The Yarrie mine is an

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 ...

mine located 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 g ...

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 t ...

, 90 kilometres north-east of

Marble Bar Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

. The mine is majority-owned (85 percent)BHP Billiton Annual report 2010
BHP Billiton website, accessed: 6 December 2010 and operated by BHP and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara. The Yarrie mine is part of the Mount Goldsworthy joint venture, together with the Area C and Nimingarra mine, with the later being in

care and maintenance Care and maintenance is a term used in the mining industry to describe processes and conditions on a closed minesite where there is potential to recommence operations at a later date. During a care and maintenance phase, production is stopped but t ...

since 2007. BHP Billiton is the second-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind

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, ...

and ahead of

Fortescue Metals Group Fortescue Metals Group Limited (often referred to as Fortescue Metals Group, FMG, or simply Fortescue) is an Australian iron ore company. As of 2017, Fortescue is the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. The company has holdings of m ...

.Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistic Digest 2009
Department of Mines & Petroleum, accessed: 6 December 2010 , BHP employs 8,000 people in its Pilbara operations.About BHP Billiton Iron Ore
BHP Billiton website, accessed: 6 December 2010 On 25 February 2014, BHP Billiton announced it was suspending iron ore output at Yarrie indefinitely in a drive to cut costs.

Overview

The first iron ore mine in the Pilbara to develop was the

Goldsworthy mine Goldsworthy (named after the geographical feature Mount Goldsworthy) is a former mining town in Western Australia, east of Port Hedland, Western Australia, Port Hedland and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in t ...

in 1965, and the

Goldsworthy railway The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman rai ...

line as well as port facilities at Finucane Island were constructed. On 1 June 1966, the first shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara left on ''Harvey S. Mudd''.History of the Iron Ore Industry and the Pilbara
BHP Billiton website, accessed: 6 December 2010 The Yarri mine opened in December 1993. A number of iron ore mines have been operating in this area, along the Goldsworthy railway, among them the Goldsworthy, Nimingarra and

Shay Gap mine Shay Gap was an iron ore mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north-northeast of Perth and east of Port Hedland. Shay Gap was formally gazetted as a town in 1972. Shay Gap was named after a pass of the same name in the hil ...

s, but of those, only Yarrie still remains active. The fixed plant at Yarrie, capable of producing 8 million tonnes of ore per annum, has been placed in care and maintenance as well, with only a smaller, mobile plant now operating at the mine.

Indigenous affairs

In 2007, BHP Billiton awarded a A$300 million contract to Ngarda Civil and Mining, an Aboriginal-owned company, to manage the mine, the largest ever mining contract awarded to an Aboriginal company. As part of the five-year contract, BHP Billiton planned to increase the number of Aboriginal workers at the mine to 70, out of a total of 90 workers. The managing director of Ngarda, Brian Taylor, saw this contract as a positive step, moving Aboriginal people in the region away from government welfare and into permanent employment. Aboriginal Western Australians, in 2007, suffered from an unemployment rate of 14 percent, compare to 3.3 percent for the general population.Indigenous firm wins $300m BHP deal
''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'', published: 5 September 2007, accessed: 6 December 2010

References

{{Iron ore mining in Western Australia, state=collapsed Iron ore mines in Western Australia Surface mines in Australia Shire of East Pilbara BHP Itochu 1993 establishments in Australia 2014 disestablishments in Australia