Mount Morgans, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Morgans is an abandoned
town in Western Australia
located 916 kilometres (569 mi) east of Perth
situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora
and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Gold was discovered near the present town-site in 1896 by a team of prospector
s, Lilley and his party. The lease was later taken over by Alfred Edward Morgans who developed the Westralia Morgans Mine. The Mount Morgans Gold Mine
produced gold from 1896 to 1952 then from 1988 to 1997 and opened again in 2009.
The townsite was gazetted in 1899 and was named after Morgans who later became the member for Coolgardie
and later the Premier
of Western Australia in 1901, a position he held for less than a year. A police station was established in 1899 and in 1900 the town was incorporated and by 1903 the population
had reached 1,250 with over 500 buildings situated in the town. The town boasted six hotels, a hospital, a workers hall, two general stores and two chemists. The police station closed in 1928 then reopened in 1935 then closed again for the final time in 1937. The town was in deep decline in 1937 with a visiting police commissioner
announcing the town was dead in July of the same year.
At its peak the town took up an area of 1112 acres (450 ha).
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 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 916 kilometres (569 mi) east of Perth
Perth, 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....
situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora
Leonora, Western Australia
Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north of the city of Kalgoorlie. At the 2006 census, Leonora had a population of 401, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a...
and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Gold was discovered near the present town-site in 1896 by a team of 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, Lilley and his party. The lease was later taken over by Alfred Edward Morgans who developed the Westralia Morgans Mine. The Mount Morgans Gold Mine
Mount Morgans Gold Mine
The Mount Morgans Gold Mine is a gold mine located 37 km west-south-west of Laverton, Western Australia.It is operated by Range River Gold, who purchased the mine from Barrick Gold in May 2009...
produced gold from 1896 to 1952 then from 1988 to 1997 and opened again in 2009.
The townsite was gazetted in 1899 and was named after Morgans who later became the member for Coolgardie
Electoral district of Coolgardie
Coolgardie was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1897 to 1930.The district was located in the Goldfields region, and was based in the town of Coolgardie. Its first member was Alf Morgans who served briefly as Premier of Western...
and later the 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...
of Western Australia in 1901, a position he held for less than a year. A police station was established in 1899 and in 1900 the town was incorporated and by 1903 the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
had reached 1,250 with over 500 buildings situated in the town. The town boasted six hotels, a hospital, a workers hall, two general stores and two chemists. The police station closed in 1928 then reopened in 1935 then closed again for the final time in 1937. The town was in deep decline in 1937 with a visiting police commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
announcing the town was dead in July of the same year.
At its peak the town took up an area of 1112 acres (450 ha).