Wilgie Mia

With 30,000 years of activity, Wilgie Mia is the oldest continuous mining operation in the world. Known also as Thuwarri Thaa – The Place of Red Ochre – it holds the honour of being the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ochre mine in Australia.

Ochre is a natural earth pigment containing iron oxide and was formed in the Weld Range 30–65 million years ago. It comes in various colours including red, yellow and green.

When used as body paint the red ochre sparkled against the light from a fire and was seen as ‘magical’.

Ochre was and still is an important part of Aboriginal culture used in ceremonies, medicines, and rock and body paintings.

The red ochre from Wilgie Mia was traded across Australia as far as Ravensthorpe, the Kimberley and Queensland, as well as into Indonesia in what is believed to be the first example of international trade.

Wilgie Mia was declared a protected and restricted site in 1973, acknowledging the importance it has to Aboriginal culture.