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Volunteers keep WA trail in top shape  A team from Alcoa Australia’s (ASX: AAI) Willowdale bauxite mine recently lent a hand to refresh a section of the iconic Munda Biddi Trail in WA. Stretching more than 1060km from Mundaring to Albany, the Munda Biddi is a world-class long-distance off-road cycling trail.  Senior community relations advisor Scott Hansen says Alcoa Australia has proudly supported the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation (MBTF) for 25 years through funding and employee volunteering. “Alcoa has a long-running partnership with the foundation, a not-for-profit association which supports the maintenance and promotion of the trail,” he said. Recently, employees rolled up their sleeves to clean up a section of the trail near the northern part of Alcoa Australia’s Willowdale Larego mine area. Their efforts included branch trimming, raking and blower vaccing to ensure the trail remains safe and accessible for riders. “Our employees are proud to help maintain this popular trail,” Mr Hansen said.“It’s a great way to give back to the community and keep the trail safe and functional for cyclists.” Alcoa Australia’s involvement with the trail dates back to its planning in 2000, when the company worked with the foundation to determine a safe, practical and enjoyable route and provide on-the-ground help to make the trail a reality.Since then, Alcoa Australia has continued to consider the trail through mine planning processes, including the recent expansion of a Mining Avoidance Zone (MAZ) around Dwellingup. The expanded MAZ is adjacent to several designated conservation areas and includes recreational tracks and trails, including sections of the Munda Biddi Trail, Bibbulmun Track and Nyingarn Bidi Loop. If future mine planning indicates any interactions with the trail, Mr Hansen says Alcoa consults with the MBTF and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to discuss options that ensure access is not restricted.Past consultation has resulted in Alcoa Australia building dedicated infrastructure such as tunnels and bridges to provide safe, continuous access for riders through operating mine regions. “Our overarching principle is to maintain continuous access for trail users and we want to ensure this world-class trail remains available for generations to come,” Mr Hansen said.MBTF executive officer Therese Logue says the trail’s ongoing success is founded on strong collaboration across both community and corporate sectors, including a longstanding 25-year partnership with Alcoa Australia. “The continued support of Alcoa extends beyond industry operations, with staff actively contributing their time and skills,” she said. “Their hands-on involvement builds a sense of stewardship, directly helping to preserve this iconic trail. “Through partnerships like these, the trail will continue to flourish, and the provision of vital resources help the foundation empower its volunteers to enhance and maintain a high-quality trail experience for all riders.”  

Liebherr’s T 264 mining trucks are proving their reliability in one of WA’s most demanding environments, with a fleet now working at a Thiess-operated site in the Pilbara.With high temperatures, abrasive materials and demanding production schedules, mining in the Pilbara region presents a challenging environment.Thiess mining manager Kathryn Harrison says comments on the performance of the T 264s.“What we’re looking for in our machinery is that it can withstand those extremes of temperature, presence of dust, wet weather conditions, as well as hauling some serious dirt,” she says.That expectation is being met in day-to-day operations.Thiess maintenance manager Rob Sue says despite the conditions, the trucks have performed.“We can’t ask any more of the product than that,” he said.“The support from Perth has been phenomenal.”This partnership keeps trucks operating efficiently and reliably in one of the world’s toughest mining environments.

WA’s next generation of mining safety leaders gets boost The Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre at Edith Cowan University (ECU), with support from the WA Government, is offering a number of fully funded scholarships for the Graduate Certificate of Leadership in Mining Workplace Safety.The program is designed to develop leaders who can effectively manage psychosocial risks, support a culture of safety and respect, and drive evidence-based wellbeing and safety practices across WA’s mining organisations.The course consists of three consecutive units delivered in an intensive block. It is offered flexibly online to accommodate the demanding and variable work schedules of the mining workforce, with regular opportunities for online engagement and support.To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must currently be working within the WA mining sector and will need to submit a course application and receive a course offer.MARS Centre deputy director Associate Professor Kate Blackwood says that as part of the applicant review process, consideration would be given to the applicant's motivation for undertaking the program, their plans for applying the knowledge gained and the steps they have taken to prepare for success."We're looking for applicants who are motivated to turn learning into action, leaders who want to strengthen safety, respect and wellbeing across their teams and organisations," she said."This program is designed to equip mining professionals with practical, evidence-based skills they can apply immediately, while balancing the realities of working in a demanding industry."The course is set to run between March 9 to July 19.

EACON hits autonomous haulage milestone in Australia A retrofitted Komatsu HD1500 haul truck has successfully completed its first fully autonomous haulage test cycle at Norton Gold Fields' Mulgarrie mine in WA.The achievement is part of a tri-partite project between EACON Mining Technology, Thiess and Norton Gold Fields, confirming the successful retrofit of autonomy on Komatsu trucks.Prior to the retrofit, the truck had about 20,000 operating hours and was elected as part of the project to broaden asset life.Following a structured series of testing and validation activities, the retrofitted truck, named Jerry, has met the criteria to operate fully autonomously, demonstrating the maturity of EACON's complete autonomous driving system under Australian operating conditions.The first phase of the project demonstrated reliable integration of EACON's independently developed drive-by-wire retrofit kit, consistent vehicle behaviour under autonomous control and effective tuning of control algorithms to match the truck's native operating characteristics.Comprehensive system-level validation was completed across perception, planning, decision-making and vehicle control, confirming the system's readiness for continued on-site testing and subsequent project phases.EACON Mining Australia chief operating officer Elaine Jin says the milestone reflects disciplined execution and close collaboration across all project partners."Achieving this milestone safely and on schedule validates the maturity of our ORCASTRA system, its adaptability to the Australian mining environment and its proven performance on large scale rigid dump trucks,” she said.Thiess assets and autonomy group executive Ryan Kirkwood says the global mining services provider was proud to work in partnership with EACON and Norton Gold Fields to demonstrate how autonomy could be introduced safely across mixed, brownfield fleets."Thiess has implemented, operated and optimised autonomous solutions for haulage fleets, dozer and drill applications globally for close to 15 years,” he said.“We're pleased to bring our experience to this project to support change management and implementation processes, from commissioning through to successful maintenance with our workforce of the future."Supporting fleet expansion and further validation activities, a second Komatsu HD1500 truck, Tom, has also recently completed retrofit works and is making its way to the Mulgarrie site.Norton Gold Fields chief executive Wei Lin says the milestone demonstrates the potential for retrofit autonomous haulage to be safely introduced into active Australian gold mining operations.“The project has progressed in a structured and measured way, with safety and operational readiness at the forefront,” he said.By enabling autonomy across multiple vehicle brands and models, EACON's open, OEM-agnostic autonomy solution provides a practical pathway for upgrading existing mining fleets and facilitates the transition of autonomous haulage from greenfield deployments to scalable brownfield and retrofit operations.