Tom Price, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Tom Price
state = wa


caption =
lga = Shire of Ashburton
postcode = 6751
pop = 2,721 (2006)
est = 1960s
stategov = Central Kimberley-Pilbara
fedgov = Kalgoorlie
dist1 = 570
location1= Karratha
dist2 = 277
location2= Newman
maxtemp = 33.3
mintemp = 18.7
rainfall = 280.8
elevation = 747

Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level (747 m) in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA".

Overview

Primarily an iron ore mining town, the Tom Price mine (situated approximately 5 km out of town) is under the control of mining giant Rio Tinto. Due to the recent resources boom in Western Australia Tom Price is currently the most affluent non-metropolitan region in Australia, with the average Rio Tinto employee's wage being significantly higher than the Australian average. Tom Price has a population of 2,721, the median age being 29 reflecting Tom Price's relatively young family-orientated community. The town is named after Thomas Moore Price, the vice-president of the U.S. based steel company Kaiser Steel. Tom Price is the closest town to the pristine Karijini National Park and is serviced by the nearby Paraburdoo Airport - which some locals jokingly imply is the best feature of the town, as it is the connection back to civilization.

Recreational Activities

Tom Price is a very sports-orientated community, partly due to the young population and the lack of other facilities within the town. Tom Price has a range of recreational activities including motocross, speedway, BMX, and many sporting facilities including an Olympic-sized pool, well-equipped gym, tennis, squash, netball, volleyball and basketball courts and three ovals used for football, softball and soccer.

Attractions

Being situated in the Pilbara, Tom Price is in a close proximity to many popular attractions, including Karijini National Park, Millstream, Wittenoom and Mt Nameless - the highest mountain with 4WD access in Australia.

chools

North Tom Price Primary School
Tom Price Primary School
Tom Price Senior High School

However due to its isolation and small population many parents choose to send their children away to boarding schools to further their secondary education, particularly university-bound students as Tom Price Senior High lacks the facilities and the resources to provide a full array of TEE subjects, many of which are only provided through SIDE (distance education).

ee Also

* Red Dog Story

External links

* [http://www.wilmap.com.au/tomprice.html Map of Tom Price] (Wilmap)
* [http://www.travelmate.com.au/Places/Places.asp?TownName=Tom+Price_%5C_WA Travelmate - Tom Price]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Western-Australia/Tom-Price/2005/02/17/1108500208703.html?oneclick=true SMH Travel - Tom Price]