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Wiluna, Western Australia

The Shire of Wiluna 

The gold mining town of Wiluna is located in the Murchison Goldfield, 947 km north east of Perth and 182 km east of Meekatharra. The area was first discovered by the explorer L A Wells in 1892, and in his report Wells reported seeing promising auriferous country in the area. Gold was discovered at nearby Lake Way in 1896, and within months there were over 300 diggers in the area. The government soon decided to survey and gazette a townsite, the Mining Warden for the area suggesting it be called "Weeloona" which he advised was "the native name of the place". The spelling was amended by the Department of Lands & Surveys according to rules it had adopted for spelling Aboriginal names, and it was gazetted as Wiluna townsite in 1898. The generally accepted meaning is "place of winds", although Katherine Prichard's book, "Golden Miles" suggests that the name was derived from the cry of the curlew. The area was also locally known as "Lake Way" after the nearby lake for a time.

Wiluna Police 1928 - Photo WA Police Hstorical Soc

Reccomended Reading:

"Wiluna - Edge of the Desert" By P.R. Heydon, O.A.M. Published by Hesperian Press 1996 lots of pictures and indexed - ISBN 0 85905 216 8

Available from:
Hesperian Press - https://www.hesperianpress.com/
and The Eastern Goldfields Historical Soc - https://www.kalgoorliehistory.org.au/

The Beckoning West" by Eleanor Smith The story of H.S. Trotman & the Canning Stock Route, Pictures and indexed

First published 1966, Published by Hesperian Press 1998 - ISBN 08 5905 251 6

Available from:
Hesperian Press - https://www.hesperianpress.com/
and The Eastern Goldfields Historical Soc - https://www.kalgoorliehistory.org.au/

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN EXPLORERS’ DIARIES PROJECT INC.- Work Completed, Canning  A Comprehensive History of the Canning Stock Route 1906 – 2010  by Phil Bianchi     ISBN 978-0-85905-549-9

Available from:
Hesperian Press - https://www.hesperianpress.com/
and The Eastern Goldfields Historical Soc - https://www.kalgoorliehistory.org.au/