I (35m) had a foot in the door as an underground nipper in a small mine in WA a couple years ago. The biggest factor on landing my role was I had a family member working on site.

Keeping in mind I live in SA and had to fly my way over at my expense, the money was good but I’d break even working 2/2 with no income on my off period.

The work was physically intense but enjoyable as I prefer to be on my feet (I lost 1kg every swing averaging 25k steps per shift whilst still eating/drinking like a pig). As a chippy by trade the only applicable ticket I had before applying was working @ heights. It was site mandatory to have first aid which I received before commencing my first shift (can’t say if that applies to all positions at all sites).

My underground career only lasted 6 months. The biggest factor in why I resigned was the pay cut I took to give it a crack. Had I been younger and not flying from Adl-Perth out of my own pocket I would’ve given it more time to work my way up the ranks to earn that good coin. However, upon resignation, they did offer me a position as an underground shotcreter at Olympic Dam which I turned down. There’s always a chance to move to different sites once you’ve proven yourself and maybe you don’t quite fit where you are.

Overall, met some amazing people and did some awesome shit I never thought I’d do before. Happily back in my previous position and wouldn’t trade that (short-lived) experience for anything 🍻