Roy Hill Station was an important cattle station in the north-west, being on the Meekatharra-Nullagine Road and stock route, 95kms south of Nullagine. The station area is about 396,604 hectares
The station was established in 1886 by Nat Cooke, who owned Mallina Station. Mallina had suffered from several years drought so Cooke was keen to secure new pastures. The first official lease was granted to D. MacKay in 1890 for an area of 20,000 acres (8,094 ha). In 1915, the property was carrying 10,000 head of cattle. It is situated south of Mulga Downs Station, once owned by Lang Hancock and presently owned by his daughter Gina Rinehart.
H L Spring was one of a consortium who established Roy Hill Pastoral Company in 1919 with Jim Smith, Manager of Mount Fraser, an adjoining station. Roy Hill and Mount Fraser were incorporated in 1919 bringing the lease up to approximately one million acres. Initially the property was set up as a cattle station. By 1925 there were 11,500 head of cattle. In 1928 sheep were introduced and the sheep numbers built up to 46.000 by the mid 1960’s. At the same time 5.000 – 7,000 cattle were maintained. Roy Hill Station was one of the first in Australia to transport large numbers of cattle by truck from about 1925. The Spring family sold the station in 1972 to Murray and Ray Kennedy. The Kennedy brothers, sold the station after long running disputes to Gina Rhinehart’s, Hancock Agriculture in 2020. The station is run as a working in station under this umbrella.
The Roy Hill Mine is an iron ore mine located at the east end of the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, located 115 kilometres north of Newman and 277 kilometres south of Port Hedland. With indicated and inferred reserves of more than 2.4 billion tonnes (5.3 trillion pounds), it is expected to become one of the largest mining projects in Australia. Mining operations will produce 55 million tonnes (120 billion pounds) of iron ore per annum with an operating life of more than 20 years.
Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is the majority stakeholder in the project with a 70% interest. The remaining 30% stake is held by a consortium comprising POSCO(12.5%), Marubeni (15%), and China Steel Corporation (2.5%). As part of the ownership agreement the various consortium partners have also secured their proportionate share of iron ore production from the Roy Hill Project, representing a combined 16.5 million tonnes (36 billion pounds) per annum of iron ore at full production.
The map also takes in the locale of Mulga Downs Station and Fortescue Metals Cloud Break and Christmas Creek mines.
The map was issued under the authority of the Hon S W Munsie, M.L.A. Minister for Mines and taken from a Geological Survey, Bulletin No 83 Maps & Sections Compiled by H W B Talbot Field Geologist to accompany his Report on the Geology & Mineral Resources of the North-West, Central and Eastern Divisions between the Long 119 and 122 E and Lat 22 & 28 South.
Generalised Cross Section along the Line A – B taking in the Hamersley – Opthalmia Plateau the Northern Plateau, Tambourah – Western – Shaw Greenstone Belt, Hillside Homestead and the Shaw River and Coongan Greenstone Belt.
Main routes are shown alongside existing tracks.
Topography compiled from data supplied by the Surveyor General with additions by H W B Talbot, Field Geologist. It is to be noted: The areas embraced by the 4-mile series of Geological maps are identical with those of the corresponding numbers of the 300 Chain Series of the Department of Lands and Surveys.
