen (Marda) gold mine. In March 2025, the Marda Gold Mine was sold to Leeuwin Metals Ltd.
In June 2024, MRL announced that it would be winding down its iron ore operations in the Yilgarn, and were officially closed by the end of that year. The operations were moved to care and maintenance.
By June 2025, MRL had sold its iron ore mines (its Yilgarn Hub: including Koolyanobbing, Windarling, Carina, Parker Range) to Yilgarn Iron Investments Pty Ltd (YII). On MRL’s website, published on 30 June 2025, it was stated that “MinRes* ultimately operated Koolyanobbing for 6.5 years and exported around 45 million tonnes of iron ore from the Port of Esperance.”
*Mineral Resources Ltd: sometimes abbreviated to MinRes rather than MRL
Satellite imagery (2020) from Google Earth of the Central Yilgarn
Showing locations of mines and Banded Ironstone Formation (BIF) ranges in the Central Yilgarn
Exports of iron ore from the Central Yilgarn north of Southern Cross
It was in the 1960s that the railway lines from Perth to Kalgoorlie were realigned to standard gauge, to service the transport of iron ore from the Koolyanobbing mine. This became the transcontinental railway line. More recently (2004-2024), iron ore from the central Yilgarn (north of Southern Cross) has been exported either to the Kwinana Bulk Terminal in Perth via the transcontinental railway line or to the Esperance Port via the transcontinental railway line and Leonora-Esperance (standard gauge) railway line.
Sources:
- Brooker, Lesley (2006) Explorers routes revisited: expedition eastward from Northam: by the Dempster brothers, Clarkson, Harper and Correll, July-August 1861. Hesperian Press, Carlisle, Western Australia.
- Hunt, Lyall (1988) Yilgarn: good country for hardy people: the landscape and people of the Yilgarn Shire, Western Australia. Yilgarn Shire and Western Australian College of Advanced Education. Southern Cross, Western Australia. (available from Yilgarn Shire for purchase and located in Curtin University Library and Edith Cowan University Library)
- Duggan, Michael and Wake, Ian (2010) Koolyanobbing Place of Large Rocks and Big Hearts. Duggan Wake, Victoria Point, Queensland.
- Department of Industry and Resources (2008) Strategic review of an iron ore industry in the Yilgarn Region (with focus on the Midwest). Regional setting and benefits, Mineral prospectivity, Economic benefits, Social benefits and impact. In, Government of Western Australia (2008) Strategic review of the conservation and resource values of the banded iron formation of the Yilgarn Craton. 28 August 2008. * Shire of Yilgarn website, viewed January 2012;
- Wikipedia, viewed October 2011;
- Australia For Everyone website, viewed January 2012.
- Esperance Ports Sea and Land website; December 2011.
- The Esperance Port is overseen by the Esperance Ports Sea and Land, a corporate body that operates under the Port Authorities Act 1999.
- Esperance Port Authority Environmental Referral Document (2005) Revised Proposal to increase iron ore exports to 8 million tonnes per year. Document no. 04-08.
- Mineral Resources website: Sale of Yilgarn Hub completed. Published on 30 June 2025
