Work in the Mining Industry

It’s an excellent way of making money and enables travellers to experience the fabled rough and tough outback life. There are mines and mining activities all over Australia, from the giant iron ore projects in the north west to small family-run gold operations in the south.

Mining is one of Australia’s biggest industries. Most people don’t consider work in the mining industry because they have no knowledge of what the work consists of, but mining is generally very labour-intensive and most jobs can be learned within a week or two, so unskilled labour is often needed.

Contrary to common misconceptions, modern mine sites have no qualms about employing women and many encourage women, as they stick to rules and are more thorough in their work habits — they also don’t fight as much!

There are two main ways to get work;

1. Most companies have offices in the capital city of the state in which they have a mining operation. Ask to speak to either personnel or perhaps even the Exploration Manager. Send in a CV and then pester them. They won’t ring you, but if you call at just the right time and you are enthusiastic, the chances are you’ll be flown or driven out to the bush before you’ve had time to pack your bags!
2. Go there yourself. This is pretty risky and you don’t want to go too far off the beaten path, but if you go out to a mining town like Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and hang out at a bar for several days, you’ll get to hear who’s hiring and who’s not. 

If you’re looking for, shall we say, less “official” work, this is the best way to go about it. There are many small firms who need to employ people for a couple of weeks only and simply hire people on the spot. Make sure they look and sound trustworthy however! Most mining work is hard, hot and tiring. People usually work seven days a week, mainly because there’s not much else to do! You tend to work from dawn to dusk and sometimes you work for six weeks solid before getting a week off. Bear in mind, however, that this means you can save heaps to continue your travels.

Pay can be extremely good and usually there are plenty of cold beers at the end of the day. The larger and newer mine sites are like a holiday resort, with in-house videos, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.

Some mine sites can be a bit grim, but you can always say no if it’s not to your liking! If you work above the 26th Parallel (Tropic of Capricorn), you often get extra pay known as Tropical Loading or Remote Area Allowance. Most of all, mining takes you into a lifestyle that most people (including Aussies) only see in the movies — “the real Australia”.