Pannawonica, Western Australia

Pannawonica is one of a number of remote-area iron-ore-mining towns built throughout the Pilbara to house workers operating open-cut mines and the loading of ore trains.Pannawonica is home to more than 1000 people: Rio Tinto Iron Ore employee families, staff on fly-in fly-out ('fifo') roster from Perth, and those involved in support services (49% residential, 51% FIFO).[5] The town's facilities include a post office, supermarket, milk-bar, pub, a public swimming pool, sports fields, police station, petrol station, primary school, tavern bistro, gym and a free drive-in cinema with takeaway facility, free movies show on Friday and Sunday nights.Funds raised are distributed to many organisations including the Royal Flying Doctor Service, local school and other volunteer-based groups.Mesa is a Spanish word that means 'table', which describes the appearance of the flat-topped iron-ore plateaus standing high above the surrounding ground, remnants of terrain carved by an ancient river system.