Round Australia: Day 12

Day 12 Tom Price

Well my celebratory fireworks last night were perfect. Today we went on our mine tour to Rio Tinto mine. The tour was different from Newman but just as fun. We all had to wear the hard hats and

On the main Haulage road

The Pit

safety glasses as per norm and loaded onto our bus. The driver was our guide for the tour and was just great. Whereas in Newman, the tour went to the lookout and that was as close as you got, this tour was very different. The tour went into the mine site and we had to wait while the driver radioed in asking permission to use the road. They came back and said the road was closed for

At the lookout

Haul Pak passing Lookout

maintenance and we had to wait for an escort vehicle. The usual road crossed the main Haul Pak road but today we escorted along the same road as the Haul Pak! We were rapt! We got up to the lookout which was not as high as Newman, but just as impressive. The hole is huge and they have a number of them dotted around the site. We could see the trucks easily and they were very busy. Whilst in the lookout, Haul Paks drove just passed us,

Haul Pak passing

Coming out of the pit

you could literally throw a stone and hit them! The tour guide did not give you much of a point out but you could work it out.

We got back on the bus and headed back down to drive through the processing unit and as we drove back down, We passed Haul Paks going back to the pit. They were huge before, they were bigger when next to

Sharing the road with a Haul Pak

Stock pile

you. The processing plant tour was great. He explained the different stages of crushing and loading and how the expansion of the conveyor belts out to new mines will see the site in use for the next 40 plus years. They did not give out a data sheet so I cannot reel off facts and figures, but the mine history is that some American dude called Tom Price came over here for Kaiser Steel and he and Lang Hancock set about developing the mine. Our guide gave them the credit for removing the export embargo and starting the mining industry. He apparently went to work and heard that the mining lease had been granted and had a heart attack and died. Anyhow, they named the town in his honour and recognition of his hard work.

at the Festival

We drove back to town, no tea and scones this time, and we went back to the Info Centre. They had been very accommodating in allowing me to park my Gopher in the Centre. We had driven into town in the Pajero (need to find a name, Van is Girt as in “Our home is Girt by Sea”) and unloaded it without my winch (still broke) and rode into the tour. A good friend Rick Tarr had read the blog and realised that we were in Tom Price, as is he. He rang us and we made a date for lunch. He sent text saying he was finishing a night shift and would sleep until 12:30 meet you at hotel, me being city slicker replied which hotel? He replied “the” hotel, there is only one. Anyway, we had some time to kill and wandered around the festival. Great little festival, like Mandurah’s Crab Fest before it became commercial. As we went around we saw the food vans – Kebab Van and Lamb Van. Annette and Mary were not there but Anthony was so we said hello. While waiting for an ice cream Maureen ran into a parent of a child she had taught, all this way from home and still cannot leave the people behind.

Lunch was great, we met in the beer garden, a popular place for the workers. Rick was looking well

Lunch with Rick

and he shouted us lunch, the biggest T-bone steaks I had seen in a while. Whilst we were there, we shared a table with another couple, one of whom flew helicopters, an obvious intro for us, but he could not get regular work so he and his partner were working on a mine. Turns out they are from Coolup – Pinjarra!!

Feeding the locals

Lunch over we said goodbye to Rick who is working at Marandoo and did a bit of shopping before heading home. A little rest and we were looking at booking into Exmouth

A gathering of Galahs

on Monday when there was a commotion next door with the Galahs. They were feeding them some bread and they were landing on their hands. Well Maureen went out lickety split with some bread and you can see the result.

After booking in to Exmouth for Monday, we went for a drive to the top of Mount Nameless. This is the highest mountain in WA that you can

Up the hill

drive on in 4WD only. The road is very, very steep but our old girl got us to the top without a hitch. The view is spectacular from there. You can see the mine clearly and its many pits.