Mount Meharry
Encyclopedia
Mount Meharry is the highest mountain in Western Australia
. It is located in the Hamersley Range
within the southeastern part of Karijini National Park
in the Pilbara region
, approximately 86 kilometres (53.4 mi) from Wittenoom
, and 87 kilometres (54.1 mi) from Tom Price
.
Mount Meharry is named after William Thomas ("Tom") Meharry (1912-1967), Chief Geodetic Surveyor for Western Australia from 1959 to 1967. It was discovered (so far as non-indigenous records show) by Surveyor Trevor Markey and his party in 1967. Tom Meharry directed the survey party and performed the calculations that confirmed the mountain was the highest peak in Western Australia, being 15 m (49.2 ft) higher than Mount Bruce
which lies 62 km northwest of Mount Meharry.
After Meharry's sudden death on 16 May 1967 the Nomenclature Advisory Committee (now the Geographic Names Committee) recommended to the Minister for Lands that the recently discovered peak be named after him. The Minister for Lands the Hon. W S Bovell MLA approved this on 28 July 1967 and a notice naming the peak was published in the Western Australian Government Gazette on 15 September 1967.
In 1999, Gina Rinehart
, daughter of Lang Hancock
applied to the Geographic Names Committee to rename the mountain after her father. The application was declined and in 2002 she lobbied the then Premier
Geoff Gallop
with the same proposal. He too declined the request.
The summit of Mt Meharry can be reached from the Great Northern Highway
via an unsealed road 16 km (9.9 mi) in length and a vehicular track 21 kilometres (13 mi) in length. Permission should be sought from the managers of the land over which the road and track pass. These are Juna Downs Station and the Department of Environment and Conservation
, which manages Karijini National Park. In dry conditions, a two-wheel-drive vehicle can reach the national park boundary at about 800 metres altitude, requiring a walk of about 7 kilometres to the summit.
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 located in the Hamersley Range
Hamersley Range
The Hamersley Ranges is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. The range runs from the Fortescue River in the northeast, 460 km south. The range contains Western Australia's highest point, Mount Meharry, which reaches approximately AHD. There are many extensively-eroded...
within the southeastern part of Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia . It is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, approximately 1055 km from the State's capital city, Perth...
in the Pilbara region
Pilbara region of Western Australia
The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia known for its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore...
, approximately 86 kilometres (53.4 mi) from Wittenoom
Wittenoom, Western Australia
Wittenoom is a ghost town located 1,106 kilometres north-northeast of Perth in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the site of Australia's greatest industrial disaster....
, and 87 kilometres (54.1 mi) from Tom Price
Tom Price, Western Australia
Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range...
.
Mount Meharry is named after William Thomas ("Tom") Meharry (1912-1967), Chief Geodetic Surveyor for Western Australia from 1959 to 1967. It was discovered (so far as non-indigenous records show) by Surveyor Trevor Markey and his party in 1967. Tom Meharry directed the survey party and performed the calculations that confirmed the mountain was the highest peak in Western Australia, being 15 m (49.2 ft) higher than Mount Bruce
Mount Bruce (Western Australia)
Mount Bruce is the second highest mountain in the state of Western Australia.Mount Bruce lies northwest of Mount Meharry, the highest peak in the state. It is a part of the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara...
which lies 62 km northwest of Mount Meharry.
After Meharry's sudden death on 16 May 1967 the Nomenclature Advisory Committee (now the Geographic Names Committee) recommended to the Minister for Lands that the recently discovered peak be named after him. The Minister for Lands the Hon. W S Bovell MLA approved this on 28 July 1967 and a notice naming the peak was published in the Western Australian Government Gazette on 15 September 1967.
In 1999, Gina Rinehart
Gina Rinehart
Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart is a mining heiress. She is the heiress of Hancock Prospecting and the daughter of the late mining magnate Lang Hancock and Hope Margaret Nicholas...
, daughter of Lang Hancock
Lang Hancock
Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the competing spheres of business and politics...
applied to the Geographic Names Committee to rename the mountain after her father. The application was declined and in 2002 she lobbied the then Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
Geoff Gallop
Geoff Gallop
Geoffrey Ian Gallop, AC is an Australian academic and former politician. He was the Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Sydney.-Early life and education:...
with the same proposal. He too declined the request.
The summit of Mt Meharry can be reached from 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...
via an unsealed road 16 km (9.9 mi) in length and a vehicular track 21 kilometres (13 mi) in length. Permission should be sought from the managers of the land over which the road and track pass. These are Juna Downs Station and the Department of Environment and Conservation
Department of Environment and Conservation
The Department of Environment and Conservation is a department of the Government of Western Australia that is responsible for implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations...
, which manages Karijini National Park. In dry conditions, a two-wheel-drive vehicle can reach the national park boundary at about 800 metres altitude, requiring a walk of about 7 kilometres to the summit.