The Western Australian Museum – Geraldton this week launched two interactive online activities allowing primary-aged students to explore the rich history of Mid West mining in a novel and fun way.

The two activities were developed thanks to a Your Community Heritage grant awarded to the WA Museum in 2012 from the Australian Government.

In the Miner to Magnate quiz children answer a series of questions on a range of different Mid West minerals from guano to gold, learning fun facts through entertaining infographics.

The second game, From Ground to Port, focuses on iron ore mining in the region, comparing changes in the industry from the 1960s to today and allows children to explore key events through a gaming interface.

Regional Manager of the WA Museum – Geraldton Leigh O’Brien said the online educational approach allowed greater accessibility for the tech-savvy generation to explore this vast topic at their leisure.

“The Mid West region’s mining history is expansive; the land covers just under 470,000 square kilometres or about one-fifth of Western Australia, and the mining history dates back 30,000 years to when Aboriginal people first mined ochre from the rich deposits at Wilgie Mia,” Ms O’Brien said.

“We hope to engage inquisitive children with this interesting and fun program and we’d be delighted if Mid West educators used these amazing resources to complement classroom-based learning.”

Both Miner to Magnate and From Ground to Port can be accessed under the explore tab on the museum website www.museum.wa.gov.au .

The Australian Government, through the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities awarded the WA Museum a $25,000 grant as part of the Your Community Heritage program, to produce Unearthed: Mining Stories from the Mid West Interactives.

Jane Rosevear
Media and Publicity Officer
Western Australian Museum
6552 7805
jane.rosevear@museum.wa.gov.au