Local Government
Northampton
Region
Midwest
Hampton Road Northampton townsite
North West Coastal Hwy, at the N boundary of
Wannerenooka
Northampton
Midwest
Constructed from 1855
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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Heritage List | Adopted | 15 May 2020 | |
State Register | Registered | 01 Apr 1999 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
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Category | ||||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 19 Apr 1996 | Category 1A |
Wanerenooka Mine Site, a series of archaeological sites comprising the remains of an early rural industrial complex and settlement, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: •the place is the second oldest copper mine, and possibly the third oldest mine, in Western Australia; •the Warenenooka mine community was the first European settlement in the Northampton area; •the place provides an important demonstration of the nature and organisation of early frontier mining communities; •the place is closely associated with Joseph Lucas Horrocks, former convict and local philanthropist; •the shafts, structural remains and archaeological deposits have high scientific value as demonstrations of early mining techniques and Midwest vernacular architecture, and for their potential to provide archaeological evidence of the life of the miners and their families during the period 1856-1868; •the place has social value to the local community as the originalsettlement from which the town of Northampton developed; and, •the place contains Aboriginal sites which appear to date from the early period of contact with Europeans.
Site and ruins of what is believed to be the first copper mine in WA, (discovered 1855, operable 1856). Some remnants of stone walls of buildings on higher part of site and extensive mine workings on the lower ground below the Water Authority installations. "The site contains a natural spring that is of some significance to the aboriginal community. It also contains remains of explosives magazines, footings and walls, mine shafts, slag dumps and the like, which to the tutored eye, give an indication of the settlement and workings nature." (Considine and Griffith, Northampton Town Planning Scheme Policies.)
For full details of the history see the Heritage Council Register assessment documentation and Considine and Griffiths 1996. The first of the great copper mines on the Northampton Mineral Field following discovery of copper in 1855, the Wanerenooka, was opened by the Western Australian Mining Association early in 1856. [Not in 1842; it is commonly held that copper was first found here in 1842 by a shepherd who is reported to have parted with whatever rights he had on the property for 100 pounds - however there is no evidence to confirm this story.] Fremantle merchant Lionel Samson was the Chairman of the Association while Luke Leake and Thomas Burges were Directors. During the first ten years of its operations the mine produced ore to the value of £40,000. An outstanding copper mine in its day, the Wanerenooka was dewatered in 1957 and small amounts of copper and lead ore were raised. The town of Northampton emerged in 1864 from the two separate communities which sprang up around the two original and major copper mines in the district - the Wanerenooka and Gwalla Mines. The spring is believed to have been an aboriginal watering point. Chronology Entries 1855 Copper was discovered at Wanerenooka Hill. 36.5ha of land was purchased and the Waranenooka Copper Mine was established. 1855 Joseph Horrocks resigned his post at the Port Gregory Hiring Station and opened a store at Wanerenooka. He was also a member of the syndicate which opened the copper mine.
Integrity: Low Orig'l Fabric: Ruins
Poor
Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
---|---|---|---|
Gibbs, M; "An Archaeological Survey and Assessment of the Gwalla and Wanerenooka Mine Precincts, Northampton, Western Australia." | Shire of Northampton | 1994 | |
Feilman (119), Palassis (27), Kelly, G.J; "The History of Mining in the Geraldton District", Early Days, Vol. 6, No. 1, p.83 | 1962 | ||
Considine and Griffiths Architects Pty Ltd in conjunction with Palassis Architects; "Historic Wanerenooka Mine Precinct Conservation Report." | Shire of Northampton | 1996 |
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
1425 | Historic Wanerenooka Mine Precinct: Conservation Report | Report | 1996 |
1476 | Historic Wanerenooka Mine Precinct: Conservation Report | Report | 1996 |
11569 | Landscapes of Redemption: Tracing the path of a Convict Miner in Western Australia | Heritage Study {Other} | 2010 |
Historic Site
Epoch | General | Specific |
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Present Use | VACANT\UNUSED | Vacant\Unused |
Original Use | MINING | Mining Battery |
Style |
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Vernacular |
General | Specific |
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DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Resource exploitation & depletion |
PEOPLE | Famous & infamous people |
OCCUPATIONS | Mining {incl. mineral processing} |
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