Port Gregory, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Gregory is a small town and fishing port in the Mid West region of Western Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Gregory had a population of 46.
Port Gregory, located close to the mouth of the Hutt River
, was established in 1849 and named after brothers Augustus
and Frank Gregory
, two of Western Australia's most active explorers. In May 1853 sixty convicts and Pensioner Guards arrived from England via Fremantle in the ships Leander and GoldDigger. A townsite was gazetted in 1854 as Pakington near the shore with Lynton gazetted as the convict depot and townsite for the Guards inland on the Hutt River inland. The convicts were utilised for Government works and in establishing a road to the Murchison River
and the Geraldine lead
mine operated by Cornish miners during the 1850s. Ticket-of-leave men from the depot were hired out for work at the port and on nearby farms and stations.
A major employer was Captain H.A Sanford who as Magistrate for the region and the Superintendent of Convicts built an impressive homestead alongside Lynton. He resigned in 1854 and took up pastoral and whaling pursuits, establishing a whaling facility just north of the Pakington townsite. John Bateman and others also established whaling facilities nearby. The name Pakington was rarely used however and the name Port Gregory which is the harbour located next to the town, was more generally accepted. Initially the port was used by whalers and pastoralists and to ship Lead
from the mines (notably the Geraldine mine operated by miners who were part of the Cornish diaspora in the 19th century) in the Murchison region during the 1850s. Salt from nearby Hutt Lagoon was shipped until the depression when the port and both the 'towns' became deserted. In being unwilling to bombard the nearby port of Geraldton due to a large number of aircraft visible from his submarine, the Captain of IJN I 165 bombarded Port Gregory in January 1943 in the mistaken belief it was still occupied. It remains the southernmost bombardment resulting from axis naval activity in Australian waters
. There are many ship wrecks in the vicinity most caused by the unsuitability of the port for large vessels. These include trading and whaling vessels and an iron ship, the SS Xantho
which sank after being overloaded with lead ore from the Geraldine mine.
The townsite changed its name to Gregory in 1967.
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...
. 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,...
, Gregory had a population of 46.
Port Gregory, located close to the mouth of the Hutt River
Hutt River (Western Australia)
Hutt River is a river in the Mid West region of Western Australia.The river rises near the North West Coastal Highway between the towns of Northampton and Binnu and east of Hutt...
, was established in 1849 and named after brothers Augustus
Augustus Gregory
Sir Augustus Charles Gregory KCMG. was an English-born Australian explorer. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions.-Early years:...
and Frank Gregory
Francis Thomas Gregory
Francis Thomas Gregory was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.-Biography:Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory...
, two of Western Australia's most active explorers. In May 1853 sixty convicts and Pensioner Guards arrived from England via Fremantle in the ships Leander and GoldDigger. A townsite was gazetted in 1854 as Pakington near the shore with Lynton gazetted as the convict depot and townsite for the Guards inland on the Hutt River inland. The convicts were utilised for Government works and in establishing a road to the Murchison River
Murchison River (Western Australia)
The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...
and the Geraldine lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mine operated by Cornish miners during the 1850s. Ticket-of-leave men from the depot were hired out for work at the port and on nearby farms and stations.
A major employer was Captain H.A Sanford who as Magistrate for the region and the Superintendent of Convicts built an impressive homestead alongside Lynton. He resigned in 1854 and took up pastoral and whaling pursuits, establishing a whaling facility just north of the Pakington townsite. John Bateman and others also established whaling facilities nearby. The name Pakington was rarely used however and the name Port Gregory which is the harbour located next to the town, was more generally accepted. Initially the port was used by whalers and pastoralists and to ship Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
from the mines (notably the Geraldine mine operated by miners who were part of the Cornish diaspora in the 19th century) in the Murchison region during the 1850s. Salt from nearby Hutt Lagoon was shipped until the depression when the port and both the 'towns' became deserted. In being unwilling to bombard the nearby port of Geraldton due to a large number of aircraft visible from his submarine, the Captain of IJN I 165 bombarded Port Gregory in January 1943 in the mistaken belief it was still occupied. It remains the southernmost bombardment resulting from axis naval activity in Australian waters
Axis naval activity in Australian waters
Although Australia was remote from the main battlefronts, there was considerable Axis naval activity in Australian waters during the Second World War. A total of 54 German and Japanese warships and submarines entered Australian waters between 1940 and 1945 and attacked ships, ports and other targets...
. There are many ship wrecks in the vicinity most caused by the unsuitability of the port for large vessels. These include trading and whaling vessels and an iron ship, the SS Xantho
SS Xantho
Powered by a horizontal trunk engine, SS Xantho was a steam ship used in the colony of Western Australia as a pearling transport and mothership, as a tramp steamer, carrying passengers, including Aboriginal convicts and trade goods before she sank at Port Gregory, Western Australia in 1872.The...
which sank after being overloaded with lead ore from the Geraldine mine.
The townsite changed its name to Gregory in 1967.