Meekatharra, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Meekatharra is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia
. Meekatharra is an Australian Aboriginal
word meaning 'place of little water'. At the 2006 census
, Meekatharra had a population of 798, with 44.0% being Aboriginal
.
Meekatharra is a major supply centre for the pastoral and mining area in the Murchison region of Western Australia
. It is located 764 km north-east of Perth and may be reached by the Great Northern Highway
. It is a centre for sheep and cattle transshipment, initially by rail but now by road train
s. It is also a regional home to the Royal Flying Doctor Service
and the School of the Air. It is connected by public transport to Geraldton with connections to Perth via Transwa
coach service N4. No viable horticultural industry exists in the area, although extensive but poor cattle station
s in the Murchison and Gascoyne exist.
Meekatharra underwent a significant gold rush
during the mining boom of the 1980s, with mining continuing until May 2004 at St Barbara Mines's Bluebird Gold Mine
. Exploration restarted in the area and St Barbara sold out to a company known as Mercator Gold in October 2005. Mercator Gold then conducted an extensive drilling programme and re-opened the mill, commencing production in early October 2007. This ming phase however was short lived, with Mercator going into administration in October 2008 and closing the mine. The company hopes to sell Bluebird in 2010.
system - being the northernmost location in the Northern Railway
railway network, apart from the isolated Marble Bar Railway
branch out of Port Hedland. For a while a further branch line continued eastwards to Wiluna
. The line was closed from Mullewa
and pulled up in the 1970s. In the 2000s, new iron ore prospects may see the railway return.
A 2,181-metre runway, now known as Meekatharra Airport, was built by the Americans during World War II
. It serves as an important ETOPS
diversion airport
for inbound transcontinental flights to Australia.
town. It seems the first settlement at Meekatharra occurred in 1894 and that, in May 1896, after the prospectors Meehan, Porter and Soich discovered gold, miners moved to the new settlement from the other East Murchison fields and mining grew rapidly in scale and sophistication. The Peak Hill
mining town was founded in 1892 approximately 100 km up the road during this initial gold rush.
Success on the Meekatharra field was short-lived. It was only because a second gold discovery occurred in 1899 that the town survived. In 1901 the Meekatharra State Battery began operation and by Christmas Day 1903 the township had been officially gazetted.
In 1906 Alfred Wernam Canning
was appointed to develop a stock route
from the East Kimberleys to the Murchison. The stock route, comprising 54 wells, was completed in 1908 and, when the railway arrived in Meekatharra in 1910, the town became the railhead at the end of the route. In many ways the railway ensured the town's survival. In 1910 it took the first shipment of wool out of the area and it continued to serve the local pastoral
interests until it was closed down in 1978.
From 1927 until 1931, a railway line operated from Meekatharra to the manganese
mine at Horseshoe, some 80 miles (128 km) distant.
Substantial gold deposit which lies just south of the townsite called the Paddy's Flat area was explored and mined by Western Mining Corporation and Dominion Mining Ltd in the 1990s.
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...
. Meekatharra is an Australian Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word meaning 'place of little water'. 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,...
, Meekatharra had a population of 798, with 44.0% being Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
.
Meekatharra is a major supply centre for the pastoral and mining area in the Murchison 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 764 km north-east of Perth and may be reached by the Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
. It is a centre for sheep and cattle transshipment, initially by rail but now by road train
Road train
A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...
s. It is also a regional home to the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
and the School of the Air. It is connected by public transport to Geraldton with connections to Perth via Transwa
Transwa
Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 275 destinations within Western Australia, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south to Esperance in the east along with the regional centres of Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Northam, Geraldton and Albany.Transwa is...
coach service N4. No viable horticultural industry exists in the area, although extensive but poor 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...
s in the Murchison and Gascoyne exist.
Meekatharra underwent a significant gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
during the mining boom of the 1980s, with mining continuing until May 2004 at St Barbara Mines's Bluebird Gold Mine
Bluebird Gold Mine
The Bluebird Gold Mine is a gold mine located 15 km south-south-west of Meekatharra, Western Australia.The mine was owned by Mercator Gold PLC, who placed it on care and maintenance after the company went into administration in October 2008. In January 2011, the mine was sold to Australian...
. Exploration restarted in the area and St Barbara sold out to a company known as Mercator Gold in October 2005. Mercator Gold then conducted an extensive drilling programme and re-opened the mill, commencing production in early October 2007. This ming phase however was short lived, with Mercator going into administration in October 2008 and closing the mine. The company hopes to sell Bluebird in 2010.
Transport
It was an important location in the Western Australian Government RailwaysWestern Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways was most common name of the Western Australian government rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia....
system - being the northernmost location in the Northern Railway
Northern Railway (Western Australia)
-Northampton Line:Opening in 1879 the Northern Line originated as a service between Geraldton port and mines at Northampton. It was the first government built railway in Western Australia - as other lines had been built prior to this date - but they were privately built...
railway network, apart from the isolated Marble Bar Railway
Marble Bar Railway
The isolated Port Hedland to Marble Bar railway was a Western Australian Government Railways gauge branch line that was opened in July 1911. It was the second railway in the Pilbara region running from the north coast of Western Australia...
branch out of Port Hedland. For a while a further branch line continued eastwards to Wiluna
Wiluna, Western Australia
Wiluna is a complex town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated on the edge of the Western Desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway. It is the service centre of the local area for the local Aboriginal people, the pastoral industry, mining, and...
. The line was closed from Mullewa
Mullewa, Western Australia
- External links :* *...
and pulled up in the 1970s. In the 2000s, new iron ore prospects may see the railway return.
A 2,181-metre runway, now known as Meekatharra Airport, was built by the Americans during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It serves as an important ETOPS
ETOPS/LROPS
ETOPS is an acronym for extended operations as re-defined by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2007 . This rule allows twin-engined airliners to fly long-distance routes that were previously off-limits to twin-engined aircraft...
diversion airport
Diversion airport
Diversion airports are suitable airports capable of handling a particular ETOPS rated aircraft during an emergency landing and whose flying distance at the point of emergency shall not exceed the ETOPS diversion period of that particular aircraft....
for inbound transcontinental flights to Australia.
History
Meekatharra is a former gold rushGold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
town. It seems the first settlement at Meekatharra occurred in 1894 and that, in May 1896, after the prospectors Meehan, Porter and Soich discovered gold, miners moved to the new settlement from the other East Murchison fields and mining grew rapidly in scale and sophistication. The Peak Hill
Peak Hill, Western Australia
Peak Hill is the name of a goldfield, locality and the site of a gold mining ghost town in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. The gold mine covers 2,162 hectares and consists of four open-cut mines, titled Main, Jubilee, Fiveways and Harmony....
mining town was founded in 1892 approximately 100 km up the road during this initial gold rush.
Success on the Meekatharra field was short-lived. It was only because a second gold discovery occurred in 1899 that the town survived. In 1901 the Meekatharra State Battery began operation and by Christmas Day 1903 the township had been officially gazetted.
In 1906 Alfred Wernam Canning
Alfred Canning
Alfred Wernam Canning was a Western Australian government surveyor. Born at Campbellfield north of Melbourne, he started work in New South Wales as a cadet surveyor and in 1893 joined the Western Australian Department of Lands and Survey.In 1901 a royal commission resulted in Canning being...
was appointed to develop a stock route
Canning Stock Route
The Canning Stock Route is one of the toughest and most remote tracks in the world. It runs to Halls Creek from Wiluna, both in Western Australia. With a total distance of around it is also the longest historic stock route in the world...
from the East Kimberleys to the Murchison. The stock route, comprising 54 wells, was completed in 1908 and, when the railway arrived in Meekatharra in 1910, the town became the railhead at the end of the route. In many ways the railway ensured the town's survival. In 1910 it took the first shipment of wool out of the area and it continued to serve the local pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
interests until it was closed down in 1978.
From 1927 until 1931, a railway line operated from Meekatharra to the manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
mine at Horseshoe, some 80 miles (128 km) distant.
Substantial gold deposit which lies just south of the townsite called the Paddy's Flat area was explored and mined by Western Mining Corporation and Dominion Mining Ltd in the 1990s.
Climate
The climate is hot and dry. The annual rainfall is between 200 mm and 500 mm (20 inches). The driest months of the year is August through to November.Further reading
- Boyd, D. (1988) Meekatharra: a glimpse of the past Meekatharra, W.A: Shire of Meekatharra ISBN 0731643089. "A Bicentennial, Back to Meekatharra publication".
- Edwards, Hugh, (1994) Meekatharra: the gold beyond the rivers Swanbourne, W.A: H. Edwards for the Meekatharra Shire. ISBN 064620842X
- Heydon, P.R. (1994) Meekatharra: end of the earth West Perth, W.A: Dominion Mining; Carlisle, W.A: Hesperian Press, ISBN 085905196X