Meekatharra - Places to See

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 15 years ago

Meekatharra - Places to See


Meekatharra Court House
The town's heat and dryness inevitably presented special problems for its inhabitants and the Former Court House in Darlot street, with its high ceilings and ventilation ducts which connect to roof vents, is an attempt to conquer the problems. The former Court House, which is now a National Trust building, was originally used as the local court house and the mining registrar's office and, as such, was central to the development of the town. In one of those delightfully ironic twists which characterise outback Australia the Court House, which has seen many local Aborigines in the docks, is now used by the local Aboriginal community.

Mount Gould Police Station
Another National Trust building is the Mount Gould Police Station which was restored by the Meekatharra Shire Council in 1987. The first police station of the Murchison, it is located 156 km west of Meekatharra on the Gascoyne Junction Road. The details provided in the Shire of Meekatharra Information Directory about the Police Station are sketchy. It is known that a police camp was established in the area in 1888 after a police constable named Christmas had left Geraldton on horseback earlier in the year. The police station was completed and opened around 1890 and the following year a Sergeant Houlahan was placed in charge of the station. He was assisted by three constables. The Directory records 'There are no further records of what did occur from after that time down to the closure of the station for records cannot be found.'

Royal Flying Doctor and School of the Air
Meekatharra is now the administrative centre for the vast isolated region which now surrounds it. It is home to the Royal Flying Doctor service and the School of the Air (both of which are located on Main Street - visitors are welcome) as well as a number of government departments including Community Services, the Agricultural Protection Board, the Department of Agriculture and Homeswest.

Ghost Towns in the Area
An excellent booklet is the comprehensive Shire of Meekatharra Information Directory which is a 'must' for anyone interested in exploring the ghost towns in the area. It has detailed directions and potted histories relating to Nannine, Garden Gully, Abbotts, Gabanintha, Peak Hill and Horseshoe. The entry on Garden Gully, for example, provides the following details: 'North of Meekatharra 8 km along the Great Northern Highway. Turn left onto the Mt Clere Road approximately 12 km. A ten head battery was erected by Haig and Lamond. The battery was later used by Carr and party (Adelaide) to treat ore from their mine 'The Crown'. 260 tonnes of ore was treated between 1897-1901 for a return of 525.11 ounces before the mine was abandoned. The most successful in this district was called the 'Kyarra' employing 19 men 28 936 tonnes of ore was treated for a return of 20 193.63 ounces. This was over a six year period between 1909 and 1915.' There are similar detailed entries for the other ghost towns in the shire.

Mount Augustus
Located 348 km north-west of Meekatharra, this is said to be the largest isolated monolith in the world, measuring 8 km in length, 3 km in width and attaining a height of 377 metres.


Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading