The Rise and Fall of Australia's Most Powerful Iron Empire: The Hancock Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of Australia's Most Powerful Iron Empire: The Hancock Dynasty In November 1952, a pastoralist flew through a gorge and recognised one of the largest iron provinces on earth. Lang Hancock wasn't just a prospector. He argued down a 22-year export ban on iron worthless since the 1890s. The Pilbara now earns Australia $138 billion a year. But Hancock never owned a mine. Stripped of his claims and beaten in court, he took 2.5 per cent of the ore others dug. He had already sold Wittenoom, where he built the mill himself. Today, Wittenoom is struck off the map, three million tonnes of blue asbestos still in the gorge. This is the story of how a man who built nothing founded Australia's largest fortune, and what one clause says about who gets paid. This is not just the story of the Hancocks. It's the story of what a signature outlasts. #Hancock #Wittenoom #AbandonedFactories #LostFactories #IndustrialDecline #AustralianManufacturing