The town is based around the BHP mine of Mt Whaleback , the largest open-cut mine in the world . During peak season , there are bus tours into the mine and its processing area .
It was in 1861 that explorer Francis Gregory led the first expedition through the Pilbara . He reported that ore in the hills was playing havoc with his compass readings .
Small-time ore mining was taking place in the 1880s when a little gold was found around Nullagine and Marble Bar . The Pilbara was slowly developing around the coast area , but it was in 1957 that Stan Hilditch climbed a nearby mountain ( now called Mount Whaleback ) and realised that it was a massive ore deposit . Stan , his wife , Elda , and business partner , Charles Warman , kept the discovery quiet for several years while an embargo was in place .
Work started in 1960 to start extracting the estimated 3 billion tonnes of ore , with massive trains carrying the ore 430km to Port Headland for worldwide export .
SITES TO EXPLORE
There are some stunning areas to explore around Newman , such as Cathedral Gorge on the way into Newman , plus Kalgan Pool and Eagle Rock Falls , which is accessible only by 4WD .
Kev Smith camped at Skull Springs .
Kalgan Pool Track .
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