Mount Wells, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Wells is a locality and land feature located in bushland near Boddington
, south-east of Perth
. It is located on the Bibbulmun Track
and is also known as Wourahming Hill.
.
flowers covering its fringes in spring.
Mine, south-east of the locality and presently owned by Newmont Mining
(67%) and AngloGold
(33%), commenced operations in 1987. It ceased mining operations on 30 November 2001 after all known economic gold oxide resources had been processed, and is currently in a "care and maintenance" phase. A bedrock resource (19.57 MOz) has been identified, and expansion of the facility to allow mining and processing of basement rock was approved in 2002. Construction began in May 2006.
Boddington, Western Australia
Boddington is a town and shire in the Peel region of Western Australia, located south-east of Perth. The town sits on the road from Pinjarra to Williams on the Hotham River...
, south-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....
. It is located on the Bibbulmun Track
Bibbulmun Track
The Bibbulmun Track is a long distance walk trail in Western Australia. It runs from Kalamunda, east of Perth to Albany and is almost 1000 km long...
and is also known as Wourahming Hill.
History
Mount Wells's history, as the highest point in the area, was as a fire lookout for the surrounding timber milling region. The original fire tower and huts were ironically destroyed by fire in 1961, but rebuilt in 1962. It was renovated by the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) and a Karnet Prison crew in 1997 for overnight use by walkers on the 'new' Bibbulmun Track, Western Australia's award-winning walk trail, stretching nearly 1,000 kilometres from the Perth Hills to AlbanyAlbany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
.
Present day
A sleeping shelter for 8-10 people has been constructed from an old firetower-keeper's hut, complete with old wood stove, for overnight use by walkers on the Bibbulmun Track. The nearby tower is still occasionally used as a fire lookout and offers views of the Darling Scarp as well as nearby gold mining operations. A 14 km return walk to Boonering Hill, a giant granite mount rising above the jarrah forest north of Mount Wells, is popular among bushwalkers, with verticordiaVerticordia
Verticordia, a genus of the Myrtaceae family, are woody shrubs with small and exquisite flowers. They are mostly found in Southwest Australia, with several outlier species in northern regions. A revision of the genus in 1991 produced a classification within Verticordia of 3 subgenera, 24 sections,...
flowers covering its fringes in spring.
Boddington Gold Mine
The nearby Boddington 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...
Mine, south-east of the locality and presently owned by Newmont Mining
Newmont Mining
Newmont Mining Corporation , based in Denver, Colorado, USA, is one of the world's largest producers of gold, with active mines in Nevada, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana and Peru. Holdings include Santa Fe Gold, Battle Mountain Gold, Normandy Mining, Franco-Nevada Corp and Fronteer Gold...
(67%) and AngloGold
AngloGold
AngloGold was a gold mining company based in South Africa and majority-owned by the Anglo American group. In 2004 it merged with the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation to create the world's second-largest gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti. It's a big company....
(33%), commenced operations in 1987. It ceased mining operations on 30 November 2001 after all known economic gold oxide resources had been processed, and is currently in a "care and maintenance" phase. A bedrock resource (19.57 MOz) has been identified, and expansion of the facility to allow mining and processing of basement rock was approved in 2002. Construction began in May 2006.