Burtville is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located 29 kilometres (18 mi) south east of Laverton.
| Burtville Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Burtville | |
| Coordinates | 28°28′S 122°23′E / 28.46°S 122.39°E |
| Established | 1902 |
| Postcode(s) | 6440 |
| Elevation | 447 m (1,467 ft) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Laverton |
| State electorate(s) | Kalgoorlie |
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor |
In 1897, Gold was discovered in the area by two prospectors, B. Frost and James E. Tregurtha.[1][2] The surveyor, J. Rowe, planned the town lots in accordance with the Goldfields Act in 1901. The settlement was initially known as Merolia which is the Indigenous Australian name for the district.[3]
The town was eventually named after the grandson of the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Sir Archibald Burt. Archibald Edmund Burt JP was the chief mining warden of the Mount Margaret Goldfield.[4] The town was gazetted as Merolia in 1902 but was regazetted to compliment Archibald Edmund Burt later the same year.
The population of the town and district rose to approximately 400 by 1903 as a result of gold mining. The town also had a water supply from a government well and a sealed pan sanitation system. A police station was opened in 1903 along with a school and two hotels. A ten stamp state battery and five stamp battery known as The Burtville Ore Reduction works were operated within the town from 1903 to 1906. Another privately owned ten stamp battery that allowed public access known as The sons of Westralia was also operating at the time.[5]
By 1916 the population had reduced to 45 and the police station was closed.[6]
All that remains of the town today is the entrance door arch of one of the town's hotels.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Mindat website". Mindat.org. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Tregurtha, James, E. (1996). Leaves from a Prospectors Diary. Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian. ISBN 0859052125.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "History of country town names – B". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "The Mount Margaret Goldfields - Present position and future prospects". The West Australian. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 27 May 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ Layman, Lenore, (editor.); Fitzgerald, Criena, (editor.); Western Australian Museum, (issuing body.) (December 2011), 110 degrees in the waterbag : a history of life, work and leisure in Leonora, Gwalia and the northern goldfields, Western Australian Museum (published 2012), ISBN 978-1-920843-68-7
{{citation}}:|author1=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "ExploreOz - Burtville, WA". 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.