The Extraordinary Tourist
One Steel Tour and Leaving Whyalla.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Road Trip Day 13: 4th June 2007
 Whyalla is, and always has been, a mining and steel making town. No visit would be complete without a tour of the steel works that was built and run by BHP until 2000 when it was sold off, by public float, to OneSteel.
Rose and I have a personal interest in the steel works in that our Dad used to be employed there by BHP pre 1978. I never really knew what he did or what part of the plant he worked in though I remember him one time, when I was kid, saying he worked in the coke ovens. That's about all I know about what he did and I'm not entirely sure if that's correct.
I'm not even going to try and describe the tour of the steelworks in great detail. There's a lot to see in the two hour bus ride around the plant. Our guide, Trish, explained a great deal about the production of steel and pointed out as many of the more spectacular processes as she could based on which areas were actually operating.
 We did get a very good, close up look at the coke oven in operation. Coke (not the soft drink) is made from coal and is burnt in a blast furnace in order to produce enough heat to separate the iron content from the mined, raw materials (iron ore). The coke oven is a huge oven that bakes the coal at extremely high temperatures in order to turn it into coke.
OneSteel produces 'long form' steel products such as structural beams and railway lines. In fact it is the only company producing railway lines in Australia. Whilst OneSteel is the biggest steel producer in Australia, Trish said that in comparison to China (the biggest producer of steel in the world) they produce a quantity of steel in one day that OneSteel would produce in a year.
The OneSteel tour is quite long and I must admit the bus seats were starting to feel a little hard towards the end but it's not everyday you get to see equipment and machinery on this scale in action. Whyalla exists because of the mines and steel works and is central to the South Australian story. If you're looking into the history of mining around this region then a tour of One Steel's plant should definitly be on your list.
Leaving Whyalla.
After the One Steel Tour Rose and I headed out of Whyalla bound for Perth. When Rose drove over from Perth she followed the shorter route at this end along the Eyre Highway (which by passes Whyalla and takes you directly to Port Augusta. One the way back she wanted to take the coastal route down the Lincoln highway (to Port Lincoln) and up the Flinders highway before getting back to the Eyre highway.
The whole reason for this longer route was because it might be a nicer drive with coastal views.
Tonight we've made it as far as the fishing town of Elliston (part way up the Flinders Highway). Rose did the lions share of the driving so I had plenty of time to evaluate the scenery. If I was doing this again, I wouldn't take this detour just for the views.
Granted a few spots do have nice coastal views but to this point, most of the road has been far enough inland to not get a view of the coast. Not enough of it looks sufficiently different to the usual route to go quite so far out of the way.
If I came this way again it would be because I wanted to spend more time in the various towns along the way. Like the drive from Laura to Port Augusta there are many small towns with a lot of interesting history to be explored. Another time perhaps. Tomorrow we will be heading over the WA border. If we make good time my next post will be from Balladonia.Labels: BHP, coke, Elliston, OneSteel, places, road trip 2007, steel, travel, Whyalla
Mining at Iron Knob.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Road Trip Day 10: 1st June 2007 (Morning)
The township of Iron Knob reminds me very much of Silverton in Broken Hill. It is a town that has been largely forgotten once the mines, that gave it life, were closed down in 1999. Like Silverton a few die hard locals still live there, doing what they can to breathe life into a town that truly is the Birth place of the steel industry in Australia.
The town no longer has a council, no one pays rates and consequently it is looking a little run down around the edges (and a bit in the middle too). However the town project committee is dedicated to building a tourist industry that will help build the town again. Either way, Iron Knob isn't destined to become a ghost town as the mines are being reopened. Property values in Whyalla have started to rise because of this and no doubt Iron Knob will follow.
 Our tour of Iron Knob began at the Iron Knob Tourist Centre where our guide, Phil, showed us around the various exhibits and explained the history of the mine.
Broken Hill Proprietary Limited (or BHP as they came to be known) weren't the first to mine Iron Knob but were the first to get things going full steam and were largely responsible for building the Township. BHP came to the region in 1899 as it began developing its interests in the steel industry.
There is no definitive answer as to how the town got it's name. It is thought that the name comes from a very large piece of Iron Ore found protruding from the side of the hill (hence 'iron knob') however the actual name given was 'Iron Monarch' because the rock formation resembled a monarch sitting on his thrown (maybe the English monarch at the time was a bit of a 'knob'?). There are other mines in the region 'Iron Prince' and 'Iron Baron' the names of which were inspired by the royal theme begun with 'Iron Monarch'.
After watching a short video on the history of the mine the tour continues with a trip around the town and up into the original mine. You drive your own car with the guide in the back seat directing you to all the significant places.
The first part of the tour is the township. Phil says that he recently added this as part of the tour to create a more complete picture of the region's history. He points out many houses and talks about who used to live in them as well as injecting his own local knowledge of events - the kind of stuff that never makes it into tour brochures.
One of the more unusual sights is the town's public toilet facilities which Phil proudly announces is one of the most photographed toilets in Australia. Hardly surprising given that a local artist painted a very classy mural of the word 'Dunny' on the front wall. You can't get much more Aussie than that!
 Next you head up to the only mine that you are able to view now that the lease is being reopened. It's a rather steep climb up a dirt road and on the way you pass an early 'digger' (electric shovel) which is kind of like a crane but with a shovel on the front.
At the top you look into one of the biggest 'hand dug' holes you're ever likely to see. This is one of the original mines and was worked by teams of men digging by hand, removing some 80-90 tons of ore (each) per day.
There is also a very spectacular view of the surrounding country side from here. After recent rain, Phil informed us that the view was about as green as you're ever likely to see it.
Once you've seen the mine, the tour is pretty much over as you head back to the tourist centre. Phil pointed out some final pieces of historic equipment within the grounds of the centre including one of the old electric trains used to haul ore.
Iron Knob is a town with a great potential for a thriving tourist trade. It could easily be as successful as Silverton. The surrounding country side at Iron Knob is every bit as inspiring for artists as Silverton. It is surprising that no local artists have set up a gallery (Phil said that the town's only recognised artist - who painted the Dunny mural - no longer lives in Iron Knob). There's a lot of history to be inspired by and a great opportunity to benefit from the initiatives of the town's project committee.
The tours are excellent value and comprehensive. Our guide, Phil, lives in the town and is part of the push to revive it. He's worked for BHP during the seventies and has many stories to tell. He believes enthusiastically in the townships future and really puts across a strong sense of community. Iron Knob is much more than a big hole in the ground.Labels: Iron Knob, iron ore, mine, mining, places, road trip 2007, Silverton, steel, travel
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