For Winston Thompson, the Roper Highway is a lifeline.
The remote Northern Territory road is a patchwork of one and two-lane bitumen and gravel surfaces — and it connects communities in south-east Arnhem Land to the Stuart Highway and a range of essential services in major centres beyond.
"It's very important for us because we're so remote, away from some of the amenities that other people take for granted … banks, hospitals, and shops," said Mr Thompson, who lives in the remote community of Ngukurr.
But in recent months, Mr Thompson said this essential route had become increasingly dangerous.
"You've got to be very careful using the road now because of the trucks," he said.
Mine starts trucking ore
Vietnam's biggest steel manufacturer recently started trucking ore from its newly acquired Roper Valley iron ore project, about 50 kilometres west of Ngukurr.
The previously mothballed mine was purchased by Hoa Phat Group last year and has estimated reserves of 320 million tonnes and a mining capacity of 4 million tonnes per year, according to the company.
The ABC understands that Hoa Phat Group is still working through the necessary approvals to restart mining.
However, in late May the company started trucking iron ore from an existing 300,000-tonne stockpile at the mine to the Darwin Port.
Between eight to 10 trucks per day have been moving ore between the Roper Valley and Darwin Port, according to the port's acting CEO Peter Dummett.
In total, almost 580 road train trips were used to move the 57,000 tonnes of ore that were loaded onto a ship bound for Vietnam last week.
A further five shipments of ore from the Roper Valley stockpile are expected to leave Darwin Port before the end of the year.
Community anger mounts
According to NT road guidelines, when approaching an oncoming road train on a single-lane sealed road, drivers should slow down, gradually move off the road and drive slowly on the edge of the road.
Ngukurr resident and store manager Greg Wells said the number of road trains on the Roper Highway had increased "10-fold" in recent months.
"The condition of the road is absolutely shocking. You've got twin lanes in some parts, and then it comes down to just the goat track — and the sides of the road, you've got nowhere to go," he said.
"I nearly came to blows with a road train. You can't see them coming, you can't hear them coming … the road is just not [made] for those kinds of trucks.
"It's just a matter of time for the wrong person to be in front of the wrong truck, and it's all over."
Mr Wells said a recent fatal head-on collision between a truck and a sedan on the Roper Highway had heightened concerns in the community.
The ABC was unable to verify if the crash involved a truck from the mine.
Mr Wells said the mine should not operate until the road condition was improved.
"I don't have an issue with any mine. I worked in Weipa, it's the same sort of thing … [except] the roads are beautiful there," Mr Wells said.
"If you want to do mining … do it safe mate, make the road safe.
"It's more [the community's] road than it is the mine's road."
'Nobody told us'
Mr Wells and Mr Thompson said they were not consulted or informed about increased heavy vehicle traffic from the mine.
"I was angry because we weren't told about these trucks," Mr Thompson said.
"We only noticed it when we started using the highway … we had to pass these huge trucks that take over the whole highway, and we had to get off the road to let them pass."
Mr Thompson said he wanted a greater police presence on the highway and "a timetable or a schedule of when is the best day of the week to use the road".
ABC Rural understands the Hoa Phat Group hopes to restart mining at the site in 2023, with plans to move the ore part of the way to Darwin via rail.
Mr Thompson said he was also concerned about the potential impacts of the mine and dust pollution from trucks on the local environment and the Roper River.
"I think it's going to do more damage to the water quality downstream," he said.
The Northern Land Council said it "engaged through the NT government's Environmental Impact Assessment process prior to the development of the mine when it was still operating under Sherwin Iron".
"Our comments submitted on behalf of native title holders and traditional owners in relation to the mine's Environmental Impact Statement specifically highlighted safety concerns regarding the proposed use of the Roper Highway to transport ore and service the mine and the state of the road was a key basis for these concerns," a council spokesperson said.
"The NLC has convened consultations between the new owners of the mine and native title holders and traditional owners of the mine site under the terms of the mining agreements that are already in place."
A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) said it was working with the company on approaches to managing heavy vehicle traffic on the Roper Highway.
"The Australian and Northern Territory governments are delivering upgrades to the Roper Highway to improve overall road safety and riding quality, improve flood immunity, reduce closure times, and improve access for nearby communities."
According to DIPL, upgrades recently completed or underway include:
- A $16 million strengthening and widening program for the narrow sealed section
- A $26.8 million sealing program between the Wilton and Roper Rivers and to Ngukurr to bring these sections to sealed double-lane standard
- Shoulder rehabilitation works at various locations, costing $500,000
A spokesperson for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade said the department had undertaken a site inspection to assess the basis of a complaint about dust pollution on the Roper Highway, provided through the NTEPA pollution hotline.
"The section of road in question is unsealed, heavily used at this time of year, and attributing and portioning the cause of dust is challenging. The department's assessment is ongoing."
ABC Rural has attempted to contact the Hoa Phat Group for comment.
