This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
| Date | Event | Location | Notes | | 1818 | Captain Phillip Parker King surveyed the coastline, naming the Intercourse Islands and Nickol Bay | Dampier |
| 1861 | Francis Thomas Gregory and his party explore the Nickol Bay area, naming Port Walcott, the Hardey River, the De Grey River and the Fortescue River |
| April 1863 | Captain Peter Hedland discovers Mangrove Harbour (Port Hedland) | Port Hedland |
| May 1863 | Tien Tsin Harbour and Cossack town site established | Cossack |
| September 1863 | Sherlock Station selected by John Wellard | Sherlock Station |
| 1864 | Mount Welcome Station established by the Withnells | Mount Welcome Station |
| 1864 | Cooya Pooya Station established by Thomas Lockyer | Cooya Pooya |
| 1865 | Pyramid Station established by the Richardson Brothers for the Portland Squatting Company | Pyramid Station |
| 1866 | Roebourne townsite and Port Walcott gazetted | Roebourne |
| 1869 | Pardoo Station established as an outstation of De Grey Station | Pardoo Station |
| 1872 | Copper discovered west of Whim Creek | Whim Creek |
| 1872 | Mundabullangana Station established by the MacKays | Mundabullangana |
| 1872 | Chirritta Station established by the Donald Norman McLeod. | Chirritta |
| 1878 | Minderoo Station established by the Forrest brothers and Septimus Burt | Minderoo |
| 1878 | Yarraloola Station established by the Woolhouses | Yarraloola |
| 1879 | Croydon Station established by the Robinsons | Croydon Station |
| 1886 | Yarrie Station established by Christopher Coppin | Yarrie Station |
| 1887 | Gold discovered at Mallina, east of Whim Creek | Mallina Station |
| 1887 | First tramway opened, 2’ gauge and horse drawn, between Cossack and Roebourne | Roebourne |
| 1890 | Gold discovered, in Coongan River bed | Marble Bar |
| 1891 | Emu Creek Station established | Emu Creek Station |
| 1893 | Marble Bar town site gazetted |
| 1893 | Marronah Station established by J. H. Mansfield | Maroonah |
| 1894 | Cyclone kills 45 people at sea | Port Hedland |
| 1896 | Townsite of Port Hedland gazetted | Port Hedland |
| 1896 | Warrawagine Station established. | Warrawagine |
| 1898 | Cyclone causes £30,000 worth of damage to Cossack |
| 1899 | Townsite of Nullagine gazetted | Nullagine |
| 1905 | Mining starts at Wodgina mine site south of Port Hedland |
| 1906 | Alfred Canning commences surveying Canning Stock Route |
| 1909 | Townsite of Point Samson gazetted | Point Samson |
| 1910 | Canning Stock route completed droving of first cattle commences |
| July 1911 | Railway opened connecting Port Hedland with Marble Bar | Marble Bar Railway |
| 1937 | Asbestos mined at Yampire Gorge, near Wittenoom | Wittenoom |
| 1938 | Government surveyors, Finucane and Telford, surveyed Mount Goldsworthy and reported the iron content of the ore at 65.66% with estimated reserves of more than 6,000,000 tons |
| 1950 | Townsite of Wittenoom gazetted | Wittenoom |
| November 1952 | Lang Hancock flies over the Pilbara region |
| December 1960 | Australian Government changes restrictions on iron ore exports | Australia wide |
| March 1961 | Western Australian government announces that iron ore exploration permits will be allowed | Western Australia |
| September 1962 | CRA geologists identify Mount Tom Price deposits | Mount Tom Price |
| 1964 | Oil was discovered in commercial quantities by West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd | Barrow Island |
| January 1965 | Dampier and Mount Tom Price - construction commences at locations |
| February 1965 | Construction commences on the town of Goldsworthy | Goldsworthy |
| June 1965 | Dampier - Tom Price railway works commence | Hamersley Iron |
| 1966 | Asbestos mine closed at Wittenoom Gorge | Wittenoom |
| 1966 | Rio Tinto opens its first iron ore mine in the Pilbara | Mount Tom Price mine |
| July 1966 | Tom Price to Dampier - first fully loaded ore train |
| August 1966 | Dampier - first shipment of ore loaded |
| 1967 | Iron ore discovered at Mount Whaleback | Newman |
| May 1967 | Hamersley Holdings Limited shares on the ASX |
| 1968 | BHP Billiton establishs an iron ore mine near Newman | Mount Whaleback |
| August 1969 | Development of community at Karratha begins |
| July 1970 | East Intercourse Island connected by causeway |
| 1971 | Townsite of Wickham gazetted | Wickham |
| 1972 | Cape Lambert port opened | Cape Lambert |
| 1972 | Townsite of Newman gazetted | Newman |
| 1972 | Townsite of Paraburdoo gazetted | Paraburdoo |
| 1972 | Townsite of Pannawonica gazetted | Pannawonica |
| 1972 | Dampier Salt commences operations | Dampier |
| 1974 | North West Coastal Highway from Geraldton, Western Australia to Port Hedland completely sealed |
| December 1975 | Cyclone Joan - flooding in Pilbara and damages Hamersley Rail |
| October 1977 | Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Dampier and Karratha combined population passes 15,000 |
| 1978 | Meektharra to Newman section of Great Northern Highway upgraded. | Great Northern Highway |
| 1981 | WAPET discovers gas off the Pilbara coast with the drilling of the Gorgon 1 well | Gorgon gas project |
| 1984 | North Rankin A Gas Platform commissioned | North West Shelf |
| 1989 | Newman to Port Hedland section of Great Northern Highway upgraded. | Great Northern Highway |
| 1989 | BHP Billiton opens iron ore mine near Newman | Jimblebar mine |
| January 1990 | Rio Tinto Group opens iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Channar mine |
| 1992 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Brockman 2 mine |
| December 1993 | BHP Billiton opens another iron ore mine near Shay Gap | Yarrie mine |
| 1994 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Marandoo mine |
| 1995 | Goodwyn A gas platform commissioned | North West Shelf |
| 2004 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Eastern Range mine |
| 2006 | Indee Gold Mine opens at Mallina, east of Whim Creek and is closed in 2008 | Mallina |
| 2007 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Hope Downs mine |
| March 2007 | Wittenoom townsite officially abolished by gazettal | Wittenoom |
| October 2007 | Fortescue Metals Group begins mining iron ore in the Chichester Range | Cloud Break mine |
| April 2008 | First train runs on Fortescue railway | Fortescue railway |
| June 2009 | Fortescue Metals Group opens new iron ore mine in the Chichester Range | Christmas Creek mine |
| September 2010 | Rio Tinto opens another iron ore mine in Hamersley Range | Brockman 4 mine |
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