Opening of new Brockman mine

Western Australian industry has earned more than $60 million in bringing Hamersley's newest iron ore mine into production, Deputy Premier Ian Taylor said today.

Mr Taylor, who was opening the new Brockman mine 60 km north-west of Tom Price, said WA companies had shared 85 per cent of the mine's development and supply contracts.

"It is resource developments like this which are not only keeping local companies buoyant but have helped create more than 7,000 new jobs among WA's manufacturers in recent months," he said.

Mr Taylor said Brockman's development would not have occurred had world demand for Western Australian iron ore not been rising strongly.

"The Brockman mine is quite unlike any other iron ore deposit developed by Hamersley," he said.

"It is a relatively small-scale venture which uses existing infrastructure to tap into a valuable but limited mineral deposit.

"The mine is expected to operate for about five years, but if it proves successful, we can expect others of the kind to be opened up."

The deposit contains about 20 million tonnes of high grade detrital ore and 12.5 million tonnes of low grade fines.

Detrital deposits like those at Brockman were formed millions of years ago, when iron from the surrounding range was progressively washed into valleys.

The mine site lies two thirds of the way from the port of Dampier to the mining town of Tom Price, and just 45 km south of the main railway line which now carries Tom Price ore to the coast.

As part of the Brockman development, Hamersley has built a spur line to link the new mine with the railway.

It has also built a demountable 'village' to accommodate the 100 mine workers who will be living at the Brockman site.

Because Brockman will be open for only a short period, the mine will be operated under contract by the Readymix Group which will also own the mine's treatment facilities.