Mount Magnet, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Magnet is an old Western Australia
n gold rush
town. The name was chosen during exploration of the region due to an isolated hill 5 km north west of the town current townsite. This hill has an extremely high iron
content and affected the compasses of explorers. At the 2006 census
, Mount Magnet had a population of 424.
via the Great Northern Highway
. Only a few mines are still worked, including Hill 50
which started operations in the 1890s. The area once had three separate townsites - Mount Magnet, Boogardie
, and Lennonville
. Boogardie has since been swallowed up into the open cut mining operations at Hill 50. Lennonville was abandoned at the start of World War I
, and the foundations of the bank and train station can still be seen.
Unusual for such a large mining community, Mount Magnet has never had a public battery
. The nearest battery was built 5 km west, in Boogardie. However its gold-rush heyday can be seen in its very wide main street with three hotels, a race course and a golf course complete with oiled greens.
Surrounding the town are remnants of old mining operations, and to the north east are significant Aboriginal sites being preserved jointly by the local community and the West Australian Museum. Today Mount Magnet is primarily a service town for the surrounding pastoral district which supports very large sheep stations.
During spring (September to November) the area attracts tourist viewing the natural display of everlasting
s that can stretch for kilometres in all directions. Being 6 hours drive from Perth makes it a comfortable day's journey for vehicles heading further north to places like Mount Augustus
and Port Hedland
.
During the lifetime of the Northern Railway
to Meekatharra
Mount Magnet was an important railway station and yard.
Mount Magnet is served by Mount Magnet Airport
, where Skippers Aviation
has services to and from Meekatharra and Perth.
Australian test cricketer Bill Ponsford
spent summers in Mount Magnet during his youth.
Serendipitously, the magnetic variation at this location, as of 2006, is zero: magnetic north equals true north.
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...
n 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...
town. The name was chosen during exploration of the region due to an isolated hill 5 km north west of the town current townsite. This hill has an extremely high iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
content and affected the compasses of explorers. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Mount Magnet had a population of 424.
Overview
It is located 573 kilometres (356 mi) northeast of PerthPerth, 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....
via the Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
. Only a few mines are still worked, including Hill 50
Hill 50 Gold Mine
The Hill 50 Gold Mine is a gold mine located 4 km north-west of Mount Magnet, Western Australia. The mine was, until July 2010, owned by Harmony Gold and had been placed in care and maintenance since 2007...
which started operations in the 1890s. The area once had three separate townsites - Mount Magnet, Boogardie
Boogardie, Western Australia
Boogardie is a derelict town in Western Australia near the town of Mount Magnet, established in 1898.Its name origins from an Aboriginal word but the meaning is unknown....
, and Lennonville
Lennonville, Western Australia
Lennonville is a derelict town in Western Australia near the town of Mount Magnet, established in 1898.Lennonville was gazetted in 1896, after gold having been found two years earlier at the location by prospectors Lennon and Palmer....
. Boogardie has since been swallowed up into the open cut mining operations at Hill 50. Lennonville was abandoned at the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the foundations of the bank and train station can still be seen.
Unusual for such a large mining community, Mount Magnet has never had a public battery
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
. The nearest battery was built 5 km west, in Boogardie. However its gold-rush heyday can be seen in its very wide main street with three hotels, a race course and a golf course complete with oiled greens.
Surrounding the town are remnants of old mining operations, and to the north east are significant Aboriginal sites being preserved jointly by the local community and the West Australian Museum. Today Mount Magnet is primarily a service town for the surrounding pastoral district which supports very large sheep stations.
During spring (September to November) the area attracts tourist viewing the natural display of everlasting
Everlasting
Everlasting may refer to:* Everlasting life, the concept of physical or spiritual immortality-Plants:Everlastings , species in a group of genera in the family Asteraceae, including;...
s that can stretch for kilometres in all directions. Being 6 hours drive from Perth makes it a comfortable day's journey for vehicles heading further north to places like Mount Augustus
Mount Augustus National Park
Mount Augustus National Park is located 852 km north of Perth, 490 km by road east of Carnarvon and 390 km northwest of Meekatharra, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia...
and 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 ....
.
During the lifetime of the Northern Railway
Northern Railway (Western Australia)
-Northampton Line:Opening in 1879 the Northern Line originated as a service between Geraldton port and mines at Northampton. It was the first government built railway in Western Australia - as other lines had been built prior to this date - but they were privately built...
to Meekatharra
Meekatharra, Western Australia
Meekatharra is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Meekatharra is an Australian Aboriginal word meaning 'place of little water'. At the 2006 census, Meekatharra had a population of 798, with 44.0% being Aboriginal....
Mount Magnet was an important railway station and yard.
Mount Magnet is served by Mount Magnet Airport
Mount Magnet Airport
Mount Magnet Airport is an airport at Mount Magnet, Western Australia. The airport received over $400,000 for security updates in 2006. The funds are allocated for a secure baggage area, fencing, lighting, and connecting the airport to the Western Power grid....
, where Skippers Aviation
Skippers Aviation
Skippers Aviation is an airline based in Osborne Park, a suburb of Perth. It is a charter company specialising in mining crew changes, executive charters and general flying for the mining industry in Western Australia, as well as search and rescue and medevac operations. It was established and...
has services to and from Meekatharra and Perth.
Australian test cricketer Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
spent summers in Mount Magnet during his youth.
Serendipitously, the magnetic variation at this location, as of 2006, is zero: magnetic north equals true north.