Roxby Downs copper and uranium mining town in the Outback. The town's shaded and colourful swimming pool.
Near Roxby Downs was the permanent water springs named Purple Well which was a source of conflict in the early years. In the early 1890s the managers of Arcoona and Andamooka stations fought over this water. Andamooka station won the fight and had a government survey which confirmed their ownership of the water. By 1900 parts of Arcoona and Andamooka leaseholds were unoccupied. Roxby Downs station was created out of these two runs in 1900 by Norman Richardson. He named it Roxby Downs after Roxby in QLD, near Coolangatta, where his first cattle came from. His new run had the Purple Well in it. It was the best country around with a sparse tree canopy of Mulga, Myall, native pine, native peach and native bushes, grasses and bulrushes around the lakes and water soaks, patches of claypans and good salt bush country. Richardson held Roxby for about ten years before selling the leasehold to W. H Greenfield who held it with his ancestors for decades. Eventually BHP bought the station leasehold for the development of Olympic Dam mine. They also bought the leaseholds for Purple Well/Downs run and Andamooka run but they have not operated the leaseholds as pastoral properties. In 2014 Kokatha Aboriginal people got Native Title to these territories and Kokatha Pastoral Company has an agistment Memoranda of Understanding with BHP to run several thousand cattle on the leasehold.
The Olympic Dam mine (and other Australian copper mines are the third largest copper deposit in the world and Olympic Dam the largest known single uranium deposit in the world. But as an operating mine Olympic Damn is not even in the world’s 20 biggest mines. Roughly 70% of the wealth comes from copper, 25% from uranium and the remaining 5% from silver and gold. Olympic Dam is crucial to the economy of South Australia. The dam at the site was named in 1956 when Melbourne was holding the Olympic Games but mining operations only began in 1988. It was started by Western Mining Corporations and taken over by its 49% partner BHP in 2005. BHP originally planned a major extension but shelved it soon afterwards. Today Olympic Dam is the fourth largest uranium mine in the world.
The town of Roxby Downs was surveyed in 1986 and established in 1987 to service the Olympic Dam mine. When being built all power, gas, phone and water lines were to be underground. Streets were curved and followed land
contours. The State Government Planning Department drew up plans for the library and education complex. Later a swimming pool, auditorium and indoor recreation facility were added. The government also built the Police Station, Ambulance Station, Medical Centre and Municipal offices. The town centre also included a hotel, large motel, bottle shop, supermarket and shopping centre. Grassed areas were established with a median strip in the main street and nearby an oval. The first houses were occupied in 1987 and a Mess and quarters for single workers followed soon after. Native vegetation was retained where possible and additional tree and shrub plantings made by the government Woods and Forest Department. Run off water was used to create a golf course with some green patches. The town is administered by an appointed government administrator with a local Council but no elections. The town had all the facilities expected in a town of its size despite its remote location. The water supply for the town is drawn from the Great Artesian Basin near Maree and it is piped 200 kms south to a desalination plant on the BHP leasehold. The official opening of the Olympic Dam mine was 5th November 1988. The airport was unable to cope with the number for aircraft flying in VIPs. A few months later the airport was under a metre of water from March 1989 rains- 320 mms fell in three days! But the runway on higher ground was not flooded. Australia, as Dorothy Mackellar wrote, has always been a land of drought and flooding rains.
Activities for Roxby Downs include a stroll around the Emu Walk a 3kms path around the town. Map available from Information Centre.
Check out the Bilby mural on the Radio Station which is in the Recreation Centre.
BHP has a 12 minute film in the Info Centre but we have to book a time.
History of Olympic Dam Copper mines.
This history is drawn from John Showers book entitled “Return to Roxby Downs.” Western Mining Corporation began searching for copper deep beneath the surface of this area in 1961. A small claypan in the area was named in 1956 Olympic Dam as Melbourne was hosting the Olympic Games. A drill hole made near the claypans in 1976 went 350 metres deep when it intersected a 38 metre thick seam of copper bearing rock and a later drill hole reached a seam 170 metres thick containing copper plus gold and silver. To exploit this find MWC joined forces with BHP to develop a mine. In 1979 the companies set about establishing a camp for 60 men, and an airstrip prior to further investigations and mining. John Showers had 4 months to make this happen and to select a site for a village, hopefully outside the Woomera restricted area as approvals from the Commonwealth government would delay proceedings. The site selected was on Andamooka station lands but changed when the Commonwealth government changed the boundaries of the Woomera Restricted Zone for the mining village. The village was to be south of the proposed mine in an area of sandhills with relatively tall Mulga trees and some Myall trees. Water was to come from the 12 mile dam on Andamooka Station which would be covered to lessen evaporation. Water still had to be available for the cattle on Andamooka Station. Longer term the company would have to build a pipeline from Woomera and take water from there which came by pipeline from Port Augusta (and the Morgan to Whyalla pipeline.) The Olympic Dam village next to the mine site took shape in 1980. Construction of a 72 kms road was approved 7kms east of Woomera to Roxby through the Restricted Area. The mining project got approval from the SA government in 1982 and had to proceed before 1987 unless more approvals were obtained. By 1984 there were 12 houses, 50 caravans and accommodation for 250 singles in the Olympic Dam Village. After all the planning and approvals mining began in early 1986. Once mining began the township of Roxby Downs was created to the south of Olympics Dam Mine and village. An area south of the Special Mining Lease was created as the Municipality of Roxby Downs.
In 2025 BHP announced a major expansion of the mining operations at Roxby Downs dependant on a new water supply which will probably be a water desalination plant near Whyalla. Over one billion dollars will be spent on this expansion, partly because the world price for copper is high as copper is an essential component of much of our electrical, plumbing and renewable energy production. To reduce road transport future copper will be railed from Pimba to Port Pirie for export. The Roxby mine expansion is meant to double production by early next decade. Accommodation at Olympic Dam site will be expanded for another 1,000 workers and the BHP workforce across the three copper mines- Roxby, Prominent Hill and Carrapateena mines is currently at 8,000 workers. These three BHP mines are the world’s third largest copper resource.
Roxby Downs copper and uranium mining town in the Outback. The town's shaded and colourful swimming pool.
Near Roxby Downs was the permanent water springs named Purple Well which was a source of conflict in the early years. In the early 1890s the managers of Arcoona and Andamooka stations fought over this water. Andamooka station won the fight and had a government survey which confirmed their ownership of the water. By 1900 parts of Arcoona and Andamooka leaseholds were unoccupied. Roxby Downs station was created out of these two runs in 1900 by Norman Richardson. He named it Roxby Downs after Roxby in QLD, near Coolangatta, where his first cattle came from. His new run had the Purple Well in it. It was the best country around with a sparse tree canopy of Mulga, Myall, native pine, native peach and native bushes, grasses and bulrushes around the lakes and water soaks, patches of claypans and good salt bush country. Richardson held Roxby for about ten years before selling the leasehold to W. H Greenfield who held it with his ancestors for decades. Eventually BHP bought the station leasehold for the development of Olympic Dam mine. They also bought the leaseholds for Purple Well/Downs run and Andamooka run but they have not operated the leaseholds as pastoral properties. In 2014 Kokatha Aboriginal people got Native Title to these territories and Kokatha Pastoral Company has an agistment Memoranda of Understanding with BHP to run several thousand cattle on the leasehold.
The Olympic Dam mine (and other Australian copper mines are the third largest copper deposit in the world and Olympic Dam the largest known single uranium deposit in the world. But as an operating mine Olympic Damn is not even in the world’s 20 biggest mines. Roughly 70% of the wealth comes from copper, 25% from uranium and the remaining 5% from silver and gold. Olympic Dam is crucial to the economy of South Australia. The dam at the site was named in 1956 when Melbourne was holding the Olympic Games but mining operations only began in 1988. It was started by Western Mining Corporations and taken over by its 49% partner BHP in 2005. BHP originally planned a major extension but shelved it soon afterwards. Today Olympic Dam is the fourth largest uranium mine in the world.
The town of Roxby Downs was surveyed in 1986 and established in 1987 to service the Olympic Dam mine. When being built all power, gas, phone and water lines were to be underground. Streets were curved and followed land
contours. The State Government Planning Department drew up plans for the library and education complex. Later a swimming pool, auditorium and indoor recreation facility were added. The government also built the Police Station, Ambulance Station, Medical Centre and Municipal offices. The town centre also included a hotel, large motel, bottle shop, supermarket and shopping centre. Grassed areas were established with a median strip in the main street and nearby an oval. The first houses were occupied in 1987 and a Mess and quarters for single workers followed soon after. Native vegetation was retained where possible and additional tree and shrub plantings made by the government Woods and Forest Department. Run off water was used to create a golf course with some green patches. The town is administered by an appointed government administrator with a local Council but no elections. The town had all the facilities expected in a town of its size despite its remote location. The water supply for the town is drawn from the Great Artesian Basin near Maree and it is piped 200 kms south to a desalination plant on the BHP leasehold. The official opening of the Olympic Dam mine was 5th November 1988. The airport was unable to cope with the number for aircraft flying in VIPs. A few months later the airport was under a metre of water from March 1989 rains- 320 mms fell in three days! But the runway on higher ground was not flooded. Australia, as Dorothy Mackellar wrote, has always been a land of drought and flooding rains.
Activities for Roxby Downs include a stroll around the Emu Walk a 3kms path around the town. Map available from Information Centre.
Check out the Bilby mural on the Radio Station which is in the Recreation Centre.
BHP has a 12 minute film in the Info Centre but we have to book a time.
History of Olympic Dam Copper mines.
This history is drawn from John Showers book entitled “Return to Roxby Downs.” Western Mining Corporation began searching for copper deep beneath the surface of this area in 1961. A small claypan in the area was named in 1956 Olympic Dam as Melbourne was hosting the Olympic Games. A drill hole made near the claypans in 1976 went 350 metres deep when it intersected a 38 metre thick seam of copper bearing rock and a later drill hole reached a seam 170 metres thick containing copper plus gold and silver. To exploit this find MWC joined forces with BHP to develop a mine. In 1979 the companies set about establishing a camp for 60 men, and an airstrip prior to further investigations and mining. John Showers had 4 months to make this happen and to select a site for a village, hopefully outside the Woomera restricted area as approvals from the Commonwealth government would delay proceedings. The site selected was on Andamooka station lands but changed when the Commonwealth government changed the boundaries of the Woomera Restricted Zone for the mining village. The village was to be south of the proposed mine in an area of sandhills with relatively tall Mulga trees and some Myall trees. Water was to come from the 12 mile dam on Andamooka Station which would be covered to lessen evaporation. Water still had to be available for the cattle on Andamooka Station. Longer term the company would have to build a pipeline from Woomera and take water from there which came by pipeline from Port Augusta (and the Morgan to Whyalla pipeline.) The Olympic Dam village next to the mine site took shape in 1980. Construction of a 72 kms road was approved 7kms east of Woomera to Roxby through the Restricted Area. The mining project got approval from the SA government in 1982 and had to proceed before 1987 unless more approvals were obtained. By 1984 there were 12 houses, 50 caravans and accommodation for 250 singles in the Olympic Dam Village. After all the planning and approvals mining began in early 1986. Once mining began the township of Roxby Downs was created to the south of Olympics Dam Mine and village. An area south of the Special Mining Lease was created as the Municipality of Roxby Downs.
In 2025 BHP announced a major expansion of the mining operations at Roxby Downs dependant on a new water supply which will probably be a water desalination plant near Whyalla. Over one billion dollars will be spent on this expansion, partly because the world price for copper is high as copper is an essential component of much of our electrical, plumbing and renewable energy production. To reduce road transport future copper will be railed from Pimba to Port Pirie for export. The Roxby mine expansion is meant to double production by early next decade. Accommodation at Olympic Dam site will be expanded for another 1,000 workers and the BHP workforce across the three copper mines- Roxby, Prominent Hill and Carrapateena mines is currently at 8,000 workers. These three BHP mines are the world’s third largest copper resource.