Austin, Western Australia

Austin is an abandoned town in the Murchison region of Western Australia. The town is located south of Cue on an island in Lake Austin and for this reason was also known as Lake Austin and The Island Lake Austin.[1][2]

Austin
Western Australia
Lake Austin train station ruins
Austin
Coordinates27.64°S 117.874°E / -27.64; 117.874
Established1895
Elevation423 m (1,388 ft)
Location
  • 625 km (388 mi) NNE of Perth
  • 23 km (14 mi) S of Cue
  • 48 km (30 mi) N of Mount Magnet
LGA(s)Shire of Cue
State electorate(s)North West
Federal Division(s)Durack

The lake and the town are both named after surveyor Robert Austin, who was the first European to explore and chart the area. Austin initially named the lake the Great Inland Marsh but the name was later changed to Lake Austin. The townsite was gazetted in 1895.[3]

When Austin travelled through the area he described it as very indifferent but also added the geological features indicate rich goldfields.[4]

The town had one ten head stamp mill operating the Austin mine just outside town in 1895.[5][6]

Transport to and from the town was originally provided by a bi-weekly coach from Yalgoo but by 1898 the railway was extended to the town.

The townsite is still visible from the Great Northern Highway.[7]

Lake Austin township, Murchison region of Western Australia c. 1950
Lake Austin township, Murchison region of Western Australia c. 1950

References
  1. "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  2. "Sensational Gold Yield". Recorder (3, 424). South Australia. 12 June 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – A". Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  4. "Trove - The Moreton Bay Courier". 1856. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  5. "Batteries at the Murchison". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 4 October 1895. p. 3. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  6. Clarke, W. G; Kalgoorlie Metallurgical Laboratory; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Australia) (1935), Report on an investigation into the treatment of ore from the Lake Austin Eureka Gold Mine, Lake Austin, Western Australia, CSIR, retrieved 25 June 2019
  7. "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.



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