Latest Mining & Infrastructure News in Australia

Autonomy gets real at Daunia as Whitehaven lifts productivity, redefines safety and proves culture is the key to mining’s autonomous future

When Whitehaven Coal acquired BMA’s Daunia and Blackwater mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, it wasn’t just the company’s biggest purchase to date.

By Jamie Wade on March 7, 2026
Safety, Occupational Health, Incident Reporting, Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Equipment Maintenance, Costs, Cost Control, Inventory Management, Workforce, Recruitment, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Mine Profiles, Case Studies
Australia, Queensland, Bowen Basin
Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

When piezometers act up, dissipation testing shows the surprising role of saturation fluids in solving tailings dam monitoring mysteries

Unexpected piezometer trends in a tailings dam triggered an investigation that uncovered an overlooked variable in dissipation testing – the type of saturation fluid.

Why the same gold deposit can sparkle in Australia but merely shimmer in China as study reveals how valuation rules reshape what a mine is truly worth

If gold is the world’s most universal currency, it’s also one of its most misunderstood.

Smart rocks and sharper minds how Australia’s data-driven explorers are redefining rare earth and vanadium discovery for the clean energy future

If you thought mining was all about brute force and big rigs, think again.

Vanadium steps into the spotlight as Queensland’s Lindfield Project fuels Australia’s clean energy charge with geology logistics and battery power to match

When it comes to the energy transition, not all batteries come wrapped in lithium.

Bioleaching transforms coal waste into safe material while producing high purity ferrous sulphate proving mine liabilities can become valuable resources

A new study has shown that bioleaching can strip more than 90% of sulphur and iron from coal waste, neutralising its acid-generating potential and creating a saleable by-product.

Underground leaching method reduces costs and rock movement, unlocking low-grade copper with in-place recovery and advanced blasting

The pursuit of critical minerals is pushing miners deeper underground, where innovation—not just excavation—is becoming the key to unlocking value.

Waves in the pit could spell trouble - advanced modelling shows how hidden seiche hazards threaten tailings safety and why early action matters

Seiche waves might be rare in mining, but new research shows they could pack enough force to overtop in-pit tailings storage facilities with serious consequences for operations, infrastructure, and safety.

Turning tailings into traction how iron ore sand could pave a stronger safer and more sustainable future for mine haul roads

A waste stream from iron ore processing is proving it can outperform conventional materials in building mine haul roads and deliver major environmental gains.

How a Queensland flood disaster is reshaping mine levee and diversion drain design to cut maintenance headaches and boost long term performance

When a Queensland flood swallowed a dragline and left an underground portal 60 metres underwater, Wade Ludlow knew mine levee design had to change.