Thread: Anyone ever worked at Telfer gold mine WA

I've worked at most of them within 500k of Kal and they are all the same,only the people are different.All sites over here are hot,dusty and draining in summer,Very cold,windy and miserable in winter.All up about 2 maybe 3 months good,the rest are either of the other two. Pat

Telfer is stinking hot,dusty and miles from anywhere resembling civilisation.

The camp is huge and laid out over a large area. The walk from the con camp to the mess is the best part of 15mins.

I have been there twice for field service jobs and both times there where dramas at the wet mess that resulted in people catching the morning flight out.

It wouldn't be my first choice of site, but If you where trying to crack into the mining game it might be a start

Originally Posted by Lucus

Telfer is stinking hot,dusty and miles from anywhere resembling civilisation.

The camp is huge and laid out over a large area. The walk from the con camp to the mess is the best part of 15mins.

I have been there twice for field service jobs and both times there where dramas at the wet mess that resulted in people catching the morning flight out.

It wouldn't be my first choice of site, but If you where trying to crack into the mining game it might be a start

I lived there for 18 months ... 6 month stints at a time
It was funny to watch some folks get out of the plane, then turn around and demand to go home ....

It's HOT .... but there's air conditioning everywhere .....

I enjoyed the place


Mike

Pat, Lucus and Mike, thanks for the replies, my Son, Myles, is heading up there on Wednesday, he has had experience in Kalgoorlie, 13 months there and varied sites in NSW as a Driller, he doesn't mind the heat, he will be working 2 weeks on 1 off, return to Perth so the desolate area shouldn't get to him, just got to stay away from the wet canteen. Money is good and will give him incentive to save, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by Tank

just got to stay away from the wet canteen.

That is the downfall of most folks ... seen that pub take the best part of folks wages .... You must have a goal to save for, when you go to places like that

Seen a few that left after 10+ years of service .. and had bugger all to their name ($$$)

Mike

Originally Posted by mike 90 RR

That is the downfall of most folks ... seen that pub take the best part of folks wages .... You must have a goal to save for, when you go to places like that

Seen a few that left after 10+ years of service .. and had bugger all to their name ($$$)

Mike

It is a hideous part of the mining game and it's culture. I saw the same thing over in Ghana. Well paid lads turning themselves into dribbling idiots...nightly.

What would people think if they were sticking needles in their arms?

I've been there a couple of times Frank, but only ever for a couple of days at a time.

Telfer has always had a bit of a reputation for high turnover, and they have at times struggled to find employees willing to start there - but I believe a lot of that problem was when it was a largely residential minesite. These days, I'm pretty sure it's all FIFO and nobody actually lives out there in the houses any more.

Both times I went in there, I drove in - it's an interesting drive but not somewhere you'd want to break down (I got bogged in the Oakover River crossing on my first trip out that way).

But I imagine that it is much like any of the FIFO sites these days, especially up north. They all seem to be pretty well catered and have most facilities that you'd want. As others have said - the bar is usually an attraction, and can often be a trap.

Hope Myles likes it up there. Will keep an eye out for him at the airport on Wednesday - I've got about a 4 hour stopover there between flights from Kal and to Karratha. But I suspect that he won't be on Qantas, so might not see him there. I'll call his mobile when I get into Perth to see if he is around.

Originally Posted by mike 90 RR

That is the downfall of most folks ... seen that pub take the best part of folks wages .... You must have a goal to save for, when you go to places like that

Seen a few that left after 10+ years of service .. and had bugger all to their name ($$$)

Mike

Hi Guys,

Yeah, seen the grog get the better of many a good man, was a little that way myself until I woke up to what I was doing.

On the flip side, know of a bloke who after 6 months left site with 50cents more than he had earned, he found a 50c coin on the path on the way to the mess hall one night.