Goongarrie, Western Australia Explained

Type:town
Goongarrie
State:wa
Lga:Shire of Menzies
Coordinates:-30.043°N 121.161°W
Postcode:6438
Est:1895
Elevation:378
Stategov:Electoral district of Kalgoorlie
Fedgov:O'Connor
Dist1:41
Dir1:south
Location1:Menzies
Dist2:84
Dir2:north
Location2:Kalgoorlie

Goongarrie is an abandoned town in Western Australia, located in the Goldfield region of Western Australia 84km (52miles) north of Kalgoorlie.

The town site was originally known as 90 Mile, the distance of the settlement from Coolgardie.

A group of gold miners named Pickersgill, Cahill, Frost and Bennett, discovered gold in the area in 1893, which was the first discovery since gold was struck in Coolgardie. The town was known as 90 Mile and The Roaring Gimlet initially;[1] the latter name comes from the sound the south westerly wind makes as it roars through the gimlet trees.[2] A townsite was proposed in 1894 and gazetted on 17 June 1895.[3] [4]

Goongarrie was a stop on the Kalgoorlie to Leonora railway line and is still listed as such on contemporary maps.[5] [6] [7]

Some of the gold mines that operated in the area were the Phoenix, the Caledonian and Lady Montefiore. The name Goongarrie comes from the nearby Lake Goongarrie, and is an Aboriginal Australian word of unknown meaning.By 1903 the population of the area had dwindled to 66 people. The site of the town later became part of a pastoral station of the same name and is now part of Goongarrie National Park.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ExploreOz - Goongarrie, WA. 2009. 11 November 2010.
  2. Web site: Department of Environment - Goongarrie Station. 2009. 11 November 2010.
  3. Web site: Morowa Historical Society. 2009. 11 November 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110312060434/http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/ghosttowns/G.pdf. 12 March 2011. dmy-all.
  4. News: GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. . . 11 . 2,911 . Western Australia . 17 June 1895 . 15 June 2022 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
  5. Web site: Public Transport Authority: Railway System: April 2019 . Public Transport Authority . 13 August 2024.
  6. Web site: Railway map of Western Australia, 1952 . Trove . 13 August 2024.
  7. Web site: Arc Map Network. 13 August 2024.