Mineral Resources (MinRes) has unveiled a new resort-style accommodation prototype, setting a new standard for fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers and aiming to encourage a more diverse workforce at Australia’s newest iron ore project.
The prototype demonstrates what workers can expect at the company’s Onslow Iron project, which is currently under development in the Ashburton region of the Pilbara.
Construction recently started at the 500-room Ken’s Bore Resort and will continue in the second half of 2023 at the 250-room Onslow Resort. The 750 locally fabricated apartment-like rooms feature 45m² of living space – three times larger than traditional FIFO accommodation – and contains a queen size bed, separate ensuite, kitchenette, lounge and laundry with washer and dryer, with each room spanning.
The rooms have been designed to be suitable for singles or couples, with each pair of rooms, known as a “plinked by walkways and configured like a resort, with shared gathering spaces and barbecue areas. There’s also a big screen television with video call function to stay in touch with family and friends, plus every room will have a balcony with electric barbecue.
MinRes is also building ten four-bedroom homes in Onslow to attract more families to relocate to the town and become a part of the community.
MinRes Chief People and Shared Services Officer, Bronwyn Grieve, said MinRes wants to redefine what it means to be a FIFO worker by creating a home-away-from-home and a genuine community environment for its people.
“To do that, we must have high-quality, comfortable and secure accommodation. That’s exactly what these pods will deliver, they are a game-changer,” Ms Grieve said.
“We’ve received enormously positive feedback from our workforce about the prototype pod and a huge amount of interest about jobs on Onslow Iron.”
Amenities will include an Olympic-size swimming pool, indoor fitness centre and gym, café serving barista-made coffee and a recreation building with cinema and golf simulators.
There will also be multi-purpose sports courts, a mini golf course, fitness park with outdoor gym facilities and a wellness loop with running track, and a restaurant.
The resorts were designed by Milieu Creative, the same architecture and design studio behind MinRes’ state-of-the-art headquarters in Osborne Park.
Onslow Iron will feature a dust-free mine-to-ship transport solution and construction works currently include an airport, storage facilities at the Port of Ashburton and a fleet of transhippers.
The project, which will ship about 35 million tonnes of iron ore per year from mid 2024, is set to create thousands of jobs during the construction phase.
MinRes is currently offering roles for dozer operators, carpenters, electricians, trades assistants, grader operators, mechanical fitters, crane operators, advanced riggers, boilermakers and pipefitters, as well as maintenance, corporate compliance and environmental advisory roles.
Featured image: Prototype of resort-style FIFO accommodation. Image: Mineral Resources.
