1900 Western Australian floods
Encyclopedia
The 1900 Western Australian floods were a series of flood
ing events from March to May of 1900 that affected large areas of Western Australia
, primarily in the Pilbara and Gascoyne
regions, though it extended to cover most of the state except the more humid Kimberley and Southwest regions.
The flooding had its beginnings in heavy rain in March 1900 over a very broad area extending from North West Cape
to the southeastern corner of the state. It was in the middle of April over the Easter
long weekend, however, that flooding began in earnest, and at the end of the month the majority of the normally arid parts of the state were completely inundated: by Easter Monday, all houses in Roebourne
were completely surrounded by water from the Harding River
During April and May, the rain was associated with what was described in the press of the time as “a gentle easterly flow” but today is recognised to be a northwest cloudband. There were several of these cloudbands during the month, and the result was some astonishing rainfall totals, for instance Wiluna
received 527.1 millimetres (20.8 in) and Cossack (near Port Hedland
) as much as 636.4 millimetres (25.1 in). The heaviest rainfall of all occurred in the Pilbara during the middle of the month, and resulted in rivers such as the Gascoyne
, Ashburton
and Murchison
overflowing their banks for extraordinarily sustained periods. (Unfortunately, there were no gauges at the time so we do not know what the exact heights were).
So heavy indeed was the rainfall that the normally arid “North West” (as the region was known at the time) was completely boggy and the primitive horse-drawn carts could not traverse the country not only in April, but well into May, especially as another major rainband affected the State early that month, with Onslow
recording as much as 9.31 inches (236.5 mm) in a day on the third. The busy Easter mail services were most severely hit of all, with the mail vans from Perth bogged down at Peak Hill
after crossing a Gascoyne River that was supposedly 3 miles (4.8 km) wide as the rain extended at the end of Easter to the Murchison River’s basin
Wash-outs on the telegraph line with which the remote regions affected by the floods communicated with Perth
were indeed not repaired until well into June, a month after flooding peaked in the Pilbara and Gascoyne and had spread eastward to the Goldfields. In the interim, communication about the flooding was delayed almost uniformly by at least three or four days, aided by a severe famine and shortage of food for pack horses and salt lakes in the Goldfields such as Lake Carnegie
and Lake Maitland
filled for probably the only time in centuries - they were never seen with any water between the first European settlement of Western Australia and these floods were thus unprecedented for an extremely long period of time.
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing events from March to May of 1900 that affected large areas 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...
, primarily in the Pilbara and Gascoyne
Gascoyne
Gascoyne is the name of a number of places, including:* Gascoyne , a region which contains** the town of Gascoyne Junction, Western Australia** the Gascoyne River** the Shire of Upper Gascoyne* Gascoyne, North Dakota, a town...
regions, though it extended to cover most of the state except the more humid Kimberley and Southwest regions.
The flooding had its beginnings in heavy rain in March 1900 over a very broad area extending from North West Cape
North West Cape
North West Cape is a large peninsula of land in the north west coast of Western Australia. Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge...
to the southeastern corner of the state. It was in the middle of April over the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
long weekend, however, that flooding began in earnest, and at the end of the month the majority of the normally arid parts of the state were completely inundated: by Easter Monday, all houses in Roebourne
Roebourne, Western Australia
Roebourne is an old gold rush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is 202 km from Port Hedland and 1,563 km from Perth, the state's capital. It prospered during its gold boom of the late 19th century and was once the biggest settlement between Darwin and Perth...
were completely surrounded by water from the Harding River
During April and May, the rain was associated with what was described in the press of the time as “a gentle easterly flow” but today is recognised to be a northwest cloudband. There were several of these cloudbands during the month, and the result was some astonishing rainfall totals, for instance 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...
received 527.1 millimetres (20.8 in) and Cossack (near Port Hedland
Port Hedland, Western Australia
Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
) as much as 636.4 millimetres (25.1 in). The heaviest rainfall of all occurred in the Pilbara during the middle of the month, and resulted in rivers such as the Gascoyne
Gascoyne River
At 760 km, the Gascoyne River is the longest river in Western Australia.The river rises below Wilgoona Hill in the Robinson Ranges west of the Gibson Desert and it flows into Shark Bay and the Indian Ocean at Carnarvon....
, Ashburton
Ashburton River
Ashburton River may refer to:*Ashburton River *Ashburton River...
and Murchison
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:...
overflowing their banks for extraordinarily sustained periods. (Unfortunately, there were no gauges at the time so we do not know what the exact heights were).
So heavy indeed was the rainfall that the normally arid “North West” (as the region was known at the time) was completely boggy and the primitive horse-drawn carts could not traverse the country not only in April, but well into May, especially as another major rainband affected the State early that month, with Onslow
Onslow, Western Australia
Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north of Perth. It currently has a population of around 573 people and is in the Shire of Ashburton Local Government Area....
recording as much as 9.31 inches (236.5 mm) in a day on the third. The busy Easter mail services were most severely hit of all, with the mail vans from Perth bogged down at 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....
after crossing a Gascoyne River that was supposedly 3 miles (4.8 km) wide as the rain extended at the end of Easter to the Murchison River’s basin
Wash-outs on the telegraph line with which the remote regions affected by the floods communicated with Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
were indeed not repaired until well into June, a month after flooding peaked in the Pilbara and Gascoyne and had spread eastward to the Goldfields. In the interim, communication about the flooding was delayed almost uniformly by at least three or four days, aided by a severe famine and shortage of food for pack horses and salt lakes in the Goldfields such as Lake Carnegie
Lake Carnegie (Western Australia)
Lake Carnegie is an ephemeral lake in Western Australia. It fills with water only during very rare periods of significant rainfall, such as during the huge 1900 floods and in numerous recent tropical wet seasons when the monsoon and tropical cyclones have been moved south by recent climate change...
and Lake Maitland
Lake Maitland
Lake Maitland is a dry lake approximately 100 km south east of Wiluna, in the Mid West region of Western Australia.The lake is the site of one of the most advanced uranium mining projects in Western Australia, the Lake Maitland project, which is pursued by Canadian company Mega Uranium and...
filled for probably the only time in centuries - they were never seen with any water between the first European settlement of Western Australia and these floods were thus unprecedented for an extremely long period of time.