Kookynie, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Kookynie is a town located in the Eastern Goldfields region in Western Australia
.
The name of the town is believed to be an aboriginal
word which means 'water hole' or 'spring'. From being a busy town with a population of around 1,500 in 1905, Kookynie has become a ghost town
with around 77 inhabitants in 2006, decreasing to 13 in 2010.
was discovered close to the present townsite in 1895 by a group of prospectors
including W.A. Miller who took up the lease of the Englishman mine
in the same year.
By 1899 the townsite was declared by the government and was gazetted in 1900. The town was named by Mr Beaumont, who managed the Lady Shenton gold mine.
Kookynie grew at an impressive rate on the back of a gold rush
and by 1907 the town had a population of well over 3,500, a public swimming pool, eleven hotel
s, a brewery
and received four trains a day from Kalgoorlie
.
Today Kookynie has one pub and hotel to serve the tourists. For a Western Australia ghost town (and there are many) it is surprisingly intact. A walk around the ruins reveals that Kookynie was once a surprisingly large town.
Located on the road to Kookynie from the Menzies end is Niagara Dam - a concrete gravity dam in the most unlikely of locations. During the usual dry periods the dam level can range from half-full to nothing more than a stagnant puddle of muck. However for a couple of years after some good cyclone activity in the region the dam is a popular destination for its cool waters.
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 name of the town is believed to be an aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word which means 'water hole' or 'spring'. From being a busy town with a population of around 1,500 in 1905, Kookynie has become a ghost town
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...
with around 77 inhabitants in 2006, decreasing to 13 in 2010.
Overview
The town originates from when goldGold
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 discovered close to the present townsite in 1895 by a group of prospectors
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
including W.A. Miller who took up the lease of the Englishman mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the same year.
By 1899 the townsite was declared by the government and was gazetted in 1900. The town was named by Mr Beaumont, who managed the Lady Shenton gold mine.
Kookynie grew at an impressive rate on the back of a gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
and by 1907 the town had a population of well over 3,500, a public swimming pool, eleven hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
and received four trains a day from 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...
.
Today Kookynie has one pub and hotel to serve the tourists. For a Western Australia ghost town (and there are many) it is surprisingly intact. A walk around the ruins reveals that Kookynie was once a surprisingly large town.
Located on the road to Kookynie from the Menzies end is Niagara Dam - a concrete gravity dam in the most unlikely of locations. During the usual dry periods the dam level can range from half-full to nothing more than a stagnant puddle of muck. However for a couple of years after some good cyclone activity in the region the dam is a popular destination for its cool waters.