Sandstone, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Sandstone is a small town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia
. The town is located 157 kilometres east of Mount Magnet
and 661 kilometres north of the state capital, Perth
. At the 2006 census
, Sandstone and the surrounding area had a population of 119.
after a team of prospector
s including Ernest Shillington first discovered gold
about 20km south of the present townsite. Following the influx of miners the local progress association requested that a townsite be declared in 1905. Correspondence of the time shows that the area was locally known as Hans Irvine's Find and that a large amount of money had been spent on building hotels, banks and other services required by the residents. The townsite was gazetted as Sandstone in 1906.
By 1907 the population of the town had swelled to 6,000–8,000 and it boasted four hotels, four butchers, two banks, a staffed police station and many other stores. A brewery
was also constructed in 1907 by an Irishman, I.V. Kearney, to satisfy the local demand. He built the brewery on a breakaway on top of a cliff about 35 feet high. Water was pumped to the top level for brewing and the beer was stored in the cellars below to keep it cool even in the hotter weather. In 1910 the railway was extended to Sandstone but the population had declined to about 200 people and many buildings had been pulled down, removed or left derelict. The Jundoo Dam was completed in 1910 to provide water for the steam trains; the dam could hold three-and-a-half million gallons of water and cost £5,000 to build. Most of the original dam works still exist today.
A state-run battery
operated in the town from 1904 to 1982. The remains of these are located along the Menzies
Road.
Today, Sandstone is the administrative centre of the Shire of Sandstone
Local Government Area. Sights to see include London Bridge, a natural bridge
, which is part of the Sandstone Heritage Trail. It was the inspiration for the mining town in Randolph Stow
's 1963 novel
Tourmaline. The smallest of the hotels built in town, The National Hotel constructed in 1909 from locally made bricks, is the only one left remaining.
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...
. The town is located 157 kilometres east of Mount Magnet
Mount Magnet, Western Australia
Mount Magnet is an old Western Australian gold rush town. The name was chosen during exploration of the region due to an isolated hill 5 km north west of the town current townsite. This hill has an extremely high iron content and affected the compasses of explorers...
and 661 kilometres north of the state capital, 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....
. 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,...
, Sandstone and the surrounding area had a population of 119.
Overview
The town was first settled in 1894 as part of a gold rushGold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
after a team of prospector
Prospector
Prospector may mean:*Prospecting, exploring an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna*Prospector , a unified catalog for Colorado and Wyoming...
s including Ernest Shillington first discovered gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
about 20km south of the present townsite. Following the influx of miners the local progress association requested that a townsite be declared in 1905. Correspondence of the time shows that the area was locally known as Hans Irvine's Find and that a large amount of money had been spent on building hotels, banks and other services required by the residents. The townsite was gazetted as Sandstone in 1906.
By 1907 the population of the town had swelled to 6,000–8,000 and it boasted four hotels, four butchers, two banks, a staffed police station and many other stores. A brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
was also constructed in 1907 by an Irishman, I.V. Kearney, to satisfy the local demand. He built the brewery on a breakaway on top of a cliff about 35 feet high. Water was pumped to the top level for brewing and the beer was stored in the cellars below to keep it cool even in the hotter weather. In 1910 the railway was extended to Sandstone but the population had declined to about 200 people and many buildings had been pulled down, removed or left derelict. The Jundoo Dam was completed in 1910 to provide water for the steam trains; the dam could hold three-and-a-half million gallons of water and cost £5,000 to build. Most of the original dam works still exist today.
A state-run battery
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
operated in the town from 1904 to 1982. The remains of these are located along the Menzies
Menzies, Western Australia
Menzies is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, east-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north-northwest of the city of Kalgoorlie...
Road.
Today, Sandstone is the administrative centre of the Shire of Sandstone
Shire of Sandstone
The Shire of Sandstone is a Local Government Area in the eastern Mid West region of Western Australia, about northeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Sandstone.-History:...
Local Government Area. Sights to see include London Bridge, a natural bridge
Natural Bridge
Natural bridge or Natural Bridge can refer to several things:*Natural arch, a land formation sometimes referred to as a natural bridge*Natural Bridge, Alabama*Natural Bridge, New York...
, which is part of the Sandstone Heritage Trail. It was the inspiration for the mining town in Randolph Stow
Randolph Stow
Julian Randolph Stow was an Australian writer.-Life:Born in Geraldton, Western Australia, Randolph Stow attended Guildford Grammar School and the University of Western Australia. He lectured in English Literature at the University of Adelaide, the University of Western Australia and the...
's 1963 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Tourmaline. The smallest of the hotels built in town, The National Hotel constructed in 1909 from locally made bricks, is the only one left remaining.