"Bauxite Mining in Weipa." Weipa by australia2

Weipa Travel Guide: 0 reviews and 13 photos

Mining in The Tropics.

Weipa is situated three quarters of the way up the west side of Cape York Penninsula. The sole reason for its existance is the "mining" of Bauxite - the raw material in the manufacture of aluminium. It is not mined in the normal sense as it exists as the surface layer of the area - three and more metres deep. There is a topsoil to be removed first and then the "gardening" goes on with huge bulldozing and trucking machinery. Surface Mining.
A rehabilitation program is part of the process and the environment is returned to better than it was before. Many interesting aspects of Weipa's existance are to be found.
An important one is that access by 4WD vehicle road ends with the onset of the monsoon Wet season around December. Weipa is then supplied by sea-going barge from Karumba at the bottom of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Another is the great pleasure it gives the many "fisher-folk" in the challenge of landing one of the large Barrmundi which frequent these waters. A very wary eye has to be constantly out for the dangerous " Saltie", the man-(person!) eating large saltwater crocodile. That is the very dangerous part.
Historically, Matthew Flinders recorded the "red cliffs" in his journal when he was circumnnavigating and charting Australia's coastline in 1802/3.
It is a fasinating place to visit and is very comfortably set up. The town is run by Comalco.

Outback Region.

.Cooktown, some v rough 50 Ks behind us.

The traffic going by road has to contend with unsealed bone-jarring, corrugated surface for approximately 400 kilometres. And then only in the "Dry" season. Along the way, the bitumen surface appears now and again and teases the traveller before disappearing once more. The observation of names on road-signs becomes an evocative past-time for ever, once it is experienced. "Far away places with strange sounding names ...." The song of the traveller.

Getting Bauxite.

Scraping the surface with spectators.????

Watching the "gardening" being done --yes, "surface mining".

Please drop in to my Weipa Travelogue. Lower quality pics but more excitement/reality ??

Last visit to Weipa: Aug 1998
Intro Updated Aug 14, 2007
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Travelogues (2)

1 - 2 of 2

Comments (8)

tropicrd Oct 22, 2010 at 5:57 PM Report Abuse

Aussies sure are tough--- where is siggy now?
Aye_lukey Aug 14, 2006 at 8:31 AM Report Abuse

Man!!! i have just read the story of siggy! In England ozzys have a reputation for being absolutley nuts this tops the lot of them. This is mental.... Respect dude !!!! I dont know how you did it *:)
iandsmith Dec 30, 2005 at 9:26 PM Report Abuse

Shame one can't read the newspaper clipping, looks interesting.
cnango Sep 18, 2005 at 9:17 PM Report Abuse

Wow those road trains sound wild! What an adventure you had. Looking forward to reading more about Oz .Thanks for sharing : )
aussirose Feb 12, 2005 at 4:20 AM Report Abuse

G'day Laurie. Yep, like your stop off & take & easy tip while the road trains pass haha. Except I would down a Tooheys dry instead :o) Cheers, Ann.
pepples46 May 15, 2004 at 8:02 PM Report Abuse

Comalco, a well known name in NZ too....big industrial giant near Invercargill excellent page Laurie how hart those roads are, one has to try it to know, just once....bugger
unravelau Mar 30, 2004 at 6:02 PM Report Abuse

Will return for more. Meanwhile, have a great birthday.
1+1 Mar 2, 2004 at 11:58 PM Report Abuse

Have a friend from this area, so must visit one day.