Cosmo Newbery, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Cosmo Newbery or Yilka is a small Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia
located 1036 kilometres (644 mi) east of Perth
between Laverton and Warburton
in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census
, Cosmo Newbery had a population of 51.
The town is named after James Cosmo Newbery who was an industrial chemist
noted for his work on improving the chlorination method of gold extraction
.
The area was originally leased by two returned soldiers as a cattle station
then as a penal colony
for ashort timr then later became a government ration depot. The town was first settled in 1920. By 1953 the Uniting Church set up an mission but eventually, in 1976, give the land back to the Aboriginal people living in the area at that time. The town operated for 11 years and was then abandoned for 4 years. In 1989 four families moved back into the town who were quickly followed by others. The town now has a health clinic, school, a hall, windmill
s, communication centre, fuel station and shop.
The town is one of the stops, operating a roadhouse along the Great Central Road
that tracks through the Great Victoria Desert
and eventually connects with the Gunbarrel Highway
.
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 1036 kilometres (644 mi) east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
between Laverton and Warburton
Warburton, Western Australia
Warburton or Warburton Ranges is an Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia, just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway...
in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Cosmo Newbery had a population of 51.
The town is named after James Cosmo Newbery who was an industrial chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
noted for his work on improving the chlorination method of gold extraction
Gold extraction
Gold extraction or recovery from its ores may require a combination of comminution, mineral processing, hydrometallurgical, and pyrometallurgical processes to be performed on the ore....
.
The area was originally leased by two returned soldiers as a cattle station
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
then as a penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
for ashort timr then later became a government ration depot. The town was first settled in 1920. By 1953 the Uniting Church set up an mission but eventually, in 1976, give the land back to the Aboriginal people living in the area at that time. The town operated for 11 years and was then abandoned for 4 years. In 1989 four families moved back into the town who were quickly followed by others. The town now has a health clinic, school, a hall, windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s, communication centre, fuel station and shop.
The town is one of the stops, operating a roadhouse along the Great Central Road
Great Central Road
The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian outback highway that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory ....
that tracks through the Great Victoria Desert
Great Victoria Desert
The Great Victoria Desert is a barren and sparsely populated desert area of southern Australia.-Location and description:The Great Victoria is the biggest desert in Australia and consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles and salt lakes...
and eventually connects with the Gunbarrel Highway
Gunbarrel Highway
The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It consists of about of washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains...
.