Bulong, Western Australia

Bulong
Western Australia
Bulong
Coordinates 30°26′S 121°35′E / 30.43°S 121.59°ECoordinates: 30°26′S 121°35′E / 30.43°S 121.59°E
Established 1895
Postcode(s) 6431
Elevation 431 m (1,414 ft)
Location
  • 580 km (360 mi) East of Perth
  • 34 km (21 mi) East of Kalgoorlie
LGA(s) City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder
State electorate(s) Eyre
Federal Division(s) O'Connor

Bulong is an abandoned town[1] in Western Australia located 580 kilometres (360 mi) east of Perth in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

In 1893 a group of prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull, discovered gold on a lease they were granted called IOU.[2][3]

A surveyor named G. Hamilton was given instructions to design the town layout in 1894, which was to be named IOU.[4] Hamilton suggested the name be changed to the Indigenous Australian name of a nearby spring called Bulong.

The townsite was gazetted in 1895.[5]

On the back of gold mining the population of the town grew to 620 by 1900 and boasted large number of businesses including several hotels, bakeries, accountants, butchers and stores. The town also had a hospital, school, police station, telegraph station and post office. The towns water supply was obtained from Lake Yindarlagooda, condensed on the lakes banks then pumped to the top of Mount Stuart to gravity feed to the town.

A Nickel mine and processing plant operates near the old town site and was sold to Lionore in 2005. Lionore planned to upgrade the plant to process 10,000 tonnes of ore per year but were also investigating using water based technology to process 40,000 tonnes per year.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Aboriginal Education - Abandoned Communities". 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  2. ↑ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  3. ↑ The name of the locality IOU can be found in books, and on early maps of the goldfields despite the established official name - see also Devitt, F. (1952) I.O.U. and Bulong. Journal and proceedings (Western Australian Historical Society : 1949) Vol. 4, pt. 4 (1952), p. 68-69
  4. ↑ http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b2611434~S2 - the photograph is cited at being at the location where the original and modified name are placed in the title
  5. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  6. ↑ "Big plans for Bulong nickel plant". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2013.