Top 10 Biggest Gold Mines in Australia
With gold’s price trading at historic highs, it’s a good time for investors to find out more about gold mines in Australia.
Learning about Australia’s biggest gold mines is a good place to start. Read on for a look at where gold is mined in Australia and how much gold is produced at the biggest Australian gold mines.
Where is gold mined in Australia?
One of the nation’s more prolific gold-mining areas is Western Australia, which according to the Fraser Institute is one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. Unsurprisingly, the area has attracted major miners like Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,LSE:RIO,NYSE:RIO) and BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BLT).
In fact, gold was the second most valuable commodity in Western Australia in 2023 – 2024, only behind liquefied natural gas; gold sales came in a record AU$20 billion during that time.
Overall, according to statistical data provided by the government of Western Australia, the state alone produced 211.22 tonnes of gold in 2023/2024, compared to just 80.73 tonnes of gold produced in the rest of the country.
Within Western Australia, the Pilbara region has renewed interest and helped increase the country’s consistent gold output. Covering more than half a million square kilometres, the Pilbara area is one of the most resource-rich regions in the state. And while the Pilbara area is better known as an iron ore hotspot, it’s currently in the midst of a small gold rush thanks to a major discovery in 2017 by Novo Resources (TSXV:NVO,OTCQX:NSRPF) and Artemis Resources (ASX:ARV,OTCQB:ARTTF).
Some geologists have compared the geology of the Pilbara Craton with South Africa’s Witwatersrand Basin, which is home to the Earth’s largest known gold reserves and is responsible for over 40 percent of worldwide gold production.
Both the Pilbara and Witwatersrand are similar in age and composition, sitting on top of the Archean granite-greenstone basement. The Pilbara area hosts numerous small mesothermal gold deposits containing conglomerate gold — mineralisation known to hold large, high-grade gold nuggets.
What are the biggest Australian gold mines?
Below is a tour of the 10 largest gold mines in Australia in terms of 2024 gold production, including information on their operations and 2025 guidance. Data is taken from company reports and MiningDataOnline.
1. Boddington
The Boddington open-pit gold and copper mine entered production in 2009 and is located 16 kilometres from Boddington, Western Australia. Once a three-way joint venture, Newmont (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM) became the sole owner of Boddington in 2009.
In calendar year 2024, Boddington produced 590,000 ounces of gold, down from 745,000 ounces produced in 2023, as the planned mine sequence means…
