Rosebery Mine celebrated 85 years of continuous operation over the weekend with day-long festivities starting with a family carnival day full of entertainment and fun for all ages, and finally culminating in a grand firework display in the evening.

The Rosebery Mine has workings that date back to the very early 1900’s, however, the technology to successfully extract zinc concentrate from the ore body was only discovered at the tail end of the Great Depression. It was at this point, in 1936, the Rosebery Mill was constructed, and the mine’s operations have been in full swing ever since.

“Reaching such a tremendous milestone is no small feat, and Rosebery Mine would certainly be one of the oldest of its kind in Australia,” said Rob Walker, General Manager MMG Rosebery Mine.

MMG Rosebery is proud to be part of the long standing mining history of the West Coast and was honoured to hold the free event for the Rosebery township, providing food, amusement rides, and family friendly activities, even bringing Australian Country music legend, Adam Brand and accompanying artist, Rae-leigh, into town for an exclusive live performance.

“Our community and employees have worked hard to help us achieve such longevity, and they deserve to celebrate so it was only fitting we invited the whole town and put on a good show,” Mr Walker said. “It was a pleasure to host this event for Rosebery and fantastic to see so many people out and about enjoying themselves. We really wanted to be able to express our thanks to the community for their ongoing support, and to commemorate the mine’s history and look forward with excitement to its future.”

MMG Rosebery recently announced the discovery of ore bodies that will see the life of the mine extended for many years to come upon completion of a new tailings storage facility. The facilities currently in place will soon run out of capacity, however, MMG remains committed to finding a safe solution with considerations for both social and environmental impacts.

“We want to be able to have many more celebrations like this well into the future, and we want to continue making a contribution to the legacy of the Rosebery Mine,” said Mr Walker. “We have made a significant investment to extend the life of the mine to protect the jobs of our 500 employees and contractors, and to continue our support for our local community.”

MMG Rosebery spends half a million dollars on average in local community support on a yearly basis, and has contributed over $120 million in royalties and taxes over the last five years to the local and state economy. With a bright future ahead, the benefits and contribution to the generations of Tasmanians that will come are only set to increase.

Image (L-R): Felix Ellis – MP Tasmania; Rob Walker – GM Rosebery; and Guy Barnett – Minister for Resources (Tasmania) at the family carnival.