Pilbara historical timeline
This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
| Date | Event | Location | Notes | - | - | - | - |
| 1818 | Captain Phillip Parker King surveyed the coastline, naming the Intercourse Islands and Nickol Bay | Dampier | - | - | - | - | |
| 1861 | Francis Thomas Gregory and his party explore the Nickol Bay area, naming Port Walcott, the Hardey River, the De Grey River and the Fortescue River | - | - | - | - | ||
| April 1863 | Captain Peter Hedland discovers Mangrove Harbour | Port Hedland | - | - | - | - | |
| April/May 1863 | Charles Nairn, at the behest of his brother-in-law, pastoralist and entrepreneur Walter Padbury, establishes the first sheep station in the region. | De Grey River. | May 1863 | Tien Tsin Harbor is established | Tien Tsin Harbor | ||
| September 1863 | Sherlock Station selected by John Wellard | Sherlock Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1864 | Mount Welcome Station established by the Withnells | Mount Welcome Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1864 | Cooya Pooya Station established by Thomas Lockyer | Cooya Pooya | - | - | - | - | |
| 1865 | Pyramid Station established by the Richardson Brothers for the Portland Squatting Company | Pyramid Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1865 | The first permanent government office in the region is established, headed by R. J. Sholl, Government Resident for the North District. Sholl has been relocated from the short-lived settlement at Camden Harbor . | Mount Welcome/Harding River | - | - | - | - | |
| 1866 | On the recommendation of surveyor Charles Wedge and R.J. Sholl, the region's first townsite, named Roebourne, is gazetted, adjoining the government camp, Mt Welcome and the Harding River. | Roebourne | - | - | - | - | |
| 1869 | Pardoo Station established as an outstation of De Grey Station | Pardoo Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1872 | Copper discovered west of Whim Creek | Whim Creek | - | - | - | - | |
| 1872 | Mundabullangana Station established by the MacKays | Mundabullangana | - | - | - | - | |
| 1872 | Chirritta Station established by the Donald Norman McLeod. | Chirritta | - | - | - | - | |
| 1878 | Minderoo Station established by the Forrest brothers and Septimus Burt | Minderoo | - | - | - | - | |
| 1878 | Yarraloola Station established by the Woolhouses | Yarraloola | - | - | - | - | |
| 1879 | Croydon Station established by the Robinsons | Croydon Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1886 | Yarrie Station established by Christopher Coppin | Yarrie Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1887 | Gold discovered at Mallina, east of Whim Creek | Mallina Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1887 | First tramway opened, 2’ gauge and horse drawn, between Cossack and Roebourne | Roebourne | - | - | - | - | |
| 1890 | Gold discovered, in Coongan River bed | Marble Bar | - | - | - | - | |
| 1891 | Emu Creek Station established | Emu Creek Station | - | - | - | - | |
| 1893 | Marble Bar town site gazetted | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1893 | Marronah Station established by J. H. Mansfield | Maroonah | - | - | - | - | |
| 1894 | Cyclone kills 45 people at sea | Port Hedland | - | - | - | - | |
| 1896 | Townsite of Port Hedland gazetted | Port Hedland | - | - | - | - | |
| 1896 | Warrawagine Station established. | Warrawagine | - | - | - | - | |
| 1898 | Cyclone causes £30,000 worth of damage to Cossack | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1899 | Townsite of Nullagine gazetted | Nullagine | - | - | - | - | |
| 1905 | Mining starts at Wodgina mine site south of Port Hedland | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1906 | Alfred Canning commences surveying Canning Stock Route | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1909 | Townsite of Point Samson gazetted | Point Samson | - | - | - | - | |
| 1910 | Canning Stock route completed droving of first cattle commences | - | - | - | - | ||
| July 1911 | Railway opened connecting Port Hedland with Marble Bar | Marble Bar Railway | - | - | - | - | |
| 1937 | Asbestos mined at Yampire Gorge, near Wittenoom | Wittenoom | - | - | - | - | |
| 1938 | Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1950 | Townsite of Wittenoom gazetted | Wittenoom | - | - | - | - | |
| November 1952 | Lang Hancock flies over the Pilbara region | - | - | - | - | ||
| December 1960 | Australian Government changes restrictions on iron ore exports | Australia wide | - | - | - | - | |
| March 1961 | Western Australian government announces that iron ore exploration permits will be allowed | Western Australia | - | - | - | - | |
| September 1962 | CRA geologists identify Mount Tom Price deposits | Mount Tom Price | - | - | - | - | |
| 1964 | Oil was discovered in commercial quantities by West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd | Barrow Island | - | - | - | - | |
| January 1965 | Dampier and Mount Tom Price - construction commences at locations | - | - | - | - | ||
| February 1965 | Construction commences on the town of Goldsworthy | Goldsworthy | - | - | - | - | |
| June 1965 | Dampier - Tom Price railway works commence | Hamersley Iron | - | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | Asbestos mine closed at Wittenoom Gorge | Wittenoom | - | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | Rio Tinto opens its first iron ore mine in the Pilbara | Mount Tom Price mine | - | - | - | - | |
| July 1966 | Tom Price to Dampier - first fully loaded ore train | - | - | - | - | ||
| August 1966 | Dampier - first shipment of ore loaded | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1967 | Iron ore discovered at Mount Whaleback | Newman | - | - | - | - | |
| May 1967 | Hamersley Holdings Limited shares on the ASX | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1968 | BHP Billiton establishs an iron ore mine near Newman | Mount Whaleback | - | - | - | - | |
| August 1969 | Development of community at Karratha begins | - | - | - | - | ||
| July 1970 | East Intercourse Island connected by causeway | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1971 | Townsite of Wickham gazetted | Wickham | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Cape Lambert port opened | Cape Lambert | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Townsite of Newman gazetted | Newman | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Townsite of Paraburdoo gazetted | Paraburdoo | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Townsite of Pannawonica gazetted | Pannawonica | - | - | - | - | |
| 1972 | Dampier Salt commences operations | Dampier | - | - | - | - | |
| 1974 | North West Coastal Highway from Geraldton, Western Australia to Port Hedland completely sealed | - | - | - | - | ||
| December 1975 | Cyclone Joan - flooding in Pilbara and damages Hamersley Rail | - | - | - | - | ||
| October 1977 | Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Dampier and Karratha combined population passes 15,000 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1978 | Meektharra to Newman section of Great Northern Highway upgraded. | Great Northern Highway | - | - | - | - | |
| 1981 | WAPET discovers gas off the Pilbara coast with the drilling of the Gorgon 1 well | Gorgon gas project | - | - | - | - | |
| 1984 | North Rankin A Gas Platform commissioned | North West Shelf | - | - | - | - | |
| 1989 | Newman to Port Hedland section of Great Northern Highway upgraded. | Great Northern Highway | - | - | - | - | |
| 1989 | BHP Billiton opens iron ore mine near Newman | Jimblebar mine | - | - | - | - | |
| January 1990 | Rio Tinto Group opens iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Channar mine | - | - | - | - | |
| 1992 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Brockman 2 mine | - | - | - | - | |
| December 1993 | BHP Billiton opens another iron ore mine near Shay Gap | Yarrie mine | - | - | - | - | |
| 1994 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Marandoo mine | - | - | - | - | |
| 1995 | Goodwyn A gas platform commissioned | North West Shelf | - | - | - | - | |
| 2004 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Eastern Range mine | - | - | - | - | |
| 2006 | Indee Gold Mine opens at Mallina, east of Whim Creek and is closed in 2008 | Mallina | - | - | - | - | |
| 2007 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Hope Downs mine | - | - | - | - | |
| March 2007 | Wittenoom townsite officially abolished by gazettal | Wittenoom | - | - | - | - | |
| October 2007 | Fortescue Metals Group begins mining iron ore in the Chichester Range | Cloud Break mine | - | - | - | - | |
| April 2008 | First train runs on Fortescue railway | Fortescue railway | - | - | - | - | |
| June 2009 | Fortescue Metals Group opens new iron ore mine in the Chichester Range | Christmas Creek mine | - | - | - | - | |
| September 2010 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Brockman 4 mine | - | - | - | - |