Kanowna, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Kanowna is a ghost town
in the Goldfields
region of Western Australia
. It is located about 20 km east of Kalgoorlie
.
After the discovery of gold
in the area in 1893, the townsite was gazetted in 1894. and the population grew from 2,500 in 1897 rose to over 12,500 by 1899.
However, the alluvial gold supply was rapidly exhausted, and underground mines following the outcropping vein produced decreasing amounts of gold, resulting in a slow but steady decrease in the population. The railway station was closed during the Great Depression
, and by 1953 the town had been completely abandoned. There is nothing but rubble and two cemeteries left of the original town of Kanowna.
Increasing gold prices in the late 1970s sparked renewed interest in exploring the geology of the area for new sources of gold, and the discovery of a large amount of gold, previously undiscovered because the vein did not reach the surface, made gold mining in the region economically viable again. Mining recommenced in 1986, initially as open-cut mining, before moving to underground mines. As of 2002, the Kanowna Belle mine employed over 300 people.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in the Goldfields
Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
The Goldfields-Esperance region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the south eastern corner of Western Australia, and comprises the local government areas of Coolgardie, Dundas, Esperance, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Laverton, Leonora, Menzies, Ngaanyatjarraku and...
region of Western Australia
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...
. It is located about 20 km east of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
.
After the discovery of 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...
in the area in 1893, the townsite was gazetted in 1894. and the population grew from 2,500 in 1897 rose to over 12,500 by 1899.
However, the alluvial gold supply was rapidly exhausted, and underground mines following the outcropping vein produced decreasing amounts of gold, resulting in a slow but steady decrease in the population. The railway station was closed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and by 1953 the town had been completely abandoned. There is nothing but rubble and two cemeteries left of the original town of Kanowna.
Increasing gold prices in the late 1970s sparked renewed interest in exploring the geology of the area for new sources of gold, and the discovery of a large amount of gold, previously undiscovered because the vein did not reach the surface, made gold mining in the region economically viable again. Mining recommenced in 1986, initially as open-cut mining, before moving to underground mines. As of 2002, the Kanowna Belle mine employed over 300 people.
Further reading
- Laurie, Kris (Kristien Elizabeth) (1993) Kanowna heritage trail : commemorating Kanowna's centenary, 1893-1993. Kalgoorlie, W.A : Kalgoorlie-Boulder Tourist Centre for Delta Gold N.L.