(C) Don Copley

LEONORA

HEMA Map reference 77/F11

28° 52' 56" S 121° 19' 44"' E

Statistics

Caravan Parks

Unknown

Services

Attractions

Mt Leonora, Tower Street, Malcolm Dam, Smoodgers Hill, Gwalia historical museum.

Buildings of note

Former Grand Hotel 1900, White House hotel 1900, Post office 1900, State hotel 1903, Former mines office 1898, Mine superintendent's house 1898, Winder and head frame 1898-1912, The old police station 1903, Courthouse 1903, Masonic Lodge, Old fire station 1903, National & WA Bank, Anzac War memorial.

Calendar of events

June: Golden gift. September: Art prize. October: Races.

(C) Don Copley

(C) Don Copley

Description

The first gold find in the area is credited to a man named Morrissey (1894) but better finds were made in 1896 and the original town (known as Gwalia) flourished until 1898. After flooding it was relocated in 1900, 3km from the mine and re-named Leonora. The town was developed to support the Sons of Gwalia (Wales) mine which operated until 1964. The mine was later re-opened in 1981 as the price of gold increased.

The town's name comes from Mount Leonora, named by John Forrest  (who explored the area in 1869) in honour of his niece Miss Phylis Leonora Hardey of Grove Farm near Perth. (Another source says Forrest named it after the Governor's wife - Elanora, but the difference in names makes this a less likely alternative.)

The town site was gazetted in 1898 and by 1902 it was linked to Perth by rail via Menzies. The town had the first electric trams in W.A.

‘…hotels and different large business establishments have a most imposing appearance, being constructed mostly of brick. Other buildings are composed of adobe, and although somewhat sombre in their colour, have the merit of being substantial.’

Twentieth Century Impressions of W.A.
1901
 

In 1908 The Bulletin described Leonora as the nation's most progressive town.

The first Mayor of Leonora (William Snell) rode a bicycle across the Nullarbor to Melbourne in 1897. He accomplished this feat in just 26 days and was only the second person to cross this way. He had gone east to meet his bride to be and after arranging her passage by sea he seems to have hopped back on his bike and rode all the way across again meeting his bride in Fremantle. Sadly William's death was a lonely one in the outback north of Wiluna in 1942.

In 1996 a project was started to restore some of the old miner's cottages. The buildings are available now for tourists to wander through and see what living conditions were like for miners in the early days.

Leonora, usually as 'dry as a bone' is sometimes hit by cyclonic rains. These events have happened a number of times since the area was settled with one of the worst being Cyclone Bobby in 1995 which produced a flood that cut the town off for 6 weeks. The only supplies to reach the town were dropped at Laverton by the RAAF and then trucked to Leonora on the only passable road in. Flooding like this seems to happen about once every 20 years.

Odd facts: Leonora has the highest number of single person households in the state. It is also a good place for single ladies to find single men as 900 of the 1300 residents are men.

(C) Panoramio - Derek A Graham