Three Springs, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Three Springs is located 313 km north of Perth, Western Australia
on the Midlands Road. Wheat
farming is the main industry.
The first Europeans to pass through the Three Springs area were Lieutenant George Grey and his party in 1839. The next exploration of the area in 1846 was undertaken by brothers Henry, Francis and Augustus Gregory
. This was a government sponsored trip to seek out new ‘runs’ for stock.
During 1867, while surveyor Charles Cooke Hunt
was undertaking a road survey, he recorded the words ‘Three Springs’ at the site of the current town after some nearby springs. The name began to appear on official maps from then on and land in this region was soon taken up for pastoral leasing.
When the Midland
railway from Midland Junction to Walkaway
was opened in 1895, Three Springs was a siding on the line, and the area really opened up.
In 1907 the government decided to declare a townsite adjacent to the Three Springs Station, and it was gazetted as Kadathinni in 1908. It was also intended to change the name of the station when the townsite was named, but this was overlooked, and it remained Three Springs. The townsite was also locally known as Three Springs, and in 1946 the name was officially changed to Three Springs to conform with local usage.
Luzenac, a Rio Tinto Group
company operates the largest talc
mine in the southern hemisphere just outside the Three Springs townsite. Up until 2004, the talc was railed to Geraldton
for export.
Banksia trifontinalis
(Three Springs Dryandra) is named after this town, in the vicinity of which it was first collected.
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....
on the Midlands Road. Wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
farming is the main industry.
The first Europeans to pass through the Three Springs area were Lieutenant George Grey and his party in 1839. The next exploration of the area in 1846 was undertaken by brothers Henry, Francis and Augustus Gregory
Augustus Gregory
Sir Augustus Charles Gregory KCMG. was an English-born Australian explorer. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions.-Early years:...
. This was a government sponsored trip to seek out new ‘runs’ for stock.
During 1867, while surveyor Charles Cooke Hunt
Charles Cooke Hunt
Charles Cooke Hunt was an explorer who led four expeditions into the interior of Western Australia between 1864 and 1866. He died in Geraldton....
was undertaking a road survey, he recorded the words ‘Three Springs’ at the site of the current town after some nearby springs. The name began to appear on official maps from then on and land in this region was soon taken up for pastoral leasing.
When the Midland
Midland Railway of Western Australia
The Midland Railway of Western Australia was a privately built and operated railway in Western Australia, operated by the British-owned Midland Railway Company of Western Australia...
railway from Midland Junction to Walkaway
Walkaway, Western Australia
Walkaway is a small town in the City of Greater Geraldton local government area of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Walkaway had a population of 262....
was opened in 1895, Three Springs was a siding on the line, and the area really opened up.
In 1907 the government decided to declare a townsite adjacent to the Three Springs Station, and it was gazetted as Kadathinni in 1908. It was also intended to change the name of the station when the townsite was named, but this was overlooked, and it remained Three Springs. The townsite was also locally known as Three Springs, and in 1946 the name was officially changed to Three Springs to conform with local usage.
Luzenac, a Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
company operates the largest talc
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
mine in the southern hemisphere just outside the Three Springs townsite. Up until 2004, the talc was railed to Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
for export.
Banksia trifontinalis
Banksia trifontinalis
Banksia trifontinalis, commonly known as Three Springs Dryandra, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.-Description:It grows as an openly branched shrub, and can reach up to two metres high. It has long, narrow, serrated leaves, and a yellow inflorescence.-Taxonomy:The type specimen was collected...
(Three Springs Dryandra) is named after this town, in the vicinity of which it was first collected.