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The Peel Region has a diverse economy based on mining and mineral processing, agriculture (including the equine industry), timber production, fishing, manufacturing, construction and tourism. Mining: The Peel Region continues to be an important mineral producing area. The main minerals are gold, bauxite and mineral sands. In 2006-07, the Shires of Boddington, Murray and Waroona provided the feedstock for As gold prices have increased in recent years, a decision to re-open the Boddington Gold Mine was made in early 2006. Built on the footprint of the original Boddington Gold Mine, the operation involves open cut mining from two large pits and is expected to produce an average 850,000 ounces of gold and 30,000 tonne of copper a year for more than 20 years. During operation, the project is expected to contribute an estimated $550 million to the Peel Region's economy and $770 million to the Western Australian economy per year. Manufacturing: In 2006, the manufacturing industry accounted for 13.5% of total employment in the Peel Region, with 4,600 jobs. Much of the manufacturing industry involves value-adding to the Region’s mineral wealth, with around 26% of manufacturing businesses being involved in the production of metal products. Other products manufactured in the Region include: machinery and equipment; wood and paper products; food and beverages; and textiles and footwear.
Agriculture is based around dairy and beef cattle, and orchard fruit production. Wine, vegetables, wool, pigs, eggs, flowers, grains, and poultry are also produced in considerable quantities. The value of agriculture production has increased gradually over the decade. In 1994/95, the value of production was $84.3 million, which increased to $114.9 million in 2004-05. In 2006-07 the value of agriculture commodities produced was $164 million. Timber Production: Timber production from plantations and State forests was valued at $6.4 million during 2006-07. Production in the Region accounted for 19% of the State's total mass of hardwood production, and 1.8% of softwood production. Fishing: Fishing contributed $6.4 million to the Region's economy in 2007-08. Rock lobster represents the largest catch at approximately 88% of the total catch value, the remainder is made up of crab, fish, prawns and molluscs. Building: To the end of June 2007, total approvals for the construction industry equalled $933.5 million - representing an increase of 83% over the previous financial year. This figure also represents 9% of all approvals for Western Australia during 2006-07. Commerce: The City of Mandurah is the major commercial centre of the Region and accommodates banking, investment and financial services, retail, wholesale, real estate, hospitality and accommodation services. The retail sector, with approximately 4,200 jobs, is one of the largest employing industry sectors in the Region, accounting for 12.4% of the workforce. Tourism: The City of Mandurah is the focal point for tourism and has become a favourite destination for day trippers and shoppers from Perth, and an increasing number of interstate and international visitors. This is supported by a regional network of tourist attractions. During 2005 and 2006, the annual average number of visitors was 454,500. Intrastate visitors accounted for 88% of total overnight visitors, interstate visitors accounted for 8%, and international visitors accounted for 4%. Since 2004 and 2005, the average annual number of intrastate visitors decreased by 4%, while the number of interstate visitors increased by 9%, and the number of international visitors increased by 20%. This was accompanied by a 6% increase in total number of visitor nights, and a 9.5% increase in visitor expenditure. 
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