i dont believe you about the wages, 500k, not likely, project managers on mining construction projects dont even make that and their the highest paid. ive just come back from earning 230k a year when taking into account the PIP and severance otherwise its less than 200k and that was on a project working 12 hour days 7 days a week, almost all the projects are working 10's some are doing 11's, as far as i know that was the only one working 12's. although that is iron ore mine construction, oil and gas is more but again working 10's on oil and gas wont pay as much as 12's on an iron ore project. jobs in mining vary from 80k for dump truck operators,upto about 200k for minesite construction sparkies. 4 and 1 rosters are where the money is but its tearing families apart, rosters WILL drop to 3 and 1 soon, roy hill will pave the way.
Mining construction boom far from over, another 1,2 possibly little over 2 years away,xmas creek, soloman, jimblebar, hope downs 4, western turner, marandoo,roy hill, gorgan, wheatstone and various gold mines around the place, and others i cant think of the name of all starting or under construction