What's it like Overnight at a Mining Camp?
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- I show what it's like to stay overnight at a mining camp and what's on offer. You'll see the accommodation, the food, facilities and recreation.
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Thanks..! Happy workers are Productive Workers..! Huge thanks to ALL the Mine Workers that keep our Economy ticking over....!
Awesome. Thanks heaps
Can't complain one bit, that looks luxurious compared to the stories i've been told. Thanks for the video.
Yeah for sure
Wow what a spread of great looking food!
Yes some of the food was very nice
Fantastic video. Good to see mining company’s providing decent facilities for those working away from home.
For sure. Thanks Ben
We camped at the Leinster caravan park in 2018, we heard about the free washing machines and the buffet for the miners. Pay a reasonable charge and good food like you showed us. All you can eat. It was a great change from about 2 weeks of road side camp tucker. We went down the Great Central Road from Ayers Rock on that trip and the road was in good order. Jeff.
Sounds like you had it all organised.
Leinster is great, it serves a lot of mines in the area, top food.
Yes I saw that one
That's way flasher than the mine I stayed on in the early 90's as part of a research project I was doing. There's things that happened there that wouldn't be allowed to be shown on RUclips! Thanks for sharing how it's evolved!!
Ha ha. Yes everything has to get better or no one would work on a mine.
Thanks Johnno I did Pilbara 10 years ago.That’s standard spec for the rooms and good tucker 🇦🇺👍👍
Yes that's about it Steve
Takes me back a few years, did a 4 year stint in Mt Newman in the mid 80's. Single mans quarters, and mess rooms with good tucker.
Things would have been really different back then
Yes the rooms were bigger.@@RoadTrainAdventures
Oh yeah. I remember some older style camps had bigger rooms.
Very interesting insight into a mining camp, thank you! 😁
Awesome. Thanks for watching
Looks like luxury gov, most of the Pilara camps I drove to20 years ago had "dongas" for accommodation, cabins with a sunshade roof above. Once the sun got up, the cold water in the shower was too hot to shower, so very early morning only. The food was usually excellent, especially the WA beef, how the bare countryside grew such great animals was a mystery to me.
How things change
Buffet breakfast looked amazing. And getting to pack your lunch.
Yes the food is good there
Great content and editing 😊
Awesome. Thanks heaps
Hi Johnno, thank you for the tour it would be nice if we had truck stops that where like that, anyway, have a safe one and I will see you on the next trip. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks Wayne. Don't they have similar in some place in USA?
Great insight Johnno. That might be me in a few months!👍🏻
Oh excellent. I hope you like it.
Awesome video , I really enjoy your channel. Keep the videos coming
Awesome. It's great to have you along.
Wow bit different to when I work on the Burrup Peninsular gas project in 87. Still was comfortable an excellent food. Thanks mate, stay safe travel well. Greg
Yes Greg. This was a nice camp and the food was great too.
Those road trains remind of around Port Hedland way, out in the hills ... yep, standard donga's, mess etc, very good
Yes Craig. Those are the same kind of road trains south of Port Hedland.
Thanks for uploading.
I lived in Perth from 2004-2010
The indy bar and Stanford arms were my locals. Safe driving bud
Wellington NZ
Oh very nice. Thanks for watching.
You sound like your a expat from the uk , great chanel by the way
Ha ha. No I'm born and raised in Australia but have this dodgy accent.
Nice little video Johnno , good on ya mate👌🇦🇺
Very nice. Thanks Rick
Those are new looking dongas. I've had the pleasure of staying in some shockers e.g Banksia in blackwater😂
Yes the whole site was very new
I never ever stayed in a camp but when I was carting ATCO Huts back in early 1980's I took a few huts to Jackson Oil well out past Noccundra Qld , always dawdled along to make it by around 4pm , time they unloaded it it was knock off time so usually got invited to the mess for a good meal and wow did they great food laid on.
Very good Doug. Sounds like you had it all sorted.
@@RoadTrainAdventures Yeh Cunning Truckie
Very good
This no BS, I drilled all those holes out there!
👍
Worked argyle for yrs 1st stint 6 week nightshift straight. Con camp food always better than Rio camps food
Oh nightshirt. Something in not good at. Are you still there?
They really are a home away from home, a town in the desert. Thanks for sharing mate I haven’t seen the inside before, wish I could have got in a few years ago but from what I hear you need to know someone to get a job there.
If you've got experience you should be able to get a job there without knowing anyone. Yes I like the day up. Are you thinking about it?
@@RoadTrainAdventures na mate family life now working away isn’t a possibility anymore
Bah. Quality of life hey? Ha ha. No I need to get into that as soon as I can. Right now I'm out with dad at an expensive restaurant. I had a video call with my wife and kids this morning.
Hi Johnny
Mining Camp sounds nice.
Good looks yummy😊
Yes Rock. This was a very nice camp
I love it when I go to a mine or drill rig and they offer us accomodation. I’ll sometimes try and time it so they can’t load or unload until the next day and invariably get offered a room. The food is just so good these days whether it’s a small or big camp. When I worked underground at Leinster in the late 1970s the camp was quite good but nowhere near as good as nowadays. I bet you weren’t complaining having to spend a night there 🫤
Ha ha. No I knew that I wasn't going to make it so I was looking forward to it.
Hi Johnno, It was good passing you today. Have a safe trip home. Regards Des (Turtle Express 🐢)
Thanks Des. Yes I can't believe we missed each other. Keep calling our when you're moving back this way.
@@RoadTrainAdventures Yes. It was a little bit of a rush as a close friend passed away last week and we cut short our holiday and we were rushing home for the funeral. Usually we would camp where there is phone signal but we camped at the end of the day's driving. So it was a bit of a rush. Will communicate when we head across again. Take care. Cheers 🙏👍
Oh I'm sorry to hear that. I hope to see you next time
@@RoadTrainAdventures Will do. 👍😁
Very good
Great vid mate. Rooms small, but im tipping that's for contractors. Food looks much tastier than where I am for sure. Nice wet mess. Cheers old mate.
Yes it's a very nice camp this one.
@@RoadTrainAdventures yeh great layout. Happy travels!!
👍👍👍
Great story - wondered what mining life entails.
It's not bad if you don't mind being away from home.
looks amazing
For sure
Great video mate
Awesome. Thanks for coming along
Things have definitely moved on since I was working in Newman WA in the 1980s
For sure
Nice one Johnno. I did FIFO for a couple of mine companies and there can be a big difference between standards of accommodation and catering. Your yellow shirts there may indicate one of the better ones but that’s only a guess. Can’t pick the camp though. There are many in WA.
Yes I've been to many and there are some shockers but most a very good.
I did a lot of oil field hauling back in the 70's and 80's. A lot of the more remote drilling rigs had camps set up similar to what you showed. It was always nice to get a hot shower and a restaurant quality meal.
Yes. Food is very important. Ha ha
When you coming back though minnipa
I don't know at this stage. Waiting for a load in Perth.
Hopefully they find you a load
Oh they definitely will. Hopefully for Tuesday morning so I can get home next weekend.
Good Video
Very good
All depends on the mine site you're rostered to. Some are modern and not bad. Others are a bit grim. But all sites require damn hard work and being away from your family for sometimes weeks at a time. And for those commenting on 'CUBs' - you might want to consider the hard work that goes into digging the minerals out of the ground to enable you to enjoy everything from a car to a toaster in your comfy urban lives.
Very true
Bit up yourself there aren’t you. You guys get paid a bucket of money for doing menial ‘operating’ tasks. Not much HARD work happens on these mines.
Western Mining's Phosphate Hill camp set the standard 25 years ago, stuck with airbrushed camps by Fat Gina, Greedy BHP, Crazy Twiggy and Blow up the Caves Rio these days. Thanks to WMC when a mining company was a real Australian.
Very good
Seen some of the boys west bound out of brissy yesterday afternoon. John was wondering if it had of been you.safe travels and enjoy the camp food.if its any good.bit of a lottery in QLD.
Thanks Troy. I'm in that lottery with a friend who lives there so lots of luck for all of us.
I can tell you that drilling rig camps were not like that in 1972, in fact, they just upgraded from tents when I first got there, well, in the 60's anyway. Five men in a room, ablution block was separate, washing machines outside on the end of the skid, there was BEER, and mean Canadian Toolpushers mainly! And they told me that I started at the right time because the work schedule was now only 5 weeks on and a week off instead of 7 weeks on and a week off, HA HA
Sounds like tough days back then. I guess no one would want to work on a mine if it was too hard.
Yeah, i done 6 and 2 and slept 4 to a run down old caravan. We took turns cooking our own food. Drillers came and went, usually on the run from cops or family courts. Tough days, paying for it now though.👍
Not too good
@@RoadTrainAdventures Good thing about drilling rigs, working in the open, too scary for me to go underground. Spend many years in deserts of Australia, Middle East, the jungles of Indonesia and Philippines, offshore North Sea, China, Bass Strait, exposed to all kinds of weather, typhoons, earthquakes, sand storms.
You've got lots of experience then
Interesting video, lots of food choices, ❤️🦘🦘🦘🇦🇺
Thanks Steven. Yes they have to put on a good spread.
I fly to various camps throughout the Pilbara and NT most are to a pretty good standard a lot better then the early 90s.
You got that Wayne. Yes most a very good now.
Yeh food like in your video, and wow they sure got everything going there ,
Yeah for sure
Great video Johno, gives those the lesser mortals a view that not many have seen, reckon you did a fine recruitment for FIFO WA. Can I ask a question about your Trucking Company - is there many Rigs in Perth. About three weeks ago I was waiting to turn at Abernathy / Kalamunda lights and one of your truck and trailers passed thru, load was a blue prime mover only. Have been on the look out for a while, just wondering. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Graham. Yes we come to Perth quite a bit so you should see us around.
I would eat so much of that food if I was on one of those camps
For sure
03:10 what a great setup. Mining profits do more than paying taxes, of whatever sort.
For sure
Best three mines camps were by far number 1 calliope in Gladstone, Tropicana gold mine WA and Darlot WA, Darlot was small and more relaxed than the big ones, good food too.
Very good
Darlot was the first mine camp I stayed at. They were operated by Barrick then. Great little camp!
Where's is that one?
@@RoadTrainAdventures Darlot is 100k’s up the highway from Leonora then 55k’s east on Weebo rd.
Oh OK
Now that's what I call a buffet.
For sure
i wouldn’t mind just staying there for a couple of days just to see what mining’s like
Yeah you'd love it there for that long
@@RoadTrainAdventures yea id work in a mine if I was younger
Oh you're not so young anymore.
The fascination will wear off pretty quick.
@ashcoops6962 yes no doubt
No wonder everyone wants to come to WA to work ..getting paid well to eat like a king .sign me up 😅
Oh yeah. Most people put on weight when they work in the mines.
Great insights.
Thanks Jonathan
❤
👍👍
Very nice place clean the Tucker looks good 👍👍👍🦘🇦🇺🗝️
For sure
The food has to be good. Poor selections makes for unhappy miners. Best food I came across was at Telfer. Shockingly hot place. I used to pray for night shift just to get out of the heat.
@clintgirdler38 Yes the great idea one reason I wouldn't like to work on a mine and having to rug-up to the eyeball with PPE.
Can see its pretty new. wonder how it looks in 2 years. The food looks verry good. Your not home to celebrate. But i wish you happy fathers day with your dad.
Oh thanks Mario and a very Happy Father's Day to you too
@@RoadTrainAdventures Thanks. But we have that in June. Than i always visit his grave for a little chat.
Oh different dates OK
@@RoadTrainAdventures Hows the first work day going Johnno? Ride like the wind?
I just left Perth for Melbourne
Wow
Thanks Jonathan
Nice
Thanks Rachel
lived in plenty of these mines camps in central Qld and WA goldfields.
Very good. Which did you like the best?
@@RoadTrainAdventures Homeground at Calliope Gladdy was next level then Darlot for the relaxed atmosphere, Darlot was a small camp, old donga’s and old kitchen but a homely feel, Tropicana was modern and fantastic food but felt like a boot camp, Leinster was not bad just a long walk to the kitchen, if I had to go do it again I’d say Darlot would be my pick.
Awesome. Thanks for the info
Worked in a gold mine in the NT in the late '80s (not FIFO) ..... not even close to this!
6x dongers with 2x shared toilet and shower facilities, had to supply your own TV for two channels.
Food was okay but not like that. No gym, a rec. room with some dirty old chairs and a crappy tele .... I lasted 18 months.
You did well to last that long
Sounds about right. I'm working FIFO in NT, we finally got phone service/internet in 2018/19 I think, and I was in the dog box rooms with no ensuite until about 18 months ago. (how good is it having to take a leak in the middle of the day when your on nightshift, walking 150meters in 45C heat getting blasted by the sun just to get to the shitter). Gym mediocre, squeezers are trying to ban lifting more than 45kgs, very un-territorian... Food can be ok but its just dicey, one of my workmates nearly died after eating a ham sandwich he was in hospital for 9 days, 2 in the ICU with salmonella, and I've had multiple occasions where you eat something bad then have the shits or are throwing up all shift. Whenever a bunch of people get sick on site they just send out a condescending email/bulletin telling people to wash their hands properly.. cunts. Think I need to get back over to WA lol
Yeah that sounds like a dodgy place. Most are very good nowadays or they won't get any staff.
They are a bit flasher than the dog boxes we had at roxbie years ago
For sure or people wouldn't stay
Hey Johnno, do the all the mines provide a room and food if you’re delivering to them?
No. Only if I get stuck there overnight.
Hi Johnno, hope all is well with you. Which camp? We are making our way West at the moment. Now 250km East of Ceduna. Cheers Des 👍😁
This was around Leinster so I guess you won't be going near there. I'm in Perth at the moment.
@@RoadTrainAdventures We are heading West and will be crossing the Nullarbor probably Monday.
I'll hopefully be across there Wednesday but nothing been said just yet.
@@RoadTrainAdventures There's a good chance we will cross somewhere along the way.👍😁
Keep in touch each day so I know where you are.
not this video making me want to move to oz to be a mine worker 😂
Come on over
Been there, done that.
Very good
Are the trains possible due to the land being so level without huge hills?
Oh no. We have lots of big hills and mountains we have to go over.
👍👍👍
Thanks Jessica
01:04 If that is open, expect a green tee frog in the bowl.
That would be interesting.
@@RoadTrainAdventures A cold slimy hand on ya bum 🤣🤣scares years out of ya.
Ha ha
Hey mate. Love the videos and content, keep it coming. I am in a small company that only does our own freight and have a job going to Perth from Melbourne. Any trip advice would be awesome as I've never been out that way. Thanks
Are you saying you're going from Perth to Melbourne for the first time?
@@RoadTrainAdventures Melbourne to Perth. I have never been past Adelaide so unknown is a bit daunting
There is nothing to worry about but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks. Best towns for fuel and rest would be helpful after port Augusta ceduna would be helpful. @@RoadTrainAdventures
I guess I firstly depends on who you're filing up with? Nullarbor and Border Village do a good meal but if you've been following my videos you'll see me go on about the Bangers and Mash at Madura. See if you can stop there. Make sure you tell them you're a truckie.
Quality of food and accommodation can vary greatly from one site to another, so don't be fooled into thinking all sites are the same. One of the worst I was on couldn't even serve up hot food for breakfast - everything was stone cold - even the fried and poached eggs! For dinner one night, they had osso bucco and it was just beef shin bones - not a skerrik of meat on them, just bones in a red wine sauce! Basically, mining and catering companies will do whatever they can get away with. They're not there to make you feel all warm and fuzzy - they're there to make money!
Yes that sounds really bad. No doubt they didn't keep workers for long.
@@RoadTrainAdventures
Well, they certainly didn't keep me for very long, that's for sure. I think I lasted four days! 🤣
Oh no
Wow a bed and shower realistically that's all you need, i could handle that anyday
Don't forget the good food. We must get good food.
@@RoadTrainAdventures lol of course how could i forget, that's the priority mate
For us guys yes
Wedgefield camp in 86 was a bit rougher, bloody good time tho
Which state was that in?
@@RoadTrainAdventures
Port hedland
Oh that was a long time ago. Yes things would have been a lot tougher then.
Where'd you leave your truck while you stayed in the hut?
At the unloading area.
Do you have to pay for the food? It looks great!
No all food is included
You parked up in a single at gundi south this morning? One of alumnae’s 9 oh’s was parked up having a sleep
That was one of our other trucks
That was one of our other trucks
@@RoadTrainAdventures it’s had shrink wrapped water pumps and gear on it I thought maybe another mine delivery
It might be big I don't know about that one
I worked at one on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert for 3.5 years. It had good rooms & a big gym ,the food was ok & a lot of STI's gettin' around & both pools got shit in once a week unfortunatley.
That sounds both good and bad. I guess they have to make it good or people won't want to stay.
@@RoadTrainAdventures Stay? 100 a month quit for the first 30 months of the mine & 20/25 a month sacked. There were fights in camp & one was glassed, a supervisor snotted out in the pits. You get the picture.
Ha ha. I don't know why I'm laughing but that sounds bad.
Which site was it?
I'm not supposed to say but it was made Leinster, WA.
You were put in the temp rooms, permanents have a bigger ensuite
Yes that's what I heard. They were definitely OK still.
I've spent 28 years living in a box lol . Even now I'm writing this in a box 😆 I went mad years ago 😑 😒 🙃 😐 😅😅
👍👍👍
Not bad looking grub
For sure. I had the seafood. It was hard to see in my video.
Great - very interesting but with this film and trans Nullarbor trips please tell us exactly where you are !
This was in the Leinster area.
How much were the beers?
I think they were very cheap but as I didn't buy one I don't know for sure.
What minesite is this?
I can't say the name but it's near Leinster
@RoadTrainAdventures no worries thanks for the reply 👍
Anytime
what gave away which mine it was the design of the dongas, I wont give away its location but i think its KV ?
Ha ha. You got it
Roar….
Thought this too!
👍
Very good
Question
If I can ask how many kms from mine to Perth😊
They look after their staff well😊
It was 900km to get to Perth from there.
Just a swisher version of jail !
Maybe
Pretty much the same as oil & gas camps. Drilling camps have their own chefs and night cooks and the dining room is available most of the day and night in them. Mining camps only have the dining rooms open early morning and in the evening. Packed crib for lunch as there is no way to get back to camp for lunch when you’re reliant on the crew bus.
That's the one
Meanwhile in the real world Ambos Police Firies Nurses Doctors can’t even get a meal break. Cubs everywhere.
You got that right.
What mine you stay at mate
I can't say the name but it was in the Leinster area.
Terrific video. Would appreciate it if you either got rid of the music or turned it down
I get that you may not like the music but without it, the video looks very amateur like.
Kathleen Valley?
Very good
What mine mate?
This was a mine near Leinster. I'm not supposed to mention the name.
@@RoadTrainAdventures understood.
👍👍👍
When is seafood night
I don't know. I wasn't there long enough
You say new ?
Yes very new
most people in mining wouldnt have lasted before technology was a thing ... doing 4 weeks on 1 week off rosters.
For sure
Don’t worry, Labor will soon have it shut down to preserve the great Rainbow Serpent.
No doubt
Always someone that whinges about politics. There more to life than doing that.
Some people feel strongly about certain issues
Mining isn't going anywhere. Labor has their hands in the industry pockets just as much as the LNP do. They're not about to bite one of their major benefactors.
They just bite
How are you going
I'm going well. I'm at home for the weekend.
Hope you had a good rest
More would be nice with my family.
Hope they don’t go broke waiting for lithium to recover.
Yes I heard it's a little low at the moment.
Has he said which mine this is at.
Or Am I jUsT sTuPiD?
No I didn't mention which mine.
Used to be good until Sodexo and the bean counters took over.
Oh
Whereabouts is that Mine?
It's near Leinster
Was is kathleen valley@RoadTrainAdventures
How did you know?
K.O.T.H
You could have it
Most of that food gets thrown out
I can't say much of that is right