Worsley, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Worsley is a town in Western Australia
located in the South West region near the town of Collie
. The town is part of the Shire of Collie
.
The town's name comes from the Worsley river, a tributary of the Collie river, that is located nearby. The origin of the name is thought to be from the Worsley side of the Clifton family. The name was first recorded in surveys performed in the area in 1845.
In the 1890s a railway siding was constructed in the area to service the timber industry, and later in 1906 the state government decided to create a town-site in the area. Lots were surveyed in 1907 and the town was gazetted in 1909.
The town peaked in 1902 when its population was in excess of 1500 people but it began to decline in the 1920s and saw the town all but disappear by the 1950s.
In 1984 construction of the Worsley Alumina refinery began and the area experienced an unexpected revival.
The name Worsley is also used for the Bauxite refinery facility operated by BHP Billiton
that is close to the town. One of its most interesting features is a fifty two km conveyor belt
that carries the bauxite from its mine, north of the refinery, to it. It is believed to be one of the longest conveyor belts in the world.
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 in the South West region near the town of Collie
Collie, Western Australia
-External links:*...
. The town is part of the Shire of Collie
Shire of Collie
The Shire of Collie is a Local Government Area in the South West region of Western Australia, about east of Bunbury and about south of the state capital, Perth...
.
The town's name comes from the Worsley river, a tributary of the Collie river, that is located nearby. The origin of the name is thought to be from the Worsley side of the Clifton family. The name was first recorded in surveys performed in the area in 1845.
In the 1890s a railway siding was constructed in the area to service the timber industry, and later in 1906 the state government decided to create a town-site in the area. Lots were surveyed in 1907 and the town was gazetted in 1909.
The town peaked in 1902 when its population was in excess of 1500 people but it began to decline in the 1920s and saw the town all but disappear by the 1950s.
In 1984 construction of the Worsley Alumina refinery began and the area experienced an unexpected revival.
The name Worsley is also used for the Bauxite refinery facility operated by BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
that is close to the town. One of its most interesting features is a fifty two km conveyor belt
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt consists of two or more pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. One or both of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley...
that carries the bauxite from its mine, north of the refinery, to it. It is believed to be one of the longest conveyor belts in the world.