Rothsay is an abandoned town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated between the towns of Dalwallinu and Mount Magnet
| Rothsay Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Rothsay | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 29°16′59″S 116°52′59″E / 29.283°S 116.883°E |
| Population | 197 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1898 |
| Postcode(s) | 6620 |
| Elevation | 353 m (1,158 ft) |
| Area | 3,490.1 km2 (1,347.5 sq mi) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Perenjori |
| State electorate(s) | Moore |
| Federal division(s) | Durack |
A prospector named George Woodley discovered gold in the area in 1894 and initially the area was known as Woodley's Find.Within a year all of the leases had been pegged and in 1895 Woodley sold his claim to a Scottish mining company. The local progress association requested that a townsite be declared in 1897 and it was gazetted in 1898.[2] Later the same year the population of the town was 140, 110 males and 30 females.[3]
In its heyday the town had a population of over 500 people. Later the town fell into decline but experienced a second lease of life when the entrepreneur Claude de Bernales reopened the mine in 1932. Today the town is abandoned but remnants of the strong room, the mine manager's house and the derelict shaft are all that remain.
The town is thought to have been named after the Scottish town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, on the coast of the Firth of Clyde. Both spellings were in currency in the town's early years, with Rothesay apparently used in the first instance.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Rothsay (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "History of country town names – R". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Population of Western Australia". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1898. p. 23. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ Geraldton Murchison Telegraph (WA : 1892 - 1899), Friday 13 March 1896, page 2
