The Hope Downs mine is situated 100 km north-west of Newman in the Pilbara region of Australia. Owned jointly by operator Rio Tinto (50%) and Hancock Prospecting (50%), this iron ore mine was developed for $1.34bn (A$1.3bn).

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Hancock Prospecting started exploration procedures at the Hope Downs mine in 1992 and received the necessary approvals in December 2003. Rio Tinto joined Hancock as a 50% partner in July 2005. Production was started in November 2007 and the first iron ore was transported by rail to Dampier Port for shipment in December 2007. The mine produced 33.79 mt in 2013. In October 2018, Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting began developing the Baby Hope deposit, which is the fourth open-pit mine at the Hope Downs project.

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All mining activities were completed from haul road maintenance, bulk ore truck, excavator operations. This is a broad spectrum mine for iron ore, all operations were under strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) by Hope Downs. Hauling of ore to the location to allow logistics to ship to the ocean port was an integral component for every day works. This included drill operations with Leighton Contractors to enable water sources along the proposed new rail line.