OneSteel is planning to reopen dormant mines at Iron Knob near Whyalla in South Australia next year. The steelworks closed its Iron Monarch and Iron Princess mines in 1998.

Ms Angie Stokes official of OneSteel said that there is strong export demand for iron ore. She said that a meeting has been held at Iron Knob to discuss the plan with the community.

She said that "The Iron Princess is still subject to Aboriginal heritage clearance and so we're working with the relevant parties to process that one and it would see the reinstatement of the rail line into Iron Knob. We had a really positive meeting with a really good turn-out of community members and we were able to discuss lots of issues and concerns that they may have had and also open up the communication lines."

Mr Dave Evans from the Iron Knob Progress Association said that many of the town's 200 residents currently travel to Whyalla for work and are delighted at the prospect of reopening. He said that "Iron Knob is the birthplace of the steel industry in Australia and just the fact that to reopen those mines will put Iron Knob back on the map and you could just tell by the looks on their faces that it was a major boost for them and the whole community.”

(Sourced from abc.net)