Sandstone, Western Australia

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Sandstone
Western Australia

Empire Day celebrations in Hack Street, 1909
Sandstone
Coordinates 27°59′17″S 119°17′46″E / 27.98806°S 119.29611°E / -27.98806; 119.29611Coordinates: 27°59′17″S 119°17′46″E / 27.98806°S 119.29611°E / -27.98806; 119.29611
Population 119 (2006)[1]
Established 1890s
Postcode(s) 6639
Elevation 533 m (1,749 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Sandstone
State electorate(s) Kalgoorlie
Federal Division(s) Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
27.3 °C
81 °F		 13.2 °C
56 °F		 248.3 mm
9.8 in

Sandstone is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia 157 kilometres east of Mount Magnet and 661 kilometres north of the state capital, Perth. At the 2006 census, Sandstone and the surrounding area had a population of 119.[1]

Overview

The town was first settled in 1894 as part of a gold rush after a team of prospectors including Ernest Shillington first discovered gold about 20 km south of the present townsite. Following the influx of miners the local progress association requested that a townsite be declared in 1905. Correspondence of the time shows that the area was locally known as Hans Irvine's Find and that a large amount of money had been spent on building hotels, banks and other services required by the residents. The townsite was gazetted as Sandstone in 1906.[2]

By 1907 the population of the town had swelled to 6,000–8,000 and it boasted four hotels, four butchers, two banks, a staffed police station and many other stores. A brewery was also constructed in 1907 by an Irishman, I.V. Kearney, to satisfy the local demand. He built the brewery on a breakaway on top of a cliff about 35 feet high. Water was pumped to the top level for brewing and the beer was stored in the cellars below to keep it cool even in the hotter weather.[3]

In 1910 the railway was completed between Mount Magnet and Sandstone but the population had declined to about 200 people and many buildings had been pulled down, removed or left derelict.[4] The Jundoo Dam was completed in 1910 to provide water for the steam trains; the dam could hold three-and-a-half million gallons of water and cost £5,000 to build. Most of the original dam works still exist today.

A state-run battery operated in the town from 1904 to 1982. The remains of these are located along the Menzies Road.[5]

Today, Sandstone is the administrative centre of the Shire of Sandstone local government area. Sights to see include London Bridge, a natural bridge, which is part of the Sandstone Heritage Trail. It was the inspiration for the mining town in Randolph Stow's 1963 novel Tourmaline.[6] The smallest of the hotels built in town, The National Hotel constructed in 1909 from locally made bricks, is the only one left remaining.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Sandstone (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  2. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". Retrieved 2011-05-14. 
  3. ↑ "Australian Explorer - Sandstone". 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-14. 
  4. ↑ "Shire of Sandstone". 2009. Retrieved 2011-05-14. 
  5. ↑ John Taylor Architect; Heritage Council of Western Australia (2003), Conservation plan for Sandstone State Battery (fmr) (1908), Sandstone, Western Australia, Heritage Council of Western Australia], retrieved 9 April 2013 
  6. ↑ "Sandstone". SMH Travel (Sydney Morning Herald). 2004-02-08. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 

External links

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