27^th June 2007-07-02

Argyle Diamond Mine

Just North of the Purnunulu National Park,

South of the town of Kununurra

Nearby, just north of the  bungles formation,

The Argyle Diamond mine built in 1983, the 2nd  largest in the world, producing

20kgs of diamonds on a daily basis in 1994, currently 12 kgs, 75% of which

Are exported for jewellery, 25% for industrial grades.

The blue grey ore being open cut mined

is lamproite from which the diamond is extrated via a process plant

through 4 sets of crushers and then x-rayed to separate them.

They spent 30 million $ building the nearby private airfield, but now have to dig it up and resite it as there are still more diamonds to be mined beneath it!

The natural rock and earth dam on Lake Argyle was built in 1971.  

The 30 megawatt station could produce 220 gigawatt hours produces the hydro electrics to power the diamond mine as well as the nearby towns of Wyndham and Kununurra,

Which was built around the diversion dam below

Built on the Ord river

Water is diverted from the dam to irrigate the new 20000 hectares of

 market garden area around Kununurra which

Grows mangoes, melons, sandalwood, bananas