Mertondale, Western Australia

Mertondale is an abandoned town located between Leonora and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Mertondale
Western Australia
Mertondale
Coordinates28.67°S 121.536°E / -28.67; 121.536
Established1899
Postcode(s)6438
Elevation460 m (1,509 ft)
Location
  • 864 km (537 mi) north east of Perth
  • 31 km (19 mi) NE of Leonora
LGA(s)Shire of Leonora
State electorate(s)Kalgoorlie
Federal Division(s)O'Connor

A prospector named Fred Merton discovered gold in the area in 1898 and the claim turned out to be an exceedingly rich find. The mining warden suggested that a townsite should be declared in 1899, and it was gazetted later the same year.[1]

Merton's lease, named Merton's Reward or Merton's Find, was the main mine in the town. Merton himself suggested the name Mertondale. The gold petered out by 1910 and the town was deserted shortly afterward.

A pastoral lease, Mertondale Station, takes its name from the old townsite, which is situated within the station boundaries.[2] In 2020 the Department of Defence bought the station to protect the Jindalee Operational Radar Network against Chinese attention.[3]

References
  1. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – M". Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  2. "Abandoned Communities". Department of Education. 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  3. Isabel Moussalli (11 June 2020). "Defence buys outback land to protect national surveillance network". ABC News. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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