Tom Price

Tom Price: the low down

Tom Price is such a cute name. And it sounds like a pretty cute place to boot.

Located just over 1600km north of Perth in the Pilbara region of WA, Tom Price sits at the bottom of Mount Nameless (surely that's the most unoriginal name for a mountain in the history of mountain naming) and comes alive in WA’s wildflower season.

Its population of 2770 has a median age of just 29, reflecting the young workforce on Rio Tinto’s Tom Price mine and the town’s family-orientated community.

Facilities include a good-sized supermarket, bank, GP, hospital, two primary schools, a secondary school, TAFE and several motels and restaurants. There’s also a friendly visitor information centre, an Olympic-sized pool, an open-air cinema in summer and a stack of sports on offer, from motocross and speedway to netball and soccer. Flight access is via shuttle bus to Paraburdoo Airport, 70km away.

According to Rio Tinto's website, its iron ore operations in the Pilbara have expanded to an annual capacity of 220 million tones, including “a network of 11 mines, three shipping terminals and the largest privately-owned heavy freight rail network in Australia.”

And the cute name? Mount Tom Price (the town, the mine and the mountain) takes its name from the vice-president of US steel company Kaiser Steel. Mr Tom Price was a major supporter of the opening of the Pilbara region.

Useful links:

• Shire of Ashburton
• Rio Tinto Iron Ore