Ravensthorpe is a town 541 km south-east of
Perth, 40 km inland from the south coast of
Western Australia. It is the seat of government
of the Shire of Ravensthorpe.
Ravensthorpe survived servicing the farming in
the district. Agriculture in the area began to
grow following the great depression and
pastoral land releases occurred in the 1960s
and 1970s. The surrounding areas produce
wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a
receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.
On 9 December 2009, BHP sold its
Raventhorpe mine, on which it had spent A$2.4
billion to build, to Toronto-based First Quantum
for US $340 million. First Quantum was one of
three bidders for the mine and actually
produced the lowest offer. The Canadian
company planned to have the mine back in
production in mid-2011.

As of July 2016 the Ravensthorpe mine is still
operating under First Quantum.