Wittenoom
Infamous asbestos mining town in the heart of the Pilbara
There is something very bitter-sweet about Wittenoom. This near ghost town set at the mouth of the Wittenoom Gorge is the home of Australiašs greatest industrial disaster and yet it is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the Pilbara.

Located 1450 km north of Perth and 460 m above sea level this once thriving settlement is in the heart of the beautiful Hamersley Range. It is ideally located for people wishing to visit the numerous gorges which cut through the range. However, as everyone in Australia now knows, Wittenoom is also in a valley of death. The signs around the town call attention to the problem: ŒDANGER - Asbestos Tailings Risk Area. Inhaling Asbestos Fibres May Cause Cancer

€ Avoid dusty situations

€ DONšT let children play in the tailings.š

Of course no such problems confronted Francis Gregory who led an expedition into the Hamersley Ranges in 1861. It was this expedition which reported back to Perth on the rich pastoral potential of the Pilbara region and was responsible for the establishment of the towns of Roebourne and Cossack. The land around Wittenoom was subsequently settled and Wittenoom Gorge was named after the pastoralist and politician Sir Edward Horne Wittenoom (1854­1936).

The area remained pastoral, and very isolated, until the 1930s. The West Australian Mines Department had known of the asbestos in the area since 1917 but it was not until the 1930s that the mineral was mined. The first major mining took place in 1939 at Yampire Gorge but moved to Wittenoom Gorge in 1943. The mining magnate, Lang Hancock, was one of a number of people involved in the early development of the site. However he was bought out by the CSR subsidiary, Australian Blue Asbestos Pty Ltd in 1943. Four years later, in 1947, a 'company town' was built to house the miners and their families. From 1950 until the early 1960s Wittenoom was Australiašs only supplier of asbestos. It eventually closed in 1966 because it had become uneconomic. Today the town has a population of about 50 people.

The horrors of Wittenoom can be easily measured by the harsh fact that of the 20 000 men, women and children who lived and worked in Wittenoom during the mining boom over 1000 (and the figure is still rising) have died from the asbestos-related diseases of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. It is now estimated that over 25 per cent of all the men who worked in the mines will die of asbestos-related diseases.

The once-thriving town is now a virtual ghost town. Shops are boarded up. The two schools are closed. The local cinema is derelict. In their ignorance, the original settlers used asbestos tailings to break the monotony of the Pilbarašs harsh red soils. Hence asbestos was used in gardens, in the school yards, on the roads and at the race track. Asbestos tailings were even used to build the airport. In recent times the local shire council and residents, aware of the potential problems of airborne asbestos, have attempted to rectify the situation. Car parks have been scraped and resheeted, roads have been resealed and yards have been covered with clean fill.

The few residents now left in the town argue that the current level of airborne asbestos in Wittenoom was seven times less than the level recorded in Perth in 1978. However, this is certainly not the view of the Shire of Ashburton and the Health Department of Western Australia which clearly advocate the avoidance of the Wittenoom area. They consider airborne blue asbestos fibres in and around Wittenoom to be a clear risk to residents and to people working in the area. Although the threat to short-term visitors is much lower, it is considered a risk nonetheless and one they recommend avoiding. Their advice to those who do visit the area is:

* Keep to the main roads at all times

* Pay careful attention to warning signs

* In windy or dusty conditions keep car windows closed

* Do not park or walk on or near the tailings (children are the biggest risk here)

* Do not take asbestos ore as a souvenir

* Camp only in areas set aside for that purpose

Camping is not permitted in Wittenoom Gorge or Yampire Gorge and visits to contaminated areas, they suggest, should be avoided, but, if undertaken, should be of short duration, preferably less than one day.

Things to see:  

Karijini National Park
Wittenoom lies on the northern boundary of the beautiful Karijini National Park, in the Hamersley Ranges, which is home to the Innawonga, Kurrama and Punjima peoples. The Park incorporates two billion year old gorges, where rain has cut out 45 -metre ravines in the dramatic and spectacular landscape, forming dramatic outcropping and tiered rock formations. Other attractions are tranquil natural swiming holes (notably Fern Pool with two natural cascades and lush vegetation), a waterfall, lookouts, camping areas and walking trails. However, the closure of a vital section of Yampire Gorge Road has made Tom Price the more logical access route.

	Motels
	Auski Tourist Village Motel Cnr Great Northern Hwy & Wittenoom turnoff Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9176 6988
	Cottages & Cabins
	Wittenoom Holiday Homes Cottages 53 Sixth Ave Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9189 7096
	Caravan Parks
	Auski Tourist Village Caravan Facility (Limited Facilities) Cnr Great Northern Hwy & Wittenoom turnoff Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9176 6988
	Karijini National Park (Limited Facilities) 56km SW Of Auski Roadhouse Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9189 8157
	Camping & Other
	Wittenoom Tourist Village Lot 353 Fifth Ave Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9189 7060
	Restaurants
	Auski Tourist Village Motel Restaurant Cnr Great Northern Hwy & Wittenoom turnoff Wittenoom WA 6752 Telephone: (08) 9176 6988