DESCRIPTION
'A more delightful and bracing climate than that of Greenbushes can scarcely be imagined. Even in the height of summer, nights are pleasantly cool, and in the
winter season the cold is rarely severe, although some inconvenience may be caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall.'
Twentieth Century Impressions of W.A. 1901
Despite this ringing endorsement of the climate at Greenbushes, the town has remained relatively small and retains a quiet 'country town' atmosphere.
Mining in the area today produces tantalite concentrates, lithium minerals, tin and kaolin. Tantalum is used in many electronic devices including mobile phones and computers.
The tantalum in your phone may very well have come from Greenbushes. Timber is also still an important industry here.
Greenbushes is said in many publications to be the highest point on the Darling Scarp but we have been sent information (thanks Judy)
that Mount Cooke, at 582 metres, is the highest point in the scarp so it may turn out that Greenbushes at around 430 metres, is the highest town on the
scarp but certainly isn't the highest point.
HISTORY
The town was first known as Green Bushes Well and was founded in 1889, after tin was discovered in the area in 1888 by David William Stinton. The original site was 3km south of the current site but was
abandoned in 1893 due to difficult soil conditions. A new town site was gazetted in 1899 but was 3km from the main road through the tin fields. This resulted in two areas
3km apart both being known as Greenbushes. The northern area eventually became known as North Greenbushes to avoid any confusion.
A school was established on a 2 acre block in 1893. It only opened for 3 months of the year and had just 17 students. A new school opened in 1899 and by 1900 the number of students
had rocketed to 102.
The school burned down on February 14th, 1965 and a new building was ready for use by November 1st the same year.
The Donnybrook to Bridgetown railway was opened in 1898 and a station added at Greenbushes North in 1899.
Initially the tin mines were successful but a slump in tin prices in 1893 saw the industry collapse. Even so it was 1907 when the population peaked at around 3,000.
It was originally a shire in its own right but today it has been incorporated into the shire of Bridgetown.
1886 Mines department found alluvial tin deposits
1888 Tin discovered by David Stinton
1890 5000-acre timber concession established at North Greenbushes
1891 Post and telegraph office was established
1893 First school building opened
1894 Greenbushes Club Ltd formed
1896 Nelson Arms Hotel built
1898 First freehold settlers selected land
1898 Railway station opened at North Greenbushes
1898 Miners Arms Hotel built
1899 St Barnabas Anglican Church built
1899 Police station built
1899 Courthouse built
1899 Adelaide Timber Company lease granted
1899 Railway Hotel built
1899 Branch of the West Australian Bank opened
1900 Five head battery erected
1900 Brookman Hotel built
1900 Courthouse Hotel built
1901 Greenbushes district gazetted as a Road Board District
1901 Methodist Church built
1901 Public hospital built
1902 Kerosene lamps installed
1903 Duke of York Hotel built
1904 Roman Catholic Church built
1904 Roman Catholic School established
1904 North Greenbushes School opened
1906 Private maternity hospital opened
1907 Road Board office built
1907 Anglican School established
1907 New post office built
1907 Exchange Hotel built
1910 South Greenbushes School opened
1910 Mining registrars office moved to Bridgetown
1910 Welford Hotel changed to Shamrock Hotel
1917 Gas street lighting installed
1919 RSL formed
1922 War Memorial unveiled
1924 South Greenbushes School closed
1925 Group settlement scheme established
1926 North Greenbushes School closed
1927 Courthouse Hotel dismantled and moved toPemberton
1928 Timber Corporation moved to Palgarup.
1931 Private maternity hospital closed
1933 Electric lighting installed
1935 Footpaths along the main street sealed
1935 CWA. formed
1936 Main street sealed
1937 Catholic School closed
1941 Home Guard formed
1942 Air observation post established
1942 Sister Kate's Cottage took up residence
1944 Apple-packing shed built
1944 Group schools closed
1945 School bus service introduced
1949 Newton Ice Works opened
1949 Duke of York Hotel dismantled
1954 The SEC. came to town
1963 Town water supply connected
1965 Primary school destroyed by fire
1966 New school opened
1970 Greenbushes Shire amalgamated with Bridgetown
1972 Bank of New South Wales closed branch
1973 Catholic Church burnt down
1973 New Catholic Church opened
1976 South West Highway re-routed
1976 Lindsay's shop closed
1977 Police station closed
1978 Bush fire brigade formed
1983 Police station handed to school
1987 Old Methodist Church destroyed by fire
1988 The "Tin Centennial" celebrates 100 years since the discovery of tin in the district
1990 Greenbushes Tin merged to form Gwalia Consolidated Ltd.
1991 Uniting Church opened
1993 Primary School celebrates 100 years
1993 Post office closed
1994 Telecentre opened
1997 Cosy Corner closed
1998 Gwalia Consolidated merged with Sons of Gwalia
1998 Eco-cultural Discovery Centre opened
1998 New mine lookout opened
2001 Centenary Celebrations at Greenbushes
2001 Tantalum Expansion Project at Greenbushes Mine
2001 Underground Mine Opens
2003 Underground Mine in 'Care and Maintenance'
2004 Replica underground mine 'Discovery Decline' opens at Greenbushes Discovery Centre
2007 Discovery Forest display and Discovery Theatrette open at Greenbushes Discovery Centre March
2007 Town Square garden opens in August
2009 Talison Lithium Limited (lithium mining) following company split
2009 Global Advanced Metals Pty Ltd (tantalum and tin mining)
Reprinted from http://www.greenbushesinc.asn.au/year-history.html
TALL TALES AND TRUE
Murder / Suicide
You may have read the story on this website titled 'Murder Most Foul' where Victor McCaskill blew himself up after
murdering his wife, son and a farm hand.
This story involves the same method of murder/suicide as McCaskill employed on himself and as it happened only a
short time after the McCaskill murders, it may have been a copycat crime.
Giacomo Pietroboni lived on a farm with his married brother Domenico and one afternoon he was involved in an
escalating argument with his sister-in-law.
The argument went from words to actual violence at which point Giacomo Pietroboni's brother intervened and
broke up the fight.
The police were summoned and before they arrived, Giacomo was seen leaving for a nearby paddock carrying his
brother's infant son.
As Constable Bingham was arriving on the scene and explosion was heard from the paddock and on investigation
Bingham found the mangled remains of Giacomo and Ferruceio the infant child.
The explosion had been caused by a stick of gelignite and obviously a deliberate act by Giacomo who had made
threats to harm himself and his sister-in-law or one of her children.
VIDEO
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OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
Discovery Centre, Heritage Amble trail, Mine lookout, Three signed walk trails, Greenbushes Pool, Heritage Park, Maranup Ford, Blackwood Valley, Wattle Walk in August,
Two Tinsmiths Wattle Ridge Winery.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Exchange Hotel, Post Office.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Blackwood-Stirling
Federal : O'Connor
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6254
Local Government : Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes
PHOTOS
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