Excursion Australia 2024

Western Australia (WA) is Australia’s largest state and the mining state of Australia. WA is characterised by a diverse and strong mining industry, is home to some of the world’s largest mining projects and is responsible for a large proportion of Australia’s total mineral exports. WA has been, is and will remain a powerhouse of raw materials and mining for the foreseeable future.

This excursion report describes the nearly two-week field trip to WA undertaken by students and staff of the Institute of Mineral Resources Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in March 2024. This report includes chapters on the individual excursion destinations, written by the respective participants.

Our comprehensive trip (1 – 13 March, 2024) combined the metropolis of Perth with remote fly-in fly-out (FIFO) iron ore mines in the Pilbara region, the outback icon and gold mining town of Kalgoorlie, as well as the coastal flair south of Perth with its coal and lithium mines. The intensive study/adventure trip was rounded off with insights into the actual working life of Australian miners in the outback and the delicacies of Australian cuisine.

During this trip, participants gained an in-depth insight into the mining sector in Western Australia. In particular, the excursion was intended to provide an opportunity to experience and convey the course content in a practical way. Above all, however, the excursion participants were given the opportunity to get to know a different culture with its own unique characteristics, enabling them to make better decisions about their future careers and better prepare themselves for working in an international environment and other cultural circles. All participants were able to intensively experience the highlights of this excursion, and the students will benefit from this both professionally and personally – possibly even through a career down under…