Lang Hancock

In the 1950s, a cattle rancher flying across the Pilber region of Western Australia noticed something extraordinary from the air. The red gorges cutting through the landscape below were not just dirt and rock. They were iron ore, and the deposits were so vast they would take generations to fully extract. Lang Hancock had discovered what geologists would later confirm as the largest iron ore deposits on earth. But discovery alone meant nothing. At the time, the Australian government had placed an embargo on iron ore exports, believing the country's reserves were too limited to sell overseas. Hancock spent years lobbying Canberra to lift the ban, arguing that the Pilbera held not millions but billions of tons. In 1960, the embargo was lifted, and the iron ore industry was born. What followed was a masterclass in resource development.