Tom Price is a mining town 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 located inland, at the edge of 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 ...

. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level () in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA".

Overview

Primarily an iron ore mining town, the

Mount Tom Price mine The Mount Tom Price mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near the town of Tom Price. The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in ...

(situated approximately out of town) is under the control of mining giant

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, a ...

. Due to the mid-2000s and late-2010s resource booms in Western Australia, Tom Price is one of the more affluent non-metropolitan regions in Australia, with the average Rio Tinto employee's wage being significantly higher than the Australian average. Tom Price had a population of 3005 at the 2016 census, and its median age of 31 reflected Tom Price's relatively young family-oriented community. Tom Price is the closest town to

Karijini National Park Karijini National Park is an List of national parks of Australia, Australian national park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in the northwestern section of Western Australia. The park is located north of the Tropic of Caprico ...

and is serviced by the nearby

Paraburdoo Airport Paraburdoo Airport is an airport serving Paraburdoo, a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The airport is located northeast of Paraburdoo. It also serves the town of Tom Price, with bus services completing the extra to Tom Pri ...

Origin of the name of the town

Tom Price (both the town, the mine and the mountain) was named after Thomas Moore Price, the vice-president of the giant United States steel company

Kaiser Steel Kaiser Steel was a steel mill near Fontana, California, founded by Henry J. Kaiser on December 1, 1941. The plant's first blast furnace, "Bess No. 1" (named after Kaiser's wife) was fired up on December 30, 1942, and the first steel plate was pr ...

. Price was one of the main initiators and supporters of the opening up of the Pilbara region to iron ore mining.

Recreational activities

Tom Price is a very sports-oriented community, partly due to the young population and the lack of other facilities within the town. Tom Price has a range of recreational activities including motocross, speedway, BMX, and many sporting facilities including an Olympic-sized pool, well-equipped gym, tennis, squash, netball, volleyball, golf and basketball courts and three ovals used for football, softball and soccer. The

Fortescue National Football League The Fortescue National Football League, named after the Fortescue River, is an Australian rules football competition based in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It features three clubs (Panthers, Tigers, Townsite Eagles) from the town of To ...

organises

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

in Tom Price and the nearby town of Paraburdoo. The town also boasts an unusually high level of artists. Artists in Tom Price often focus on painting and photography, such works often focus on landscapes or linked with Aboriginal heritage.

Attractions

Being situated in the Pilbara, Tom Price is in a close proximity to many popular attractions, including

, Millstream, Wittenoom and Mount Nameless/Jarndunmunha. Tourist season usually goes from May through to October. This is due to the heat of the Australian Summer, and the irregular cyclones from October to April.

Schools

* North Tom Price Primary School * Tom Price Primary School *

Tom Price Senior High School Tom Price Senior High School is a government comprehensive secondary school located in Tom Price, a regional centre north east of Perth, Western Australia. The school is operated by the WA Department of Education. The school principal is ...

Due to its isolation and small population many parents choose to send their children away to boarding schools to further their secondary education, particularly university-bound students, as Tom Price Senior High lacks the student numbers to fulfil the required class numbers set by the Department of Education and Training for many Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) subjects. Some TEE subjects are available through distance education (SIDE). Many students further their studies in areas linked to the mines such as through automotive and trade subjects, often linking into apprenticeships.

Gallery

File:Tom Price - Tom Price Senior High School.JPG, Tom Price Senior High School File:Karijini NP - Fern Pool.JPG, Fern Pool in Karijini National Park is a popular destination for tourists File:Tom Price WA - Mount Nameless.JPG, Jarndunmunha (Mount Nameless), the second highest peak in Western Australia with vehicle access (after

Mount Meharry Mount Meharry is the highest mountain in Western Australia. It is located in the Hamersley Range within the southeastern part of Karijini National Park in the Pilbara region, approximately south-southeast of Wittenoom, and east-southeast of ...

), is located in Tom Price.

Notes

External links

Sydney Morning Herald Travel - Tom Price
{{authority control Hamersley Range Mining towns in Western Australia Shire of Ashburton