Ancient stone tools found at iron mine

A large cache of stone tools estimated to be up to 35,000 years old has been discovered on the site of one of Australia's largest iron ore mines, sparking calls yesterday for the site's preservation.

Archaeologists uncovered the tools on the site of the $920 million Hope Downs iron ore mine, about 310 km south of Port Hedland, in western Australia's ore-rich Pilbara region.

"We have always known this is an important part of our history, that our ancestors lived here," Slim Parker, a senior elder of the local Martidja Banyjima people, told Australia's Fairfax newspapers.