Kookynie, Western Australia

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Kookynie is a town in Western Australia. "Kookynie" is believed to be an aboriginal word which means 'water hole' or 'spring'. From being a busy town with a population of around 1500 in 1905, Kookynie has become a ghost town with only 15 inhabitants.

It's worth the drive off the main road to visit Kookynie. The pub is a little oasis, good rooms, decent food, ice-cold beer. For a WA ghost town (and there are many) it is surprisingly intact. A walk around the ruins reveals that Kookynie was once a surprisingly large town.

Located on the road to Kookynie from the Menzies end is Niagara Dam - a concrete gravity dam in the most unlikely of locations. During the usual dry periods the dam level can range from half-full to nothing more than a stagnant puddle of muck. However for a couple of years after some good cyclone activity in the region the dam is a popular destination for its cool waters.