China construction fuels Aussie iron ore boom.

Iron Ore is  Australias most valuable exports at present. There are mountains of iron ore a lot of it in north west Australia.   

The  mining companies use up to date technology and mining industry is very efficient. Iron ore sells for between $120 - 170 per ton. China is building world's tallest building in 7 months. Watch this videos The next the world's next tallest building in Changsha City Hunan Province, China. 

Burj Khalifa UAE.

Large quantities of iron ore are being exported to China. Modern skyscrapers use large quantities of steel, For example the Broad group is proposing to build a skyscraper in China which will be 220 stories high and use about 200,000 tonnes of steel. The Broad group recently built a 30 story hotel in just 15 days using prefabricated components and are estimating the 220 story project can be built in 90-200 days. This project will house around 30,000 people. So each resident will require about 7 tons of steel. To make 7 tons of steel requires about 15 ton of iron ore at a cost of around $1800 -$2500.
                                                                    

The Aussie iron ore mining boom seems set to continue for quite some time yet as China vast rural population continures to move to the cities. The urban population of China is now around 600,000,000 and is now around 50% of the total population. The urban population is growing at about 15,000,000 per year. A rough estimate would hence be 100,000,000 tons of steel required to build high rise accomodation for 15,000,000 people The iron ore required will cost around $30,000,000,000 each year.                    

Australias iron ore export to the world are currently worth about $60,000,000,000 per year.

For more information read the 2012 trade figures

Diamond and Gemstones in Australia.

                                                            Diamonds mines desert in Australia

Australia has a wealth of mineral resource including gemstones. From the famous Argyle Diamond mines in the North Western Australia. Where mining is carried out on an industrial scale. Opal at Cooper-Peddy in South Australia and NSW. Rubie's at Ruby vale in Queensland and Emeralds, Sapphires etc, etc. And a variety of lesser known stones e.g gemstones of all types are there for the digging for the dedicated fossickers and prospector each state has its own regulations regarding fossicking clubs exist for gem enthusiastic in many locations and equipment for polishing stones is readily available.  

                                            
Gemstones are often located in some of the more remote and in hospitable places on the continent in Cooper Pedy the climate is so to extreme that mines often prefer to live in underground homes.
So serious enthusiast will need for invest in a reliable 4 wheel drive vehicle and comfortable camping equipment e. g. caravan. Many grey nomads spend a few months on the gem fields every year to supplement their retirement incomes with the occasional find.
                                                 

Cooper Pedy the Opal mine.

Overseas visitors can find a wide selection of fine gemstones and opals in particular make a fine souvenir of a visit to Australia.

Western Australia.

Diamonds mines in Western Australia.

Golden Canola Farm.

 

Canola Farm in Australia.

 

                                                              Golden Canola farm.

                                                                          

A common sight when out for a drive in rural Australia in September is a vast field of beautiful golden coloured canola flowers. The seeds of these flowers are used in stock feed and also in the production of Canola oil. Canola oil is valuable because it is healthier than other vegetable oils because it has a higher percentage of unsaturated fat and omega-3.

Australia is the worlds second largest exporter of Canola seeds and Canola is the third largest broad acre crop, The main markets are China, Japan, Pakistan and Europe. The value of canola exports is around $600,000,000 per Annam.

Canola can also be used in the production of bio-diesel fuel and is likely to become  more valuable as supplies of fossil fuels decline.

Gold Fever in Australia

The price of gold is today around US $ 1592 per ounce. This is due to the large amount of new paper money being printed these days. Here in Australia where around 266 Tonnes of gold is mined annually there is still a lot of gold about. Most of the gold is found deep underground.

However there is still alluvial gold to be found near the surface in many places. Wind and water erosion is continually changing the surface of the landscape. New developments in metal detector technology make it possible to sniff out gold buried 2 feet or more below the gound. It is proving to be well worth while to go over ground previously examined by fossickers equipped with more primitive models. In January 2013 a 177oz ( 5 kilo) nugget was found and in 2011 a 112 oz (3.7) nugget was found. Prospecters are often a little reticent about their finds so no doubt a lot of smaller nuggets are also being found. The New York Times  a couple of years back reported on the Aussie gold fever and it shows no sign of abating.

Sometimes nuggets are even found on the surface,

Sometimes a little digging is required.

Aluminum industry.

 

 

Portland, Victoria is home to an Aluminium smelter that employs more than 350 workers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After arriving by bulk carrier ship, Alumina the raw material for the smelter is brought by an enclosed conveyer belt from the harbour to the smelter.

 

 

 

 

 

The smelter produces around 340,000 tons per annum of Aluminium ingots which are stockpiled on site and then transported by truck and by ship to buyers in Australia and overseas.

 

There is more information about the smelter on the Alcoa website.

 

 

 

 

 

Woodchipping in Australia

Wood chips logs the world photo copiers chew through an incredible amount of paper every year.
A major source of raw materials for paper manufacture is wood chips. Large areas of land in Australia are devoted to plantation forest native eucalyptus species grow fast as well, as vast areas of pines forest plantations. (around 1 million hectare).
 Read about Australian forest.
Read more about plantations Australia.

Jobs in Western Australian Mining industry.

Western Australia is big around 1,000,000 square miles or 2,600,000 square kilometres. The population is around 2,500,0000. The average population density is around 1 person per square km. Its about 4 times the size of Texas with about 1/10 th of the population. It is arguably one of the world's last frontiers.

The combination of a vast land area rich in mineral wealth, political stability and relative proximity to voracious markets in China and India
makes it a safe and attractive place for mining companies to invest. This has resulted in an enormous mining boom that shows little sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Western Australia has vast desert area's and  mines are generaly in remote areas. However wages of A$100,000 + per annum are there for experienced workers. Not everyone has what it takes to drive a 250 ton dump truck for 12 hours a day safely and reliably. However there is a wide variety of other skills required. Some jobs are Fly In/Fly Out which means that workers are away from familys for weeks at a time. You will need a lot of
mental toughness and resiliance to survive out there but the rewards are there. Good luck!

Watch these video about an iron ore mine

A Day in the life of an Iron Ore Miner

Watch this one about life in a W.A. mining village.

Life in a mining village.






Official information about work visas for Australia can be found on

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/

Information on available jobs can be found on sites like

 http://westjobs.com.au/

http://www.seek.com.au/

Copper Mines at Cobar.

 

Cobar is a small town about 400 km west of Sydney, New South Wales on the edge of the Outback.

Copper has been mined there since 1878. The mines are currently operated by Glencore.

There are is an interesting display of vintage equipment and statues of miners on the outskirts of town. It is interesting to read the history of the cobar mine .

 

 

Gold Mine in Orange NSW Australia.

Gold mining is booming in many areas in Australia. The Cadia gold mine is near Orange NSW is one of the larges gold mine in Australia. There are work opportunities there for skilled people.

Gold Mine near Orange New South Wales Austrlia.

 

 

In recent years as gold prices have increased and gold mines have increased production in many areas of Australia.  The Cadia Valley near Orange is one of Australia's largest gold mining areas.

   There are available    Jobs at Cadia mine

   Orange is a large provincial city with all community facilities available in a scenic part of NSW it is in the mountains about 200 km inland from Sydney.