Cory Williams was working as a geologist in the 1980s when he stumbled across two unique discoveries; a lead zinc deposit in the Kimberley and a mining engineer by the name of Rebecca Norton.

Back then, women were extremely scarce in the mining industry, and especially in specialised roles like engineering.

"She knew what she was doing as an engineer, that was pretty clear — even to a geologist," Mr Williams said.

As a transgender woman, Ms Norton was well ahead of the curve.

Her trailblazing story is only now coming to light.

Engineer at heart

Rebecca Norton was born in 1940 in the regional Victorian gold rush city of Ballarat.

She studied engineering at the specialised Ballarat School of Mines, before landing a job in Mt Isa in Queensland.

Her sister and historian, Jill Blee said

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