Pannawonica is a 'closed' mining town with the major stakeholder being Rio Tinto. The town was established in 1970 to provide services for those miners and their families involved in the open cut mining of iron ore in the Robe River valley
Pannawonica is one of a number of remote-area iron-ore-mining towns built throughout the Pilbara to house workers operating open-cut mines and the loading of ore trains. It is a 'closed town', having limited facilities for visitors, the company's accommodation being reserved for its staff and visiting contractors. Some visitor accommodation is available at the Pannawonica Tavern.
The iron ore from the town is transported to the coast by a private railway owned by Robe River Associates. It is shipped overseas and to the rest of Australia from the railhead at Cape Lambert.
In 2011, Pannawonica reportedly had the highest median weekly income of any town in Australia, due to the high income of its mine workers.
The highlight of the year in Pannawonica is the Robe River Gala where the whole town turns out for a weekend of activity including the social event of the year the Gala Ball, held in July each year.
Where is it?
198 km south east of Karratha and 1,425 km north of Perth.
Karijini National Park
For sheer rugged beauty and a diversity of gorges, waterfalls, rockpools and canyons, few areas of Australia come near this region. International tourists are unanimous in naming their visit to Karijini National Park as a highlight of their trip to Australia. Stretching for more than 400 km through the Pilbara region of Western Australia , the Hamersley Ranges contain many spectacular gorges have been carved by the waters of the Fortescue and other rivers. Karijini is less than 2 hours drive North from Newman along the sealed Great Northern Highway.
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