Gwalia Townsite Precinct

Child Places

• 10966 Dwelling
• 10960 Camp 80, Gwalia
• 10968 Banjo's Place
• 24490 Patroni's Guest House (514)
• 10958 Dwelling
• 03811 Miners House
• 10974 Three Dwellings
• 10971 Dwelling
• 10972 Aldoss
• 01461 Mick Omedi's Camp
• 10967 Dwelling
• 24458 Patroni's Guest House (515)
• 03807 Longa's Place
• 10965 Dwelling
• 01463 State Hotel (fmr)
• 10973 Dwelling
• 01462 Mazza's Store
• 03810 Three Roofed Camp
• 24492 fmr. Mine Office
• 03812 De Rubi Camp
• 01460 Art's Place
• 16621 No 1 Tram
• 03808 Martinazolli's Camp
• 10962 Dwelling
• 10964 Dwelling
• 01464 Little Pink Camp & 8 Dwellings
• 10959 Dwelling
• 01466 Patroni's Guest Home
• 10963 Dwelling
• 10956 Two Dwellings
• 10969 Ken - Midland Woodline Steam Engine
• 03809 Small Miners Camp
• 10961 Jim's House

Statement of Significance

The place is a nationally significant townsite for its representation of the historical development of the Australian goldfields and associated social conditions; and, for the architectural improvisation of structures built to accommodate and service miners;
the place is historically significant for its relationship with mining operations that took place at Gwalia between 1898-1963, and as one of the most productive gold mines outside Kalgoorlie;
the place is a landmark in terms of size, range of structures and the representation of mining activities in the period 1896-1963;
the place has scientific value as it can provide information regarding the technology, methods and accommodation of the mining industry in Western Australia in the period 1896 to 1963;
the place has scientific value as it contains the Winder House and Winder, which is a fine example of a large, steam powered winding machine which operated from 1912 to 1963, and is an example of the technological achievement of 1912.;
the place has aesthetic value as it contains the finr. State Hotel which is a fine example of the Federation Filigree style of architecture; is the dominant focal point in the streetscape and the most imposing building in Gwalia; and, is representative of a particular phase of investment by the State Government in the construction of hotels; and,
the place has rarity value as it contains the largest steam winding engine remaining in Australia and, it contains a Headframe, the only large timber 'underlie' or 'incline' headframe surviving in Australia;

Physical Description

Gwalia Townsite is located south of the Leonora townsite and is bounded by Mt. Leonora to the east, Station Street and Railway Street to the west and mining operations to the south. Gwalia townsite contains a variety of structures including the heavy masonry structure of the former State Hotel and five other structures within the Sons of Gwalia conservation area, and approximately 30 other individual lightweight, small structures of similar construction -timber framed and clad in corrugated galvanised iron. Although, the majority are unoccupied and in poor condition, many of them retain original fabric and, the original layout of the places is evident. Significant structures that comprise Gwalia Townsite include State Hotel (finr), Mine Office, Assay Building, Mine Manager's House, Winder House, Patroni's Guest House, Mazza's Store, Art's Place, and Mick Omedi's Camp.

History

Gwalia is located 235km north of Kalgoorlie and approximately 2km south of the Leonora township. The Sons of Gwalia reef was discovered in April or May 1896, by prospectors Carlson, White and Glendinning, who were backed by the Tobias Brothers, merchants of Coolgardie. Small-scale extraction was commenced and, in September, they were visited by George W. Hall, an engineer who had links with London and Western Australian Exploration Company Ltd: Hall obtained an option over their leases and took samples back from to Coolgardie for assay. He returned in November and offered the syndicate £5,000 in cash, which was accepted, hall equipped the mine and production began in June 1897.
A community had grown around the reefs from the time of the first gold discoveries. In 1897, the Mount Margaret Goldfield was gazetted, with a warden's office situated at Malcolm. In the same year a townsite was laid out in Leonora. Most of the mines duffered out, however, the Sons of Gwalia, 2km south of the town, steadily grew.
As the town site was inconveniently distant, the majority of the mine workers pitched their tents on the company's leases, and the community divided into twin defacto towns, Leonora and Gwalia, with Gwalia characterised by its large population of Italian immigrants serving the mine.
Sons of Gwalia Ltd's main buildings - finr. Mine Office (now Gwalia Museum), Assay Building and Mine Manager's house were constructed of brick. Most other buildings in Gwalia were to be primarily constructed of timber framing clad in corrugated galvanised iron.
While other mines declined, Sons of Gwalia grew steadily, employing a workforce of 500 during its construction boom of 1899. Many of the workforce resisted all inducements to transfer to transfer to the surveyed towns, and built their own accommodation on the leases. The company provided no housing for employees. Although Hoover had constructed the company's main buildings in brick, the workforce fended for themselves in timber framed huts, clad with corrugated galvanised iron lined with hessian. Many of the huts had no sanitary facilities or kitchens.
At the end of 1963, when the Sons of Gwalia mine closed, it was possibly the sixth largest gold producing mine in Australia's history, and one of only two mines outside the 'Golden Mile' of Kalgoorlie-Boulder which could measure its gold output at over two million ounces. At the time of closure there was a mass exodus of people from Gwalia. Because of the construction of the buildings, few were moveable, and so they survived, albeit, slowly decaying.
The town of Gwalia was not entirely abandoned, and retains a small population. When the mine closed, the finr. Mine Manager's House, Mine Office and Assay Building were taken over by Western Mining Corporation who used the buildings as a mineral exploration base. The complex was vacated again, in 1971, when the company moved its operations to the finr. State Hotel, located on the corner of Kane and Station Streets.
In the 1980s there was a revival of gold extraction around Leonora and Gwalia by open-cut methods, notably at the 'Tower Hill1 and *Harbour Lights' leases. In 1982, mining operations resumed when a new company 'Sons of Gwalia N.L', commenced a large-scale open cut extraction of the orebody.
With the resurgence of interest in the area, funds were secured to restore some of the buildings in the Gwalia Townsite. The restoration of the buildings has helped to develop the tourist potential of the Gwalia Townsite and in 1996, an increasing number of people are visiting the area, gaining an understanding of the layout and function of a turn-of-the-century gold mining township.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: High
AUTHENTICITY: High

Condition

Fair to good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.