Cundeelee, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Cundeelee is a small Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia
located 785 kilometres (488 mi) east of Perth
and 160 kilometres (99 mi) East of Kalgoorlie
in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census
, Cundeelee had a population of 102.
A ration depot had been established in the area in 1939 followed by an Australian Aboriginal Evangelical Mission being set up in 1950.
By 1852, the mission had attracted 130 people from the surrounding desert
.
When surveyed in 1971 the community had 47 children at the mission school, Grants awarded in 1973 to 1975 allowed the mission to construct toilets, ablution blocks and a dam.
The community became incorporated in 1976 and took over the management of the town in 1978. At this time the community consisted of 50 people of European
descent and 250 Indigenous Australians. Cundeelee was closed in the 1980s and most of the residents moved to Coonana
. Some of the Aboriginal Peoples moved back to their traditional lands at Cundeelee in 1984.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
located 785 kilometres (488 mi) east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and 160 kilometres (99 mi) East of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Cundeelee had a population of 102.
A ration depot had been established in the area in 1939 followed by an Australian Aboriginal Evangelical Mission being set up in 1950.
By 1852, the mission had attracted 130 people from the surrounding desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
.
When surveyed in 1971 the community had 47 children at the mission school, Grants awarded in 1973 to 1975 allowed the mission to construct toilets, ablution blocks and a dam.
The community became incorporated in 1976 and took over the management of the town in 1978. At this time the community consisted of 50 people of European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
descent and 250 Indigenous Australians. Cundeelee was closed in the 1980s and most of the residents moved to Coonana
Coonana, Western Australia
Coonana is a small Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia located east of Perth between Kalgoorlie and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia...
. Some of the Aboriginal Peoples moved back to their traditional lands at Cundeelee in 1984.