Norseman, Western Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Norseman Western Australia |
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 Location of Norseman in Western Australia (red) |
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| Population: | 963 |
| Postcode: | 6443 |
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of Dundas |
| State District: | Murchison-Eyre |
| Federal Division: | Kalgoorlie |
Norseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, 726 kilometres (451 mi) east of Perth and 278 metres (912 ft) above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border 720 kilometres (447 mi) to the east.
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[edit] History
The quest for gold led to the establishment of Norseman. Today there are a number of small goldmining operations in the area but only the Central Norseman Gold Corporation can be considered a major producer. Gold was first found in the Norseman area in 1892 about 10 km south of the town, and the "Dundas Field" was proclaimed in August 1893 and a townsite gazetted there.
In July 1894, Lawrence Sinclair and his horse "Norseman" discovered a rich gold reef which Sinclair named for his horse. In January 1895, the mining warden asked the Government to declare a townsite for the 200 or so miners who had arrived - it was gazetted the same year. The Aboriginal name for the area is "Jimberlana".[1]
Norseman initially struggled to develop because of the established town of Dundas, but between 1895 and 1901, a post office, banks, doctor, courthouse, stores and churches were established and in 1899 Cobb & Co mail coaches started delivering mail to Norseman. In 1935, Western Mining Corporation came to Norseman and invested significantly in its infrastructure, resulting in new bitumen roads, electricity and an extension of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme to the town.[2]
Once it was the second-richest goldfield in Western Australia, next to the Golden Mile of Kalgoorlie. It is claimed that since 1892, over 100 tonnes of gold have been extracted from the area.
[edit] Present day
Modern Norseman is a large, sprawling town driven by mining and tourism and dominated by a huge tailings dump.
Norseman is located on Great Southern Highway, 724 km east of Perth via Great Eastern Highway and Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, and has a population of about 1,000. It contains a district high school (opened 1894), and ANZ bank, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), district hospital, council offices and a telecentre are located within the town. Being at the start of the Eyre Highway, three fuel outlets are available.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. History of country town names - N. Retrieved on 2007-04-17.
- ^ Shire of Dundas - History. Retrieved on 2006-11-06.
[edit] External links
- Norseman, Western Australia is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Shire of Dundas
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