Mount Morgans, Western Australia

Mount Morgans, often called Morgans, is an abandoned town in Western Australia located 916 kilometres (569 mi) east of Perth situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Mount Morgans
Western Australia
Mount Morgans
Coordinates28.76923°S 122.06110°E / -28.76923; 122.06110
Established1899
Postcode(s)6440
Elevation432 m (1,417 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Laverton
State electorate(s)Kalgoorlie
Federal Division(s)O'Connor

Gold was discovered near the present town-site in 1896 by a team of prospectors, Lilley and his party.[1] The lease was later taken over by Alfred Edward Morgans who developed the Westralia Morgans Mine. The Mount Morgans Gold Mine produced gold from 1896 to 1952 then from 1988 to 1997 and opened again in 2009.

The townsite was gazetted in 1899 and was named after Morgans who was the Legislative Assembly member for Coolgardie and later the Premier of Western Australia in 1901, a position he held for less than a year. A police station was established in 1899 and in 1900 the town was incorporated and by 1903 the population had reached 1,250 with over 500 buildings situated in the town. The town boasted six hotels, a hospital, a workers hall, two general stores and two chemists. The police station closed in 1928 then reopened in 1935 then closed again for the final time in 1937. The town was in deep decline in 1937 with a visiting police commissioner announcing the town was dead in July of the same year.

At its peak the town took up an area of 1,112 acres (450 ha).[2]

References
  1. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – M". Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  2. "Morowa Historical Society" (PDF). 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
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