The first European to explore the area was Francis Thomas Gregory in 1861 . Settlements along the coast at Cossack , Roebourne and Shellborough were established over ensuing decades as agricultural and pastoral centres . However , after c. 1900 , these largely went into decline with the growth of other , more productive agricultural areas of the state . Mining in the area started in 1937 in Wittenoom Gorge , and following the discovery of iron ore in the Hamersley Ranges in the 1960s , the area became pivotal to the state 's economy and towns built to accommodate mining and allied services boomed . On 3 October 1952 , the British conducted their first atomic bomb tests on the Montebello Islands as part of Operation Hurricane
Operation Hurricane
Operation Hurricane
Pilbara