Gudarra, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Gudarra is an abandoned
town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
. It is situated between Kalgoorlie
and Menzies
off the Goldfields Highway
.
Gold
was initially discovered in the area in 1892, with the place first called the Sore Foot Rush, as a result of the limping prospector
s who arrived on news of the discovery. The name of the town was later changed to Paddington and gazetted using that name on 4 February 1897. By 1911 the Commonwealth government was attempting to remove duplicated town names so the town was renamed and regazetted in 1912 as Gudarra. The town's name is Aboriginal in origin and its meaning is not known.
Deep leads were found in 1894, 1898 and 1901 and some of the mines that existed in the area were Paddington Consuls,Mt Corlic, Star of WA and Pakeha. The Paddington Consuls mine was by far the largest and employed over 400 men at its peak until it went into liquidation
in 1901. The town had its own municipality until 1901 and was eventually amalgamated with Broad Arrow
in 1903.
A church was built in 1898 and the town boasted six hotels in 1898 with only one remaining by 1910.
A police station and court were established in town in 1899 with the lock up possibly having come from Black Flag
, the police quarters were delivered from Black Flag in 1900 with the stables being brought from Broad Arrow
in 1901. The station was later closed in 1910 with the detective office being moved to Boulder
in 1911.
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...
town 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...
. It is situated between 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...
and Menzies
Menzies, Western Australia
Menzies is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, east-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north-northwest of the city of Kalgoorlie...
off the Goldfields Highway
Goldfields Highway
Goldfields Highway is a generally northwest-southeast highway in central Western Australia which links the Great Northern Highway at Meekatharra with Coolgardie-Esperance Highway south of Kalgoorlie...
.
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...
was initially discovered in the area in 1892, with the place first called the Sore Foot Rush, as a result of the limping prospector
Prospector
Prospector may mean:*Prospecting, exploring an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna*Prospector , a unified catalog for Colorado and Wyoming...
s who arrived on news of the discovery. The name of the town was later changed to Paddington and gazetted using that name on 4 February 1897. By 1911 the Commonwealth government was attempting to remove duplicated town names so the town was renamed and regazetted in 1912 as Gudarra. The town's name is Aboriginal in origin and its meaning is not known.
Deep leads were found in 1894, 1898 and 1901 and some of the mines that existed in the area were Paddington Consuls,Mt Corlic, Star of WA and Pakeha. The Paddington Consuls mine was by far the largest and employed over 400 men at its peak until it went into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
in 1901. The town had its own municipality until 1901 and was eventually amalgamated with Broad Arrow
Broad Arrow, Western Australia
Broad Arrow is a ghost town in Western Australia, located 38 km north of Kalgoorlie and 633 km east of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Kalgoorlie to Leonora Road.-History:...
in 1903.
A church was built in 1898 and the town boasted six hotels in 1898 with only one remaining by 1910.
A police station and court were established in town in 1899 with the lock up possibly having come from Black Flag
Black Flag, Western Australia
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 police quarters were delivered from Black Flag in 1900 with the stables being brought from Broad Arrow
Broad Arrow, Western Australia
Broad Arrow is a ghost town in Western Australia, located 38 km north of Kalgoorlie and 633 km east of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Kalgoorlie to Leonora Road.-History:...
in 1901. The station was later closed in 1910 with the detective office being moved to Boulder
Boulder, Western Australia
Boulder was a town in the Western Australian goldfields east of Perth and bordering onto the town of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields region. Until 1989 it was part of its own municipality. In 1989 the towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder were merged to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
in 1911.