Australia is one of the countries with the richest iron ore resources in the world. The iron ore deposits predominantly occur in the Hamersley basin of the Pilbara craton, Western Australia. Three types of iron ores have been recognized, which are (1) the banded iron formation (BIF) hosted bedded iron deposits (BID); (2) the channel iron deposits (CID) occurring within palaeo channel; and (3) detrital iron deposits (DID), colluvial/alluvial deposits derived largely from the BID by erosion, with the former two types being the major ones in the region. The BID is characterized by high grade and large tonnages, and is the most important type in the region. The genesis of the BID is still controversial. Three different models have been proposed for the origin of the BID deposits, which are supergene–metamorphic model, synorogenic hydrothermal model and hypogene–supergene model, respectively. The CID plays an important role in the iron ore mined from the Western Australia, due to its large scale and easily mining. The CID ores are characterized by the granular structure and abundant ferruginised woods. Many CID genesis models have been proposed by different authors. Some authors described that the CID was the result of highly unusual local conditions, including specific climate, weathering, and geological setting. The other authors suggested that the CID formed by the in situ dissolution and reprecipitation of iron within an aggraded channel by saturated groundwater enriched in organic acids. The ferruginization occurs at the paleo groundwater–atmosphere interface, and was controlled by the water table. The exploration for iron ores in Hamersley basin of the Pilbara craton are seriously affected due to no consensus on the origin of the iron ores.