Why Australia Abandoned the Mining Town of Wittenoom

0:00 Derelict racecourse and an erased town 0:57 How Wittenoom was removed from the map 4:17 The blue asbestos beneath Banjima Country 8:27 C S R turns a remote gorge into an industry 16:24 Warnings, dust and the delayed disease 23:45 A town built on mine waste 42:51 The health toll after the mine closed 52:04 Banjima Country and the clean-up fight A town was built on asbestos, then buried in the same ground it stood on. I investigate why Wittenoom disappeared from Australia's maps, while its racecourse, tailings and deadly legacy remain. I trace the story from Banjima Country and the discovery of crocidolite through the arrival of Australian Blue Asbestos, the creation of the town and the warnings that failed to stop the mine. I also examine how mine waste ended up on roads, school grounds, sandpits and the racecourse. Finally, I follow the long aftermath: disease, compensation claims, the eviction of the last resident, the demolition of the town and the Banjima fight for a clean-up. The mine closed, but the responsibility did not.