Burtville, Western Australia

Burtville is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located 29 kilometres (18 mi) south east of Laverton.

Burtville
Western Australia
Burtville
Coordinates28.46°S 122.39°E / -28.46; 122.39
Established1902
Postcode(s)6440
Elevation447 m (1,467 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Laverton
State electorate(s)Kalgoorlie
Federal Division(s)O'Connor

In 1897, Gold was discovered in the area by two prospectors, B. Frost and J. Trugurtha. The surveyor, J. Rowe, planned the town lots in accordance with the Goldfields Act in 1901. The settlement was initially known as Merolia which is the Indigenous Australian name for the district.[1]

The town was eventually named after the grandson of the first chief justice of the Western Australian Supreme Court, Sir Archibald Burt. Archibald Edmund Burt JP was the chief mining warden of the Mount Margaret Goldfield.[2] The town was gazetted as Merolia in 1902 but was regazetted to compliment Archibald Edmund Burt later the same year.

Burtville, 2008

The population of the town and district rose to approximately 400 by 1903 as a result of gold mining. The town also had a water supply from a government well and a sealed pan sanitation system. A police station was opened in 1903 along with a school and two hotels. A ten stamp state battery and five stamp battery known as The Burtville Ore Reduction works were operated within the town from 1903 to 1906. Another privately owned ten stamp battery that allowed public access known as The sons of Westralia was also operating at the time.[3]

By 1916 the population had reduced to 45 and the police station was closed.[4]

All that remains of the town today is the entrance door arch of one of the town's hotels.[5]

References
  1. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – B". Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  2. "The Mount Margaret Goldfields - Present position and future prospects". The West Australian. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 27 May 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  3. "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  4. Layman, Lenore, (editor.); Fitzgerald, Criena, (editor.); Western Australian Museum, (issuing body.) (2012), 110 degrees in the waterbag : a history of life, work and leisure in Leonora, Gwalia and the northern goldfields, Western Australian Museum, ISBN 978-1-920843-68-7CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. "ExploreOz - Burtville, WA". 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.


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