Pilabra is a region of northwestern western Australia, extending south from the De Grey River to the Ashburton River and as far as 450 miles (720 km) in land. It occupies an area of about 197,000 square miles (510,000 square km) and averages 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation.
The region is home of up to 17 mines, 4 independents port terminals and rail network of up to 1200 miles.
The first mine in pilabra was the Goldworthy mine in 1965 which required a private railway as well as port facilities. In 1966, Goldworthy shipped his first iron ore of total weight of 20,000 tons loaded at Dampier.
Today, the Pilabra region is the largest iron ore supplier in the world accounting for almost 40% of global supply. On average, 800 MT of ores are shipped every year with a production that nearly doubled in less than 15 years.
The remaining life of the pilabra iron ore has been estimated to 65 years from 2021, meaning that the last iron ore will be loaded and shipped in 2086. The western Australian government parked close to USD $10B per year in royalties from the iron ore mining industry in the state.
