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Salt constitutes the main mining activity in the Gascoyne. There are two solar salt operations in the region, one at Cape Cuvier, north of Carnarvon and one at Useless Loop in Shark Bay. This salt is used extensively in the chemicals industry across South East Asia.
There is evidence of gold, uranium, diamonds and other minerals in the region, and considerable exploration activity is being undertaken.
Rock is mined at Yaringa for provision of gravels for road building and smaller quarries operate north of Carnarvon mining road base material of lesser quality (limestone etc.)
Semi precious stones such as tourmaline, amethyst and variscite are mined in modest quantities in the upper Gascoyne.
There is significant oil and gas mining activity offshore of North West Cape in the Carnarvon Basin. Offshore oil and gas revenue is not included in the statistics for the Gascoyne because it is extracted from Commonwealth waters.
The Department of Mines and Petroleum maintain data on mining activity in the Gascoyne and the State as well as providing information such as geophysical surveys.
Current projects
Carnarvon
- Dampier Salt owned by Rio Tinto
- 1.5Mtpa produced at Lake McLeod
- Dampier Salt 1.2Mtpa of gypsum produced at Lake McLeod
- Gypsum for domestic use and export in the construction industry
Shark Bay
- Shark Bay
- Shark Bay Resources Pty Ltd wholly owned by Mitsui Salt Pty Ltd 1.6Mtpa produced from an area surrounded by the World Heritage listed area but specifically excised from it.
Exmouth Oil and Gas
- Rough Range – Empire Oil producing - 65,000 barrels since 1953
- Enfield - $1.5 billion Woodside venture producing 55,000 barrels per day since July 2006 with a 20 year lifespan
- Stybarrow – Woodside/BHP venture with a 12 to 15 year lifespan producing 55,000 barrels since November 2007
- Vincent – $1.0 billion Woodside/Mitsui venture will commence production in 2008
- Van Gogh – Apache energy joint venture with a 12 to 15 year lifespan to commence production in 2009
- Pyrenees - $1.7 billion BHP joint venture to commence production
- Laverda – oil and gas
- Macedon lease – BHP/Apache gas field
Opportunities and new activities
- Geothermal energy exploration
- Yannarie Solar Salt Proposal by Straits Resources
- Exmouth Limestone owned by Adelaide Brighton – 200 million tonnes of high quality limestone at 1 million tonnes per annum
- Coburn Mine owned by Gunson resources – 1200 sq km zircon project exporting 30,000 tonnes per annum to China
- Chevron’s Gorgon gas field