What is the Pilbara?
The Pilbara is a large, iron-rich region in northwestern Western Australia. It is famous for red landscapes, huge iron ore mines and the gorges of Karijini National Park.
The Pilbara covers about 500,000 square kilometres. Its iron ore deposits are among the largest in the world, and long trains carry ore to ports such as Port Hedland and Dampier for export, much of it to China.
The region also contains some of the oldest rocks on Earth. Fossil stromatolites around 3.5 billion years old, found in the Pilbara, are among the earliest evidence of life.
Gorges and art
Karijini National Park, in the Hamersley Range, has deep red gorges, waterfalls and swimming holes. The Burrup Peninsula, known as Murujuga, holds over a million rock carvings and was added to the World Heritage list in 2025.
Towns such as Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman and Tom Price grew around the mining boom, and many workers fly in and out from Perth.
Did You Know?
Pilbara iron ore trains can be more than two kilometres long and among the heaviest in the world.