Burtville, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Burtville is a abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
, located 25 kilometres (16 mi) south west of the Leonora
.
In 1897, Gold
was discovered in the area by two prospectors, B. Frost and J. Trugurtha. The surveyor
, J. Rowe, planned the town lots in accordance with the Goldfields Act in 1901. The settlement was initially known as Merolia which is the Indigenous Australian name for the district.
The town was eventually named after the son of the first chief justice
of the Western Australian Supreme Court
, Archibald Burt
. Alfred Earle Burt was the chief warden
of the Mount Margaret Golfields.
The town was gazetted as Merolia in 1902 but was regazetted to compliment Alfred Burt later the same year.
The population of the town and district rose to approximately 400 by 1903 as a result of gold mining. The town also had a water supply from a government well and a sealed pan sanitation
system. A police station was opened in 1903 along with a school and two hotels. A ten stamp state battery
and five stamp battery known as The Burtville Ore Reduction works were operated within the town from 1903 to 1906. Another privately owned ten stamp battery that allowed public access known as The sons of Westralia was also operating at the time.
By 1916 the population had reduced to 45 and the police station was closed.
All that remains of the town today is the enterance door arch of one of the town's hotels.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, located 25 kilometres (16 mi) south west of the Leonora
Leonora, Western Australia
Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north of the city of Kalgoorlie. At the 2006 census, Leonora had a population of 401, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a...
.
In 1897, Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in the area by two prospectors, B. Frost and J. Trugurtha. The surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, J. Rowe, planned the town lots in accordance with the Goldfields Act in 1901. The settlement was initially known as Merolia which is the Indigenous Australian name for the district.
The town was eventually named after the son of the first chief justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Western Australian Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
, Archibald Burt
Archibald Burt
Sir Archibald Paull Burt Kt QC was a British lawyer from the colonies of the West Indies, and was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Western Australia.-Biography:Archibald Paull Burt was born in 1810, in...
. Alfred Earle Burt was the chief warden
Warden
Warden may refer to:Officers: having care or custody of some institution; the word is related to guardian.* Warden , head of some University colleges and academic institutions...
of the Mount Margaret Golfields.
The town was gazetted as Merolia in 1902 but was regazetted to compliment Alfred Burt later the same year.
The population of the town and district rose to approximately 400 by 1903 as a result of gold mining. The town also had a water supply from a government well and a sealed pan sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
system. A police station was opened in 1903 along with a school and two hotels. A ten stamp state battery
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
and five stamp battery known as The Burtville Ore Reduction works were operated within the town from 1903 to 1906. Another privately owned ten stamp battery that allowed public access known as The sons of Westralia was also operating at the time.
By 1916 the population had reduced to 45 and the police station was closed.
All that remains of the town today is the enterance door arch of one of the town's hotels.