Kurrajong, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Kurrajong is an abandoned
town located between Leonora
and Leinster
along the Old Agnew
Road in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Gold
was discovered in the area in 1894 and one of the earliest mines was the Diorite King, which was also used as the town name. The area near the Diorite goldfield was deemed unsuitable for housing due to the uneven terrain, so the townsite was chosen on the flats approximately 3km away. H.S. King surveyed lots in the town in 1897 and the town was gazetted in 1899.
Cobb and Co. operated a coach service to Coolgardie from the town in 1898 and opened another to Leonora in 1903. The first hotel licence was issued in 1898 and continued to operate until 1918.
The name of the town is Aboriginal in origin and is the name of a tree
that is commonly found in the area.
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...
town located between 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...
and Leinster
Leinster, Western Australia
Leinster is a town in the northern goldfields area of Western Australia. The town is located 4 km east of the Goldfields Highway, in the Shire of Leonora Local Government Area, northeast of the state capital, Perth...
along the Old Agnew
Agnew, Western Australia
Agnew is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is located 982 km north-east of Perth and the closest populated town is Leinster....
Road in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
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 in 1894 and one of the earliest mines was the Diorite King, which was also used as the town name. The area near the Diorite goldfield was deemed unsuitable for housing due to the uneven terrain, so the townsite was chosen on the flats approximately 3km away. H.S. King surveyed lots in the town in 1897 and the town was gazetted in 1899.
Cobb and Co. operated a coach service to Coolgardie from the town in 1898 and opened another to Leonora in 1903. The first hotel licence was issued in 1898 and continued to operate until 1918.
The name of the town is Aboriginal in origin and is the name of a tree
Brachychiton gregorii
Brachychiton gregorii, commonly known as the desert kurrajong, is a small tree of the genus Brachychiton found in northern and western Australia. It was originally classified in the family Sterculiaceae, which is now within Malvaceae....
that is commonly found in the area.