The mines have been an attraction even for those who glitter in the corporate world.

In the economic vitality report of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), women working in the mines were discovered to be earning up to 20 percent more on average than their counterparts across Australia.

Women miners were also found to have the same salary level as men workers in non-mining jobs. The pay, however, is still 22 percent less on average than the men in the industry.

The report further emphasizes the preference for women to handle heavy machineries. The so-called 'soft' operators of giant mining trucks and heavy-duty equipment are pulling down the expenditure on repairs and maintenance.

Former teachers and those who used to be in the public service are favorite recruits, especially in central Queensland's coal belt and the iron ore heartland of Western Australia. Even hairdressers are placed behind the wheels of 300-tonne haul trucks.

The only requirements for getting one's hands dirty in the mines are a driver's license and being physically capable to perform the job. Women, though, have to adjust to the 12 and a half hour shifts.

A novice truck driver in the mines would be earning between $85,000 and $110,000 a year.