Black Flag, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Black Flag is a ghost town
in Western Australia
, located 30 km north west of Kalgoorlie
It is on the Black Flag to Ora Banda
Road in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
.
The town derives its name from the Black Flag gold
find that was discovered in 1893 when a prospector, R.H Henning pegged the lease. The mine was producing and attracting more miners to the area in 1894, the town was gazetted in 1897. A condenser was built in 1895 to produce drinking water for the towns population. John Forrest
visited the town in the same year during his 1600 kilometres (994 mi) tour through the goldfields.
A police station
and a racecourse had been established in the town in 1896 and at the towns peak over eight hotels, a bakery, a bank and a myriad of other businesses were operating .
The two biggest mines in town Black Flag and Lady Bountiful closed down between 1906 and 1907 and the town was abandoned shortly afterward.
The name of the town is thought to originate from a flag
that had been hung up to indicate that a store was open for business.
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...
in 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...
, located 30 km north west of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
It is on the Black Flag to Ora Banda
Ora Banda, Western Australia
Ora Banda is a townsite, now a virtual ghost town, located north east of Kalgoorlie. According to folklore, the town name is Spanish meaning 'band of gold'.- History :...
Road in the Goldfields-Esperance 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...
.
The town derives its name from the Black Flag 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...
find that was discovered in 1893 when a prospector, R.H Henning pegged the lease. The mine was producing and attracting more miners to the area in 1894, the town was gazetted in 1897. A condenser was built in 1895 to produce drinking water for the towns population. John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
visited the town in the same year during his 1600 kilometres (994 mi) tour through the goldfields.
A police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
and a racecourse had been established in the town in 1896 and at the towns peak over eight hotels, a bakery, a bank and a myriad of other businesses were operating .
The two biggest mines in town Black Flag and Lady Bountiful closed down between 1906 and 1907 and the town was abandoned shortly afterward.
The name of the town is thought to originate from a flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
that had been hung up to indicate that a store was open for business.