Tom Price, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range
. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level (747 m) in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA".
(situated approximately 5 km out of town) is under the control of mining giant Rio Tinto
. Due to the recent resources boom in Western Australia Tom Price is currently the most affluent non-metropolitan region in Australia, with the average Rio Tinto employee's wage being significantly higher than the Australian average. Tom Price has a population of 2,721, the median age being 29 reflecting Tom Price's relatively young family-oriented community. The town is named after Thomas Moore Price, the vice-president of the U.S. based steel company Kaiser Steel
. Tom Price is the closest town to the pristine Karijini National Park
and is serviced by the nearby Paraburdoo Airport
.
The town also boasts an unusually high level of artists. Artists in Tom Price often focus on painting and photography, such works often focus on landscapes or linked with Aboriginal heritage.
and Mount Nameless.
Tourist season usually goes from May through to October. This is due to the heat in Australian Summer, and the irregular cyclones from October to April.
Due to its isolation and small population many parents choose to send their children away to boarding schools to further their secondary education, particularly university-bound students, as Tom Price Senior High lacks the student numbers to fulfil the required class numbers set by the Department of Education and Training for many Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) subjects. Some TEE subjects are available through distance education (SIDE).
Many students further their studies in areas linked to the mines such as through automotive and trade subjects, often linking into apprenticeships.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range
Hamersley Range
The Hamersley Ranges is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. The range runs from the Fortescue River in the northeast, 460 km south. The range contains Western Australia's highest point, Mount Meharry, which reaches approximately AHD. There are many extensively-eroded...
. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level (747 m) in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA".
Overview
Primarily an iron ore mining town, the Mount Tom Price mineMount Tom Price mine
The Mount Tom Price mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara...
(situated approximately 5 km out of town) is under the control of mining giant Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
. Due to the recent resources boom in Western Australia Tom Price is currently the most affluent non-metropolitan region in Australia, with the average Rio Tinto employee's wage being significantly higher than the Australian average. Tom Price has a population of 2,721, the median age being 29 reflecting Tom Price's relatively young family-oriented community. The town is named after Thomas Moore Price, the vice-president of the U.S. based steel company Kaiser Steel
Kaiser Steel
Kaiser Ventures is an American corporation, headquartered in Ontario, California. It was founded by Henry J. Kaiser to provide steel plate for the Pacific Coast shipbuilding industry, which expanded during World War II, then shrank, then expanded again during the Korean War...
. Tom Price is the closest town to the pristine Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia . It is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, approximately 1055 km from the State's capital city, Perth...
and is serviced by the nearby Paraburdoo Airport
Paraburdoo Airport
Paraburdoo Airport is an airport serving Paraburdoo, a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The airport is located northeast of Paraburdoo. It also serves the town of Tom Price, with bus services completing the extra to Tom Price....
.
Recreational Activities
Tom Price is a very sports-oriented community, partly due to the young population and the lack of other facilities within the town. Tom Price has a range of recreational activities including motocross, speedway, BMX, and many sporting facilities including an Olympic-sized pool, well-equipped gym, tennis, squash, netball, volleyball and basketball courts and three ovals used for football, softball and soccer.The town also boasts an unusually high level of artists. Artists in Tom Price often focus on painting and photography, such works often focus on landscapes or linked with Aboriginal heritage.
Attractions
Being situated in the Pilbara, Tom Price is in a close proximity to many popular attractions, including Karijini National Park, Millstream, WittenoomWittenoom, Western Australia
Wittenoom is a ghost town located 1,106 kilometres north-northeast of Perth in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the site of Australia's greatest industrial disaster....
and Mount Nameless.
Tourist season usually goes from May through to October. This is due to the heat in Australian Summer, and the irregular cyclones from October to April.
Schools
- North Tom Price Primary School
- Tom Price Primary School
- Tom Price Senior High School
Due to its isolation and small population many parents choose to send their children away to boarding schools to further their secondary education, particularly university-bound students, as Tom Price Senior High lacks the student numbers to fulfil the required class numbers set by the Department of Education and Training for many Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) subjects. Some TEE subjects are available through distance education (SIDE).
Many students further their studies in areas linked to the mines such as through automotive and trade subjects, often linking into apprenticeships.
See also
- Red Dog StoryRed Dog (Karratha)Red Dog was a Kelpie/cattle dog cross that was well-known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier, which is one of the towns to which he often returned...