Tabubil is a town located in the Star Mountains area of the North Fly District of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. The town, including the adjoining relocated village of Wangabin and the industrial area of Laydown (where industrial equipment was originally laid down before being installed at the mine ~1970–1980), is the largest settlement in the province, although the provincial capital, Daru is a similar size. It had a recorded population of 10,270 at the 2011 census. During the early years of colonisation of New Guinea it was unknown how many people, if any, lived in this remote, impassable and inhospitable terrain.
Before the 1940s, outside contact with the Min people was either brief, or merely vicarious. It is thought the Min were pushed north hundreds or even thousands of years ago by war with the southern Gogodala peoples, who were a warrior nation that currently reside on the plains of the central Fly area of the Western Province.
Colonisation of Telefomin
It was not until 1943 that United States Army Air Forces gliders landed in the Star Mountains to establish an airstrip station in what is now Telefomin, about 25 km north-east of Tabubil. This is the first permanent colonial influence on the Min people, who at the time were cannibals involved in a tribal war. Soon after the arrival of the Americans, the Telefolmin tribe experienced a cessation of hostilities with its neighbours, the Falamin and the Tifalmin due to mutually agreeable conditions that emerged from the construction and introduction of western goods and services. Conflict between social groups was also forcefully deterred by Australian colonial administrators. After colonial pacification, trade flourished in the area.
Mining town
thumb|270px|NASA [[Landsat image of Tabubil with a North-West perspective and Ok Tedi Mine in the background.]]
Tabubil, originally a small camp surrounding an airstrip, was set up as a base of operations for drilling sites by the Kennecott Copper Corporation. In 1976, Australian mining company BHP entered into negotiations with the Papua New Guinea government in an attempt to gain control of the camp and establish it as a gold mining town. BHP was successful in 1980, and in 1981, Ok Tedi Mining was established to take control of operations, with a major BHP shareholding. There are still a few people that hold traditional beliefs, and others that blend traditional beliefs with Christianity.
Tabubil is host to four major permanent churches, and many other church groups that meet in the large undercover areas beneath the “B” and “C” style houses.
The Mission Aviation Fellowship has a presence in Tabubil Airport and the YMCA and YWCA hold a strong influence over the town culture and commerce.
Media
Although many people in Tabubil own computers, internet use is very rare. There is, however, a wide selection of cable TV stations available from Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, and the USA. There is a local TV station called OTV. Several AM and FM radio stations are available in town. Radio Fly is on shortwave frequencies 3915 kHz and 5960 kHz.
Mobile (cellular) phone and data services are provided by Telikom PNG (CitiFon) and Digicel.
Climate
Tabubil has a tropical rainforest climate more subject to the Intertropical Convergence Zone than the trade winds and with no cyclones therefore equatorial. The town is known unofficially as one of the wettest places on earth, with an average annual rainfall of , and a peak yearly rainfall of . Consequently, Tabubil is the richest and most well served settlement in western Papua New Guinea.
The mine, which operates as Ok Tedi Mining was formerly owned by a joint initiative between the PNG government, and Australian mining giant, BHP. In 2002 the mine was restructured, and the PNG Sustainable Development Program now owns the BHP share. (IATA code TBG) with a 1280-metre (4200 ft) dirt and gravel airstrip. Most passenger traffic is handled by daily flights to Port Moresby or Mount Hagen and tri-weekly flights to Cairns in Australia by Asia Pacific Airlines Dash 8s. Prior to the introduction of Dash 8 services, a King Air Super 200 was used for mine traffic.
Asia Pacific Airlines is a local company with head offices in Tabubil, and Airlines PNG, Mission Aviation Fellowship and Air Niugini also fly to Tabubil Regularly. Tabubil was also regularly serviced by Talair before it was disbanded.
Road travel
There are some sealed main streets in Tabubil, and several unsealed minor roads. The central north-south road in the town, separating the 'B' and 'C' houses is called "Spine Road" (known locally as “Dead End Road”), and is closed to vehicular traffic by large boulders at the end of each local road, apart from a small section at the south that is used for access to a group of townhouses. This non-vehicular road creates a well used and safe walkway through the town. Market stalls are common on this road, and there are two "lik-lik" stores adjacent to the road, and the town's only public park and playground.
All major roads are sealed and contain numerous "floodways" which allow the large amounts of rain in the town to wash over the road without obstructing traffic.
The most common form of roadkill in town is snakes, which will often stretch across the road seeking heat from the bitumen.
Connections to other towns
Tabubil is situated on the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway. One end of the highway terminates at Ok Tedi mine, about 30 km by road to the northwest. The other end of the highway terminates at the river port of Kiunga, the most northern navigable point of the Fly River,
River travel
Except in cases of severe drought, most supplies to the mine are delivered by barge along the Fly River, which can be accessed by a port in Kiunga on the southern terminus of the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway. All the produce from the mine and all local exports are sent from this port. The Fly river has a water level which is often too low for shipping, and barges are often banked mid-passage. River barge followed by truck is the only way to supply the township apart from air cargo.
Travel by foot
It is not uncommon for residents to access other remote areas by foot. Locals can tell you how many days it would take to walk to most locations within the country. Walking often is the only way for people to get to their local villages, as many local airstrips are in disrepair.