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REEDY (Murchison Goldfields)

Population in 1937 = 1300 of which 350 were Miners.
Latitude 27° 08' S Longitude 118° 17' E

The abandoned goldfields townsite of Reedy (AKA Reedy's) is located in the Murchison Goldfields, 721 km northeast of Perth and 70 km northeast of Cue. Gold was discovered in the area by H. Reed in 1899–1900 and a nearby well, Reedy's Well, was named after him. The well appeared on maps of the area in 1908 as a known water source.

Main Street, Reedy, WA - 1930 - Photo SLWA

Several gold discoveries made in the area in the early 1930s resulted in mining development booming and in 1933 a request from the Cue-Day Dawn Road Board was made for a townsite to be surveyed and declared. Following a survey of lots, a name was sought for the townsite, and Mathers and Triton were suggested, with Reedy being another choice. Reedy was selected, and the townsite was gazetted in 1934. The name is derived from "Reedy's Well", a nearby water source.

Although a relatively small town, Reedy didn't lack facilities, it had a large two story hotel, The Occidental Hotel, a state school and a convent school, an outdoor movie theatre, a community hall, a hospital with operating theatre and morgue and catholic and anglican church. For the sports minded there were lots of choices, a swimming pool, a golf course, cricket for both men and women, tennis, cycling, badminton and football clubs and of course a CWA group.

There were social events planned all the time with bridge tournaments and homing pigeons being very popular. These events were held in competition with the nearby town of Tuckanarra, Cue and Big Bell.  A local mining company provided a park and a recreational ground where all sorts of sporting and social events took place.There was also a thriving  newspaper to keep everyone up with local happenings.

The town although isolated was not without communication and transport. In the 1930-1940 there were motor vehicles such as cars and trucks as well as a light plane which used a short runway made by the Triton mining company. Although the town didn't have its own railway station a train could be caught from nearby Tuckanarra.The towns heyday years were between 1934 and 1945. The exodus of men during WW2 depleted the population which was revived when hostilities ceased in 1945 only to then decline again by 1949.

Reedy Townsite map - Image SLWA