Gudarra, Western Australia

Gudarra
Western Australia
Gudarra
Coordinates 30°29′13″S 121°20′28″E / 30.487°S 121.341°ECoordinates: 30°29′13″S 121°20′28″E / 30.487°S 121.341°E
Established 1897
Postcode(s) 6431
Elevation 381 m (1,250 ft)
Location
  • 625 km (388 mi) ENE of Perth
  • 33 km (21 mi) NNW of Kalgoorlie
  • 4 km (2 mi) S of Broad Arrow
LGA(s) City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder
State electorate(s) Electoral district of Kalgoorlie
Federal Division(s) O'Connor

Gudarra is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is situated between Kalgoorlie and Menzies off the Goldfields Highway. The present-day Paddington Gold Mine is located near the old townsite.

Gold was initially discovered in the area in 1892, with the place first called the Sore Foot Rush, as a result of the limping prospectors who arrived on news of the discovery. The name of the town was later changed to Paddington and gazetted using that name on 4 February 1897.[1][2] By 1911 the Commonwealth government was attempting to remove duplicated town names so the town was renamed and regazetted in 1912 as Gudarra.[3] The town's name is Aboriginal in origin and its meaning is not known.

Deep leads were found in 1894, 1898 and 1901 and some of the mines that existed in the area were Paddington Consuls,Mt Corlic, Star of WA and Pakeha. The Paddington Consuls mine was by far the largest and employed over 400 men at its peak until it went into liquidation in 1901. The town had its own municipality until 1901 and was eventually amalgamated with Broad Arrow in 1903.[4]

A church was built in 1898 and the town boasted six hotels in 1898 with only one remaining by 1910. A police station and court were established in town in 1899 with the lock up possibly having come from Black Flag, the police quarters were delivered from Black Flag in 1900 with the stables being brought from Broad Arrow in 1901. The station was later closed in 1910 with the detective office being moved to Boulder in 1911.

References

  1. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  2. ↑ Western Australian Government Gazette, file 8340/96, 4 February 1897, p.234.
  3. ↑ Western Australian Government Gazette, 14 June 1912, p.2207.
  4. ↑ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-18.