Austin is an abandoned town in the Murchison region of Western Australia. The town is located south of Cue on an island in Lake Austin and for this reason was also known as Lake Austin and The Island Lake Austin.[1][2]
| Austin Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 Lake Austin train station ruins | |
  Austin | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 27°38′24″S 117°52′26″E / 27.64°S 117.874°E |
| Established | 1895 |
| Elevation | 423 m (1,388 ft) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Cue |
| State electorate(s) | North West |
| Federal division(s) | Durack |
The lake and the town are both named after surveyor Robert Austin, who was the first European to explore and chart the area. Austin initially named the lake the Great Inland Marsh but the name was later changed to Lake Austin. The townsite was gazetted in 1895.[3]
When Austin travelled through the area he described it as very indifferent but also added the geological features indicate rich goldfields.[4]
The town had one ten head stamp mill operating the Austin mine just outside town in 1895.[5][6]
Transport to and from the town was originally provided by a bi-weekly coach from Yalgoo but by 1898 the railway was extended to the town.
The townsite is still visible from the Great Northern Highway.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "Sensational Gold Yield". Recorder. No. 3, 424. South Australia. 12 June 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "History of country town names – A". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ^ "Trove - The Moreton Bay Courier". 1856. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "Batteries at the Murchison". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 4 October 1895. p. 3. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ Clarke, W. G; Kalgoorlie Metallurgical Laboratory; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Australia) (1935), Report on an investigation into the treatment of ore from the Lake Austin Eureka Gold Mine, Lake Austin, Western Australia, CSIR, retrieved 25 June 2019
- ^ "Morowa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.