Mining around Kalgoorlie-Boulder includes open pits, underground workings, processing plants, exploration, maintenance workshops and the businesses that support them. It creates skilled work and regional investment, but also brings long shifts, safety obligations and exposure to commodity cycles.
Mining in the Goldfields today
The Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission annual report for 2024-25 puts the region's mining output at about A$27 billion. That is a regional figure for the 2024-25 reporting year, not the value of one mine or a forecast for a later year.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a service centre for operations spread across the eastern Goldfields. Workers may live locally or travel to more distant sites, while engineering, transport, laboratories, training and supplies are often organised in town.
KCGM, the Super Pit and the Golden Mile
Northern Star's KCGM operations page covers the Fimiston open pit, underground mines and the Fimiston and Gidji processing plants. The Golden Mile tenements were consolidated into KCGM in 1989. Saracen acquired Barrick's half in 2019, Northern Star acquired Newmont's half in 2020, and the Northern Star and Saracen merger brought the operation under one company in 2021.
KCGM currently processes about 13 million tonnes a year. Northern Star describes an approved expansion intended to reach 27 million tonnes a year in the 2029 financial year. This is planned capacity, not a level already achieved. Visitors can understand the scale from the Super Pit guide; access to an operating mine requires separate authorisation.
Mungari and other operations
Evolution Mining's Mungari information describes an operation about 20 km west of Kalgoorlie with open-pit and underground mines and processing facilities. The operator gives an overall workforce of about 1,200 people and separately lists about 680 employees and 590 contractors. These rounded figures describe the whole operation and should not be read as a live vacancy count.
Smaller mines, exploration programs and contractors add many other roles. Conditions can change quickly when a project starts, closes, expands or reduces activity, so current employer information matters more than an old list of the region's biggest operators.
Technology and automation
Modern hard-rock mining combines geology, surveying, drilling, blasting, haulage, processing and rehabilitation. Three-dimensional models, drone surveys, plant sensors, remote diagnostics and collision-warning systems support the people doing that work.
An official EACON announcement described a 2025 autonomous-haulage trial with Thiess and Norton Gold Fields near Kalgoorlie. It is evidence of an announced trial, not proof that autonomous haulage now operates across the Goldfields. Trials and production deployments should be checked separately with the companies involved.
Work patterns and practical trade-offs
Residential roles let workers live in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) arrangements are also used, especially for remote sites and specialist work. A roster may include 12-hour shifts, nights, early starts and several days away from home. Ask an employer for the exact roster, travel arrangements, accommodation, allowances, employment type and total remuneration in writing.
Pay varies by occupation, qualifications, experience, location and overtime. Current job advertisements, the applicable award or enterprise agreement and Jobs and Skills Australia are better starting points than a general salary table in a travel guide.
Getting into the industry
Entry routes include apprenticeships, process-operator traineeships, laboratory and sample-preparation work, field assistance, drilling support, heavy-vehicle maintenance, warehousing, administration and camp services. A licence or short course can be useful when the job requires it, but tickets alone do not guarantee employment.
Read how to get a mining job around Kalgoorlie for a practical application plan. Confirm work rights, recognised qualifications, medical and drug-and-alcohol requirements with the employer. Do not pay an unknown intermediary for a promised job.
Safety, fatigue and the land
WorkSafe Western Australia publishes mining safety and health guidance. Safe Work Australia explains how fatigue can affect judgement and reaction time. These issues matter around heavy vehicles, moving plant, heat, underground work and long drives after a shift.
Mining also involves water use, tailings, waste rock, dust, rehabilitation, closure planning and Aboriginal cultural heritage. Company approvals and environmental reports provide project-specific detail. Respect site boundaries and Country; a mining road or visible track is not public access.
Sources checked: 28 September 2026. Use the linked operators and authorities for current operational, employment and safety information.