Special Report: Iron ore steels for more

The unprecedented China-fed demand for iron ore has set the stage for a new golden age of development in Western Australia. The rush for the big Pilbara producers to catch up with demand has been coupled with the emergence of the state’s second iron ore r

Australia's two biggest iron ore miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, have either just spent or have in the pipeline more than $10 billion worth of short-term Pilbara expansion plans to cash in on the booming China-fed steel market.

The changing face of the international iron ore game is probably best exemplified by the current rapid development of Australia’s second largest iron ore region in Western Australia’s Mid-West region.

Western Australia’s iron ore export industry started in the mid 1960s with the first major shipments to Japan, expanded to South Korea and Taiwan in the early 1980s and, in more recent years, China.

Has anyone noticed that the iron ore industry is morphing into something resembling gold?