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 |
|
| 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
- ↑ "Aboriginal Education - Abandoned Communities". 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ↑ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Old Post Office, Bulong IOU, WA". State Library of Western Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – B". Retrieved 12 November 2010.
- ↑ "Big plans for Bulong nickel plant". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2013.