DIA Region - Goldfields

The Goldfields is the largest of the State’s regions, extending from Ravensthorpe in the south-west, Esperance in the south, Eucla and the South Australian border in the east, to Wiluna in the north and Kiwirrkurra in the north-east. Goldfields region also incorporates 11 Ngaanyatjarra Lands communities including Warakurna, Warburton, Wingellina, Blacksone, Jamieson, Tjukurla, Patjar, Tjirrkarli, Kanpa, Cosmo Newberry, and Kiwirrkurra as well as, Mulga Queen, Laverton, Wiluna, Leonora, Menzies, Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie, Norseman and Esperance.

A land area of more than 989,325 square kilometers makes the region over three times the size of Victoria, and just over a third of Western Australia’s total land mass.

The area is home to more than 5,000 Aboriginal people, or around eight percent of the total regional population. Culture is strong, with a mixture of traditional languages including the dominant Wongatha, and lore business is still conducted in the north-east around Laverton and Ngaanyatjarra Lands.

Mining offers the main employment opportunities, particularly through contract work, such as transport and road maintenance, and joint ventures between Aboriginal communities and mining companies.