Superpit Gold Mine, Kalgoorlie WA
Where small mining operations had once controlled the famous Golden Mile, WA businessman Alan Bond started buying up the individual leases to create one big company and one big pit, from which gold could be extracted at far less cost.
This was the origin of the Super Pit, at the south-east corner of the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, which is about 600kms east of Perth, a �famous landmark that will eventually stretch 3.8 kilometres long, 1.5km wide and go down to a depth of more than 600m.
This massive operation, is reputed to be the richest square mile of gold-bearing earth on the planet.
For the first time, all leases and infrastructure of the Golden Mile, Mt Charlotte (and Mt Percy to the north) had been brought together. Significant changes occurred. It was now possible to mine far more economically for gold and continue the harvest of the Golden Mile, which has produced nearly 50 million ounces of gold since 1893.
The Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit) has swallowed up pits named: Judd, South, Paringa, Croesus/Eclipse, Central, Brownhill, Drysdale, Morrison, North and Horseshoe.
More recently, the joint venture partners have changed and KCGM manages the operation for Newmont Australia Limited and Barrick Gold of Australia Ltd. Their ownership includes the Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit), Mt Charlotte Underground Mine, Fimiston Mill and Gidji Roaster.
KCGM produces up to 800,000 ounces of gold every year and its operation far outweighs any other mining centre in Australia. The Super Pit is the biggest gold open pit mine in the country.
The Mining Process
Open pit mining requires close attention to geology, geotechnical planning, scheduling of earthmoving equipment, drill and blast technology and safety. Through constant monitoring and improvement, each aspect of open pit mining aims to control and reduce costs and improve the extraction of ore from the ground in the safest, most efficient manner.
A planned sequence of events is involved in mining a pit:
- Identifying the resource;
- extracting it;
- treating the material in a mill to produce gold bullion.
The Superpit is mined 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year.
KCGM’s�operations ensure Australia holds its place, behind South Africa and the USA, as the third biggest gold producer in the world.
Current Jobs Vacancies
Mining jobs at Kalgoorlie Superpit
You’ll always find a good selection of mining jobs like, Maintenance Technician “� Electrician, Underground Truck Operator, Safety and Training Office, Caretaker etc.
