A view on the gold price, page-3

The seemingly insatiable hunger from China for Australian minerals goes well beyond bulk commodities like coal, iron ore and increasingly LNG.

Despite China being the largest producer of gold in the world, exports of Australian gold to the middle kingdom have soared in the past six years.

The Perth Mint sold $11 billion worth of bullion to China last year alone, and demand continues to climb.

Demand is so strong that Perth Mint brings in gold from mines in other countries like Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, and jewellery from south-east Asia that is refined down to the Mint's signature 99.99 per cent gold bullion.

It gives added impetus to the gold miners, gold hopefuls, financiers and service companies which have descended on Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia for the 26th Diggers and Dealers mining conference.