Telfer, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Telfer Western Australia
Telfer Location in Western Australia
Postcode(s)	6762
Elevation	292 m (958 ft)
Area	[convert: needs a number]
Location	1,900 km (1,181 mi) from Perth 450 km (280 mi) from Port Hedland
LGA(s)	Shire of East Pilbara
State electorate(s)	Pilbara
Federal Division(s)	Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 34.1 °C 93 °F 19.4 °C 67 °F 367.1 mm 14.5 in

Telfer is a mining town in a very remote part of Western Australia. It is located in the Pilbara region, deep inside the Great Sandy Desert. Telfer is the most isolated town in the state. It is about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) northeast of Perth, the state capital. The town is home to a large mine that digs for gold, copper, and silver. This important mine is run by a company called Newcrest Mining.

The Story of Telfer

The story of Telfer began when a company called Newmont Mining first claimed the mineral deposits in 1972.

Building a Mining Town

To support the new mine, Newmont built a special town in 1976. They named it Telfer after A. H. Telfer, who used to be an important government official for mines in Western Australia. In the early 1990s, the town was quite busy, with almost 1,000 people living there. It had many services, like a supermarket, a police station, a bank, a community hall, a library, and places for sports.

Plaque at Telfer, Western Australia

Who Owned the Mine?

The Telfer mine started operating in 1977. It was a joint project between two big companies, BHP and Newmont Mining. Later, in 1990, Newmont Australia Limited and BHP Gold Limited joined together to form a new company called Newcrest Mining. This new company then took over the ownership of the Telfer mine.

Life in Telfer Town

Life in Telfer was typical for a mining town in northern Western Australia back then. There were more men than women, and about 40% of the people were born in other countries. Half of the people living there were under 35 years old. About 20% of the town's population would change each year.

Changes for the Town

In 1996, Telfer town changed a lot. The mine decided to switch from having people live in the town to a "fly-in fly-out" system. This meant workers would fly in for their shifts and then fly out when they were done, instead of living there all the time. Many of the shops and services closed down. Only the sports and recreation facilities stayed open. The houses that were once for families now became places for the mobile mine workers to stay. One main reason for this change was that the fly-in fly-out system allowed the mine to hire more skilled workers. It made it easier to get people who might not want to move permanently to a very remote place like Telfer.

Mine Operations Pause and Restart

In August 2000, the mine stopped digging from the open pit. This was because the costs to operate were too high. There was a problem with copper in the ore that made it expensive to process.

However, in 2002, Newcrest Mining announced a big plan to restart the mine. They had found new areas with minerals and a large amount of gold and copper. The project was worth about $1 billion. The mine reopened in November 2004, with a new processing plant. At first, it was an open-cut mine, but from March 2006, it also started underground mining.

Wildlife Encounters

In July 2018, something unusual happened at the Telfer Mine. A woman who was on her lunch break was attacked by a dingo. She needed surgery for her injuries.

Telfer's Climate

Telfer has a very hot and dry climate, known as a hot arid climate. This means it has extremely hot summers and very warm winters. In summer, the average high temperature is around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). In winter, the average high is about 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). Even though it gets about 370 millimeters (14.5 inches) of rain each year, these high temperatures mean the climate is still considered arid.

Tropical Cyclones

Because Telfer is near the warm Indian Ocean, the area can be affected by tropical cyclones. For example, Cyclone Graham brought a lot of rain (163 millimeters or 6.4 inches) to the area in early 2003. Also, Severe Tropical Cyclone Laurence passed right over the mine site in December 2009.