Old Wittenoom Townsite

Statement of Significance

Old Wittenoom has historic cultural heritage significance. Without the story of asbestos mining in the Wittenoom Gorge the history of the Shire of Ashburton would not be complete. Local and State Governments actively discourage visitors, by warning them of the potential danger posed by asbestos remnants in the district.

History

Wittenoom, 288 km inland from Roebourne, was established in the 1940s by Australian Blue Asbestos Ltd to house workers at the blue-asbestos mine. Wittenoom Gorge was likely named by surveyor F. T. Gregory in 1861 after Rev. John Burdett Wittenoom; another view is that it honours Frank Wittenoom of nearby Mulga Downs Station. Pastoral activity dominated the district until the 1930s, when Lang Hancock and his father’s partner, Frank Wittenoom, began early asbestos workings. The Mines Department had known of the deposits since 1908, but organised mining began in 1938 and expanded after Colonial Sugar Refineries acquired the leases in 1943 and formed Australian Blue Asbestos Pty Ltd. A government townsite was approved in 1948, gazetted in 1950, renamed Wittenoom Gorge in 1951 and changed back to Wittenoom in 1974. Between 1950 and 1966 the town was Australia’s sole supplier of blue asbestos and grew to include schools, churches, a hotel, shops, an open-air cinema and extensive public services. Asbestos tailings were commonly used in roads, yards and other works. The mine closed in 1966 due to falling reserves and high costs. The following decades revealed the scale of asbestos-related disease among former workers and residents, leading the State Government to pursue policies to depopulate the town. Major demolition programs occurred in 1987 and 1995–96, after which the National Trust (WA) produced a pictorial record of surviving buildings. By 1999 about 30 people remained, falling to three residents by 2019. Electricity was disconnected in 2006 and postal services ceased in 2007. In the same year the townsite was officially degazetted and removed from maps, and the Shire closed roads to contaminated areas. In 2019 the State Govt introduced legislation to compulsorily acquire the remaining 17 freehold lots from the last five landowners.

Archaeology

Given the health concerns and risks associated with asbestos - archaeological investigation was not undertaken

Integrity/Authenticity

Low. The town is now largely devoid of buildings and therefore its legibility as a townsite is no longer readily clear.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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