Peak Iron Mines also extracting high-grade iron ore from the riches of Gawler Craton in South Australia's north
Peak Iron Mines iron ore ventures (top, from left) at Pecular Knob, Hawks Nest Buzzard and the early-stage Hawks Nest Magnetite, within the Gawler Craton of South Australia's north, made use of roads such as Stuart Highway and rail access (shown as orange dots on the map, including the Wirrida loop) to transport its ore, including to Whyalla Port.
Images courtesy Peak Iron Mines
Gawler Craton in South Australia’s north, especially renowned for its copper resources, was producing high-grade iron ore from two mines, starting from 2019, for the Peak Iron Mines.
Privately-owned Perth-based iron ore mining, development and exploration company Peak Iron Mines, through wholly-owned subsidiaries Southern Iron and Central Iron owned and operated two mining operations in the Coober Pedy area, using contract mining and logistics services. These were the Peculiar Knob and Buzzard direct-shipping-ore hematite mining operations. Peak Iron also was progressing the Hawks Nest magnetite project in 2025.
After initially operating for four years, Peculiar Knob mine was placed into care and maintenance by the previous owners in 2015. Peak Iron bought the asset in 2019 and restarted it in February 2020. Peak Iron initially started operations by reclaiming a stockpile and exporting it through Port Adelaide. In November 2020, mining resumed at Peculiar Knob with exports through Whyalla Port when the South Australia government approved Peak’s revised environmental programme to protect and rehabilitate the open pit. The mine's open-pit operation involving drilling and blasting, excavation, crushing and screening, followed by road and rail haulage to the port for export.
In 2025, Peak Iron's website reported that Peculiar Knob was producing 2.4 million tonnes per annum at 64% Fe (iron), hauled 100 kilometres by road and 630 kilometres by rail (via Wirrida rail loop) to export through Whyalla Port on Capsize vessels.
Peak Iron’s Buzzard direct-shipping-ore hematite mine was shovel-ready with 15 megatons at 61% Fe, after the South Australian government granting the lease in 2021. Mining contractors started pre stripping in January 2024. The Buzzard Project was within the Hawks Nest Exploration Licence 125 kilometres south southeast of Coober Pedy and 2.5 kilometres from the Stuart Highway.
The Buzzard project, 50 kilometres southwest of Peak Iron’s Peculiar Knob nine, was within the traditional lands of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara People, the Woomera Prohibited Area, and McDouall Peak pastoral station. Peak Iron was extracting the ore using open-pit mining techniques – the same as Peculiar Knob. The ore was transported in bulk from the mine site by both road and rail to port. All approvals were granted and site development began in August 2022. Equipment and personnel would be transferred from Peculiar Knob to Buzzard Project as Peculiar Knob ramped down production.
Peak Iron was drilling again at Hawks Nest Magnetite, with promising initial field results. It discovered a new potential high-quality direct-shipping-ore hematite deposit along the eastern flank of the proposed Kite magnetite pit. This added to its previous intersections of Kite banded iron formation and ultra-high grade massive magnetite. Tests showed that the Kite ultra high-grade massive magnetite contained up to 69% Fe. Early metallurgical test results indicated that Kite banded iron formation magnetite had grades of 36% Fe and, with Davis tube recovery, more than 45%.