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First called Kurawah, the town once had a population of 2400
with 8 hotels, 2 breweries, a stock exchange and hospital.
Henry Reison held the first mining lease in the area but the town’s name came
from three prospectors; Pike, Quinn and O’mara. O’mara’s nephew was due to
follow them and the prospectors drew broad arrows on the ground so he could find
his way to their camp.
The town was gazetted in 1897 but by the 1920s the gold rush had petered out and
the miners moved on.
The town found brief fame in 1971 in the film 'Nickel queen' which starred
Googie Withers.
It is a popular goldfields 'ghost town'.
Tall tales & true: Paper dress.
News of the outside world once came to Broad Arrow in the form of a newspaper
from Kalgoorlie (The Kalgoorlie Miner). During a paper shortage it is said that
one copy of the paper was printed on a discarded petticoat. It was taken to
Broad Arrow and tacked to a tree for the locals to read. A local Gin (Aboriginal
woman) took it down and wore it but was constantly harassed by people coming up
to read the news printed on it. Tired of the unwanted attention she took off
into the bush but was found ‘bailed up’ with another news hungry prospector
lifting up the hem to read the news. A local trooper come across the scene
exclaiming ‘What are you doing holding up the Gin’s dress you old blackguard?’
to which the reader replied ‘I’ve got some well off people back east and I was
looking to see if I’m among the missing persons.’ And happily returned to his
reading.
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