Mount Tom Price lies in the Hamersley Range, also known as Karijini, in Western Australia. This part of the Hamersley Range contains one of the richest known deposits of iron ore in the world. It lies about 1,030 miles (1,660 kilometers) north of Perth.
A company was formed in 1962 to mine leases covering a large area that included the Mount Tom Price deposits. Huge mechanical shovels and other complex equipment extract the ore from open-cut sites. Some sections work three shifts a day. The company responsible for mining the iron ore built a 180-mile (290-kilometer) railroad to Dampier, where it developed deepwater harbor facilities and set up a pellet-making factory, operational from 1966. Ore is exported to Japan and Europe.
The Australian explorer Francis Thomas Gregory visited the Hamersley Range in 1861. He named the range in honor of Ed Hamersley, a settler in Guildford in Western Australia who had contributed generously to his expedition. Gregory wrote of the presence of iron ore, but he did not realize the immense quantities available. He was more interested in the possible discovery of gold.
The climate of this dry, subtropical region can be trying. In summer, storms bring heavy rain during the monsoon season. But the total rainfall each year is only 9 to 13 inches (23 to 33 centimeters). The temperatures can be as high as 120 °F (49 °C) in summer and 84 °F (29 °C) in winter.
