Goldfields–Esperance historical timeline explained

This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia.

Date	Event	Location	Notes
1627	Gulden Zeepaert, skippered by François Thijssen sails along the coast of the Great Australian Bight		[1]
1791			[2]
1792
1801
1802	Matthew Flinders sails across the Great Australian Bight as part of his expedition to map the coast aboard Investigator
1820s	Whalers and sealers operating along the south eastern coastline of Western Australia.		[3]
1824	Wreck of the sealer Belinda
1841	Edward John Eyre and Wylie traverse Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor Plain by land as part of their expedition from South Australia to Albany		[4]
1870			[5]
1872	Mundrabilla Station established		[6]
1876	Pastoralists start breeding horses in the area near present-day Madura Station		[7]
1877	The East West Telegraph Line is completed and the first Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed
1892	Gold is discovered and the townsite of Coolgardie is established.		[8]
1892	Gold is discovered near Gudarra
1892	Gold is discovered near Lawlers by prospectors Anderson, Hall and Heffernan		[9]
1893	A group of Prospectors travelling to Mount Youle; Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, Tom Flanagan, and Dan O'Shea discover gold.		[10]
1893	Gold is discovered by prospector, R.H Henning, near Black Flag
1893	Gold is discovered prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull near Bulong		[11]
1893	The townsite of Kalgoorlie is gazetted.
1893	The townsite of Esperance is gazetted
1894	Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Northam and Southern Cross		[12]
1894	Gold is discovered near Bardoc		[13]
1895	Gold is discovered near Callion
1895	Gold is discovered near Kookynie by a group of prospectors including W.A. Miller
1895	The townsite of Bulong gazetted.
1895	The townsite of Dundas gazetted.
1895	Sturt Meadows cattle station established by Henry Manuel		[14]
1895	The townsite of Goongarrie gazetted.
1895	The townsite of Menzies is gazetted
1896	Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Southern Cross and Boorabbin
1896	The townsite of Bardoc is gazetted		[15]
1896	The townsite of Broad Arrow is gazetted
1896	The townsite of Lawlers is gazetted
1896	Gold is discovered and mining commences near Mount Morgans		[16]
1896	The townsite of Murrin Murrin is gazetted
1896	Pinnacles cattle station established by Messrs Routledge, Morris and Willis		[17]
1896	St John of God Sisters establish hospital in Coolgardie		[18]
1896	St Mary's Catholic Church, Kalgoorlie, opened		[19]
1897	The townsite of Black Flag is gazetted
1897	The townsite of Gudarra is gazetted
1897	The townsite of Kambalda gazetted.
1897	The townsite of Leonora is gazetted		[20]
1897	The upgraded stone Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed		[21]
1897	The townsite of Callion gazetted.
1897	Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Boorabbin and Kalgoorlie, completing the line all the way to Perth
1897	The townsite of Widgiemooltha gazetted.
1898	The townsite of Waverley gazetted.
1899	The townsite of Mount Morgans gazetted.
1900	The townsite of Laverton gazetted		[22]
1900	The townsite of Kookynie gazetted.
1901
1903	Goldfields Water Supply Scheme commences operations and first water arrives at Mount Charlotte Reservoir		[23]
1903	The townsite of Yarri gazetted.
1903	Banjawarn Station established initially to graze sheep		.[24]
1904	The townsite of Princess Royal gazetted.
1904	Erlistoun cattle station established by Butcher and Uhr		[25]
1904	The townsite of Lakewood gazetted.
1904	Yundamindera cattle station established by Dr Charles Laver		[26]
1904	The townsite of Yunndaga gazetted.
1906	Credo cattle station established by William Henry Halford		[27]
1907	Gold Stealing Detective Squad formed in Kalgoorlie	Gold_Stealing_Detection_Unit
1908	The Coolgardie to Widgiemooltha section of the Esperance branch railway opened		[28]
1909	The Widgiemooltha to Norseman section of the Esperance branch railway opened
1910	The townsite of Kurrawang is gazetted
1912	The townsite of Ora Banda is gazetted
1912
1916	The townsite of Comet Vale gazetted.
1917	Trans-Australian Railway completed		[29]
1919	Prospector, Pat Ives, discovered gold at his working known as Ives Reward		[30]
1922
1923	The townsite of Grass Patch gazetted.
1924	Adelong cattle station established
1924	The townsite of Scaddan gazetted.
1925	The Esperance to Salmon Gums section of the Esperance branch railway opened
1925	The townsite of Salmon Gums gazetted.
1926	Walsh and Pitman - two detectives murdered by gold thieves		[31]
1927	The East West Telegraph ceases operations
1927	The Salmon Gums to Norseman section of the Esperance branch railway opened
1928	Construction of Kalgoorlie Aerodrome commences		[32]
1933	Warburton is established as an Aboriginal Mission		[33]
1934	The townsite of Mount Palmer gazetted after gold is found.
1934	Construction of the Esperance Deepwater wharf, known as Tankers Jetty, commences.		[34]
1935	Construction of Tankers Jetty is completed.
1936	The townsite of Agnew is gazetted
1941	Construction of Eyre Highway commences
1942	Construction of Eyre Highway completed		[35]
1942	Bombing in Boulder kills 14		[36]
1948	Katherine Susannah Prichard's novel Golden Miles portrays Goldfields life of the 1920s
1952	Mount Morgans gold mine closes after producing 328,000 ounces of gold at 15 g/t.
1952	Kurrawang Native Mission established		[37]
1953	Construction of Anne Beadell Highway commences
1955	Construction of Gunbarrel Highway commences		[38]
1956	Giles Weather Station established
1958	Construction of Gunbarrel Highway completed
1960
1961	Arubiddy sheep station is established		[39]
1962	Construction of Anne Beadell Highway completed		[40]
1962	The townsite of Caiguna is established		[41]
1962	Rawlinna sheep station, the largest sheep station in the world, is established by Hugh G. MacLachlan		[42]
1962	The townsite of Munglinup gazetted.
1963	The townsite of Condingup gazetted.
1965	The townsite of Koolyanobbing gazetted.
1965	First land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port		[43]
1966	The townsite of Jerdacuttup gazetted.
1966	Malcolm Campbell Ross takes up the lease on Mount Elvire Station		[44]
1967	Mining of Iron Ore commences at Dowd Hill		[45]
1969	A prospector named Ken Shirley discovered a huge nickel deposit at Mount Windarra in the Laverton area		[46]
1970	Indian Pacific transcontinental train begins operation, with change of locomotive at Kalgoorlie
1971	Nullarbor Nymph hoax
1972	Second land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port
1976	The townsite of Leinster is established by Agnew Mining as a dormitory town for workers at its nickel mine		[47]
1980
1979	Granny Smith gold deposit discovered near Mount Weld
1988	Gold is discovered at Sunrise Dam		[48]
1988	Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1952
1989	Super pit created in Kalgoorlie from the consolidation of a number of small underground mines into a single open pit mine by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines		[49]
1991	Bulk carrier Sanko Harvest sinks after striking reef
1993	Ten mile Lagoon wind farm commences operations near Esperance		[50]
1993	Gold mining commences at Tarmoola mine near Leonora		[51]
1993	Mining commences at Kanowna Belle near Kalgoorlie		[52]
1997	Mount Morgans gold mine closes again after reopening in 1988
2002	Third land-backed berth opened and 65 million upgrade at Esperance Port completed
2004	Mining ceases at Tarmoola following a pit wall collapse
2006	Mining commences at Wattle Dam gold mine		[53]
2008	Death of Mr Ward from overheating in police van
2009	Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1997
2010
2012	Mining commences at Tropicana gold mine		[54]

See also

• Kimberley historical timeline
• Pilbara historical timeline
• Regions of Western Australia

Notes and References

1. Web site: European voyages to the Australian continent – Timeline. 14 October 2015. National Museum of Australia. 28 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160328131046/http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/collection_interactives/european_voyages/european_voyages_to_the_australian_continent/timeline#pageindex2. dead.
2. Web site: Vancouver, George (1757–1798). Nan Phillips. 31 October 2015. Australian Dictionary of Biography. 1987. Australian National University.
3. Web site: Report on historical archeological expedition to Middle and Boxer Islands, Recherche Archipelago. April 2006. 31 October 2015. Alistair Paterson and Corioli Souter. Western Australian Museum.
4. Web site: 1 May 1839 Edward John Eyre. 18 October 2015. Professional Historians Association. 12 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201012040233/http://www.sahistorians.org.au/175/chronology/may/1-may-1839-edward-john-eyre.shtml. dead.
5. Web site: ABC – West Coast SA – Episode 9 – Fraser Range Station. 2010. 20 October 2015.
6. Web site: Mundrabilla. 31 October 2015. Nullarbor.net.
7. Web site: Madura. Explore Australia. 2012. 18 October 2015.
8. Book: Ford, Lyall. Poorhouse to Paradise: The Adventures of a Pioneering Family in a North Queensland Town. 2001. Taipan Press. Freshwater, Queensland. 0646332546. 14.
9. Web site: Morowa District Historical Society. 2009. 26 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110312060738/http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/ghosttowns/L.pdf. 12 March 2011. dmy-all.
10. Raymond Radclyffe, Wealth and Wildcats, Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian (1898, reprinted 2004), p.15.
11. Web site: Morowa District Historical Society. 2009. 18 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110312055951/http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/ghosttowns/B.pdf. 12 March 2011. dmy-all.
12. Book: Newland. Andrew. Quinlan. Howard. Australian Railway Routes 1854–2000. 2000. Australian Railway Historical Society. Redfern. 0-909650-49-7. 63, 67.
13. Web site: Morowa District Historical Society. 2009. 16 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110312055951/http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/ghosttowns/B.pdf. 12 March 2011. dmy-all.
14. News: A Goldfields Cattle and Sheep Station . . Perth. 27 February 1899 . 19 March 2014 . 2. National Library of Australia.
15. Western Australian Government Gazette, file 4204/95, 3 June 1896, p.917.
16. Web site: Mt Morgans flyer. Range River Gold website. 6 January 2010.
17. News: Rabbit shooting at Lalwers. . . Perth . 9 October 1909 . 31 October 2015 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
18. Web site: The pioneering sisters . 2016 . St John of God Health Care . 28 Oct 2024.
19. Web site: St Mary's Roman Catholic Church . 2017 . InHerit: Our Heritage Places . Heritage Council of WA . 28 Oct 2024.
20. Web site: A brief history of Gwalia. 26 October 2015. Shire of Leonora. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160113030550/http://www.leonora.wa.gov.au/brief-history-gwalia-mine.aspx. 13 January 2016. dmy-all.
21. Web site: Eyre. 18 October 2015. Birdlife Australia.
22. Web site: Charles Laver Statue. 2015. 15 October 2015. Shire of Laverton. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080718162228/http://www.laverton.wa.gov.au/. 18 July 2008. dmy-all.
23. News: The Water Scheme Opening. . . Perth . 31 January 1903 . 25 October 2015 . 32 . National Library of Australia.
24. Web site: Appendix I – The Rangelands' Sub-regions. 28 February 2005. 16 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110310162423/http://www.rangelandswa.com.au/files/7/files/Appendix_I_Rangelands_SubRegions.pdf. 10 March 2011. dmy-all.
25. News: Grazing in the Erlistoun District. . Perth . 29 September 1904 . 19 October 2015. 6 . National Library of Australia.
26. News: From gold to sheep . . Perth . 1 June 1934 . 1 November 2015 . 17 . National Library of Australia.
27. Web site: Rowles Lagoon Conservation Park – Management Plan 2000–2010 . 2000 . 18 October 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110315201430/http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/pdf/nature/management/rowles_mp.pdf . 15 March 2011 . dmy-all .
28. Web site: Report to the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the management, workings and control of the Western Australian Government Railways. Alex Gibson and D. H. S. du Plessis. December 1947. 25 October 2015. Parliament of Western Australia.
29. Web site: Indian Pacific. 2015. 18 October 2015. Great Southern Rail. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018035019/http://greatsouthernrail.com.au/trains/the_indian_pacific/. 18 October 2015. dead.
30. Web site: St Ives gold-mine ]. Miningweekly.com. 31 October 2009.
31. Web site: New memorial honours WA Police detectives murdered by Kalgoorlie gold thieves in 1920s. Lucas . Jarrod . 5 May 2024 . ABC News . 29 October 2024.
32. News: Advertising. . . Kalgoorlie, Western Australia . 19 September 1928 . 22 November 2015 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
33. Web site: Warburton Mission (1933–1977). 1 November 2015. Find & Connect.
34. Web site: Tanker Jetty. 16 November 2015. Esperance Visitor Centre.
35. Web site: Western Australia – The War Years 1939 and 1945. Sid Jenkins. 16 September 2006. 18 October 2015.
36. Web site: 1942 Boulder & Kalgoorlie bombings . Skehan . Peter . Western Australia Police Historical Society Inc . 29 October 2024.
37. Web site: Kurrawang Mission . Find & Connectd . 4 November 2024.
38. Web site: Len Beadell chronology. SA Memory. 18 October 2015. Government of South Australia.
39. Web site: Technical Bulletin – An inventory and condition survey of the Western Australian part of the Nullarbor region. No. 97. December 2010. 18 October 2015. Department of Agriculture. https://web.archive.org/web/20120323203649/http://agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/lwe/rpm/techbull97_nullarbor_part1_introduction_and_revew.pdf. 23 March 2012. dead.
40. Web site: Anne Beadell Highway. 2015. 15 October 2015. Shire of Laverton.
41. Web site: Caiguna. Aussie Towns. 18 October 2015.
42. Web site: Rawlinna. Jumbuck Pastoral. 2012. 22 January 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130409182204/http://www.jumbuckpastoral.com/pages/stations/rawlinna.html. 9 April 2013. dmy-all.
43. Web site: History and Development of the Port. 2009. 22 November 2015. Esperance Ports Sea and Land. 18 February 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110218130848/http://esperanceport.com.au/profile-history.asp. dead.
44. Web site: 4WD trip to the Kalgoorlie Goldfields area. 2009. 27 October 2015.
45. Web site: Koolyanobbing – Place of Large Rocks. 2015. 26 October 2015. Shire of Yilgarn.
46. Web site: Historical Timeline. 15 October 2015. Poseidon Nickel. 15 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200215163606/http://poseidon-nickel.com.au/about/historical-timeline/. dead.
47. Web site: Leinster Township. Shire of Leonora. 15 June 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070502094856/http://www.leonora.wa.gov.au/about_us/leinster_township.html. 2 May 2007. dmy-all.
48. Web site: Sunrise Dam gold deposit. 31 October 2015.
49. Treadgold, Tim. (1995) History of the pit's development from 1989 to 1995 Australia's mining monthly, May 1995, p. 31, 33–36,
50. Web site: Esperance Wind Farms. Horizn Power. 1 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090913001053/http://www.horizonpower.com.au/environment/renewable_energy/wind/wind_nine_mile.html. 13 September 2009. dmy-all.
51. Web site: Klaus Eckhof – Project Geologist and Business Development Manager of Mount Edon. www.goldinvest.de. 18 January 2007. 1 November 2015.
52. Web site: Kanowna Belle Gold Mine, Kalgoorlie, Australia. mining-technology.com. 25 October 2015.
53. Web site: Company Overview. Ramelius Resources. 1 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111006214431/http://www.rameliusresources.com.au/company_overview.8.html. 6 October 2011. dmy-all.
54. Web site: Tropicana Gold Project. Macmahon. 1 November 2015.