This was once Mount Whaleback, iron mine

The Ophthalmia Range is a

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is approximately north of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

; the nearest town is

Newman Newman is a surname of English origin and may refer to many people: The surname Newman is widespread in the core Anglosphere. A *Abram Newman (1736–1799), British grocer *Adrian Newman (disambiguation), multiple people *Al Newman (born 1960) ...

, approximately to the south in the

Hamersley Range The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The range was named on 12 June 1861 by explorer Francis Thomas Gregory after Edward Hamersley (senior), Edward Hamersley, a prominent promoter of his explo ...

. There are several variations of the spelling of Ophthalmia.

History

The first recorded sighting of the range was by the explorer Francis Thomas Gregory in 1861. On expedition he noted the obvious

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

deposits that colour the range. The range was named in 1876 by

Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...

; Giles was temporarily blinded when he reached the area after travelling east from the headwaters of the Ashburton River and had to be led by his second in charge Alec Ross; he named the range after his condition at the time. Giles' vision later recovered and he left unimpressed with the land. The next expedition to the area was conducted in 1896 when Aubrey Woodward Newman attempted to lead a party overland from Cue to Roebourne. Newman succumbed to

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

before the expedition began and William Rudell took command. He later named Mount Newman () in the Ophthalmia Range after his deceased leader. Daisy Bates and her husband Jack had a pastoral lease in the Ophthalmia Range which they relinquished in 1914. The lease was subsequently taken over by William Albert Snell (1872-1942) a Western Australian Outback identity in the same year. The area was surveyed by a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

named H. Talbot in 1913. Talbot travelled through the area north of Peak Hill as part of a larger survey that commenced in 1910. The survey was mostly interested in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

, and made no mention of the

deposits. Mount Whaleback, which has been mined for iron ore for over 20 years, is a part of the Ophthalmia Range. The eastern end of the range is connected to the

References

{{coord, 23, 16, 29, S, 119, 33, 27, E, source:enwiki-plaintext-parser, display=title Mountain ranges of Western Australia Fortescue River