BHP marks the 30-year anniversary of South Australia’s Olympic Dam mine
THIRTY years after Olympic Dam began unearthing billions in economic returns, BHP is still helping shape the future of one small Outback town and this very big nation.
BHP is marking 30 years of mining at Olympic Dam in South Australia’s north and the community created around one of the world’s great mineral deposits
THE SEARCH FOR TREASUREIn 1975, a geologist from Western Mining Corporation caught the first scent of precious metal below the red sands of Roxby Downs station in Outback South Australia – a find that would translate into one of the world’s greatest mineral deposits. But it would take tenacity, innovation, a huge investment and a little bit of luck before the true nature and extent of the deposit was revealed as the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium worldwide.Many cores were drilled from the bedrock beneath the sand, in locations based on new theories developed by bright young scientist Douglas Haynes. But even then, the teams could easily have missed the mother lode. It was not until November 1976, as faith in the program was waning, that drilling detected the presence of more copper ore in the area, in a moment that became the “discovery of Olympic Dam”. Millions more dollars were spent proving the presence of massive amounts of copper, gold, uranium and other minerals, enough to spur the creation of a giant underground excavation, opened in 1988, and a brand new town, built as home to the community that would mine it.Owner BHP – which bought the mine 550km north of Adelaide in 2005 – is this year marking 30 years of a growing operation – and the dogged pursuit of Western Mining and its explorers to bring the project to life.
STORMY TIMESThe path to the opening of the mine on November 5, 1988, was arduous and relied on the outcome of one of the most controversial periods in the state’s political history.The need to mine the uranium at Olympic Dam, in order to get access to the copper, gold and silver present, turned a complex mining proposal into a political hot potato that would set David Tonkin’s Liberal state government and John Bannon’s Labor opposition at each other’s throats.The fate of the Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) Act 1982 came down to the vote of one man. Staunchly Labor Norm Foster had sat on the Select Committee into the project and was not convinced uranium mining was the environmental or ethical scourge his Labor colleagues believed it to be. His arguments fell on deaf ears and the day before a final vote on the project he resigned from the party “following threats on his life, and abuse to his wife during debate on the Bill”, The Advertiser reported. The next day, “Stormy Normie” crossed the floor of Parliament to give his vote to the government and clear the way for the new mine.
TALK OF THE TOWNBy the time Olympic Dam was officially opened 30 years ago – ironically by new Labor Premier John Bannon – $750 million had been spent on its development, with another $1 million being spent every day.In 1988, the mine had about 30km of underground tunnels, with nearby mills, a hydrometallurgical plant, copper smelter and copper refinery. Western Mining planned to extract the 2000 million tonnes of rock containing copper, uranium, gold and silver from Olympic Dam at the rate of 1.5 million tonnes of ore a year. An estimated four million tonnes of copper have come from the site.The town of Roxby Downs had also risen from the sand dunes to house and support the thousands or miners and other workers needed to keep Olympic Dam in production.Located 13km down the track from the mine, the town was designed to house 2600 people, with room for more. “Roxby creates the impression that a slab of the metropolitan area has been lifted and dropped 600 kilometres north of Adelaide, left in a harsh environment to fend for itself,” The Advertiser reported in 1988. The report noted that the population felt they were “doing quite well, thank you very much”.In a joint venture between the state government and Western Mining and BritishPetroleum, houses, schools, community hubs, pools, sports and recreation facilities, shopping and medical centres were built. Private investment paid for a pub and a motel. Daily flights to and from Adelaide could be made from Olympic Dam Airport.
THE BEATING HEARTIn the past 30 years, the people of Roxby have come and gone, all making their own contribution to the unique desert community.Andy Wurfel first began working at Olympic Dam 21 years ago, reaching the top of the proverbial heap in mining terms as a jumbo (drilling rig) operator. This year, daughters Hannah, 22, and Renee, 18, have joined him below ground, finding their way as nippers – basically trainees who strike steel bolts into the walls to keep them stable. It’s hard work, they say – seven days on, seven days off on 12-hour shifts that begin at 4.30am on day shift – but the younger Wurfels say the humour helps: “Everyone’s a smart arse (underground),” Renee says.But it’s serious work. Day shift workers don’t see the sun for weeks at a time and safety is paramount, with zero tolerance for those who flout the rules.Above ground, the pay is rewarding – the women have money in the bank and can afford to travel, while Andy says Roxby is a great place to raise healthy, self-sufficient kids.Not everyone sticks around but Andy says there is an estimated 300 more years of mining to be done at Olympic Dam: “It’s bigger than Ben Hur.”
COMMUNITY PARTNERSSince BHP took over in 2005, it has had more than mining on its agenda, investing in social programs at Roxby to make a lasting difference. “At the heart of it all are the true local champions whose dedication and commitment makes it all possible,” the company says.Initiatives are community driven and locally delivered to enhance the lives of residents and their environment.Scientist Katherine Tuft became general manager of the Arid Recovery (AR) program – a 123sqkm wildlife reserve north of Roxby where feral animals have been fenced out to allow native wildlife a chance to regenerate – more than two years ago,“I met my husband, Hugh McGregor, when I came to do research here 12 years ago,” Dr Tuft says. “Roxby is a good place for us as a family – we have two boys (aged three and five). Last night we took the kids out for a camp fire – we go camping a lot.”She says the conservation element of AR is key: “Rabbits have been a massive problem here but we’re gradually reintroducing wildlife and fauna.”BHP helped build an electric fence around the site to keep out feral cats, foxes and rabbits and the company also maintains the roads near the AR compound.Mining Minds takes a whole of community approach to improving learning outcomes for students. The project spans all age groups to include adult education and works to support educator development, student learning and wellbeing and parent partnerships. It includes the development of a community hub to provide a base for parent and community information sharing.Time For Wellbeing recognises the challenges of living and working in the remote Outback, making space for action to improve mental and physical health in Roxby Downs and nearby towns. “The thing I am most proud of is that the community has ownership over this and it is not something that somebody from out of town runs,” says project manager Sally Modystach.
FOR THE FUTUREAt the centre of it all lies SA’s biggest mine, which continues to unearth massive economic returns for the state. Under the stewardship of BHP, the mine directly employs 3500 people in SA and supports thousands more through its contractors and suppliers. It has generated tens of billions of dollars in export revenue, taxes and royalties, extracting four million tonnes of copper. Further expansion is on the cards, with the main part of the ore body only just being targeted.The company says it will invest hundreds of millions to take production from about 135,000 tonnes in 2018 to 450,000 tonnes by 2024.So, the Big Australian will continue its work at Olympic Dam, shaping the future of the people of Roxby Downs, the state and the nation.