Pannawonica

Before the town was constructed there were many mining camps in the area.  In December 1970 construction of the Robe project began and Pannawonica was gazetted as a town in 1972.

The town is located in the Pilbara near the Robe River 198 kilometres south, south west of Karratha  It is believed that the name is Aboriginal and was derived from the nearby Pannawonica Hill, first recorded by a surveyor in 1885.  It is said to mean ‘the hill that came from the sea’.

Pannawonica is a ‘closed town’ built to house workers who operate the nearby open cut iron ore mines. The town has a population of approximately 1,000 people, comprised of Robe and Pilbara Iron employee families and staff on fly in – fly out roster.  The facilities include a post office, supermarket, milk bar, tavern, swimming pool, sports field, police station, petrol station and drive-in.