Sandstone is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia 157 kilometres (98 mi) east of Mount Magnet and 661 kilometres (411 mi) north of the state capital, Perth. At the 2016 census, Sandstone and the surrounding Shire of Sandstone had a population of 89 people, including 19 families.[3] Sandstone is the administrative centre and only town in the Shire of Sandstone local government area.
| Sandstone Western Australia | |||||||||
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 Empire Day celebrations in Hack Street, 1909 | |||||||||
  Sandstone | |||||||||
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| Coordinates | 27°59′17″S 119°17′46″E / 27.98806°S 119.29611°E | ||||||||
| Population | 109 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1906[2] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6639 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 533 m (1,749 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 32,606.5 km2 (12,589.4 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Sandstone | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | North West Central | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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Overview
editThe town was formed as a result of the gold strike at The Adelaide mine, owned by George Dent and the Hack brothers, Wilton and Theodore. All three of them were from South Australia and had spent eight years in the area digging for gold. They struck a reef on New Year's Day in 1903 and news quickly spread. Within a month, 60 acres of land around their lease had been pegged, from word of mouth.[4] A town began to form, and as the population moved from nearby Nungurra to this site, many buildings were relocated.[5] Dent and the Hack brothers sold the mine to Hans Irvine in November 1903 when they had dug as far by hand as they could. All three walked away very rich men. The mine became part of the Black Range Mining Company. 700 tonnes of ore were extracted from the mine between 1903 and 1916, and 930,000 ounces of gold were produced in those years. By 1907 Nungurra was a ghost town, as everyone had moved to Sandstone. The townsite was gazetted as Sandstone in 1906.[6] The original "Adelaide" mine is a few hundred metres from the town centre. The mine has been known by many names - "The Adelaide", "Hack & Dents Mine", "Hacks Mine", and "Hans Irvines Find". The Hack brothers were memorialised by the naming of Sandstone's main street after them, and also by the name given to a miner's cough - "Hack's Cough". George Dent was overlooked (probably due to the fact that the mine became known as Hacks Mine because it was easier to say) and the Dent family has been endeavouring to rectify that for years with the Sandstone council.
By 1907 the population of the town had swelled to 6,000–8,000 and it had four hotels, four butchers, two banks, a staffed police station and many other stores. A brewery was also constructed in 1907 by an Irishman, I.V. Kearney, to satisfy the local demand. He built the brewery on a breakaway on top of a cliff about 35 feet high. Water was pumped to the top level for brewing and the beer was stored in the cellars below to keep it cool even in the hotter weather.[7]
In 1910 the Sandstone branch railway was completed between Mount Magnet and Sandstone.[8] The Jundoo Dam was completed in 1910 to provide water for the steam trains; the dam could hold 16 megalitres (3.5 million imperial gallons) of water and cost £5,000 to build. Most of the original dam works still exist today. The population of the town was approximately 2,000 adults at this time, and it had two schools.[9]
By 1912 Sandstone had a population of 8,000 and nearby Youanmi had a population of 300. The first pastoral leases including Youanmi Downs, Yuinmery and Lake Barlee Stations were being established in the Youanmi district at this time.[10]
A state-run battery operated from 1904 to 1982, initially 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the town on the Menzies road, then from 1925 at a site 900 metres (3,000 ft) metres to the east. The battery treated a total of 135,809 tons of ore, producing 115,787 ounces of gold.[11][12]
Locally London Bridge, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Sandstone, is a natural bridge, part of the Sandstone Heritage Trail. Sandstone was the inspiration for the mining town in Randolph Stow's 1963 novel Tourmaline.[13] The smallest of the hotels built in town, the National, constructed in 1909 from locally made bricks, is the only one remaining.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Sandstone (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Black Range Jotting". The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette. Cue, WA. 14 July 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Sandstone". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Important reef discovery". Mount Magnet Miner and Lennonville Leader. 17 January 1903. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2023 – via Trove.
- ^ "Shire of Sandstone Local Planning Strategy" (PDF). Western Australian Planning Commission. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "History of country town names – S". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Australian Explorer - Sandstone". 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Shire of Sandstone". 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Sandstone Siftings". Geraldton Guardian. Geraldton, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 23 July 1910. p. 1. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ "Technical bulletin - An inventory and condition survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, Western Australia" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ John Taylor Architect; Heritage Council of Western Australia (2003), Conservation plan for Sandstone State Battery (fmr) (1908), Sandstone, Western Australia, Heritage Council of Western Australia], retrieved 9 April 2013
- ^ Shire of Sandstone (31 December 2016). "State Battery (fmr), Sandstone". inHerit. Sytate Heritage Council, Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Sandstone". SMH Travel. Sydney Morning Herald. 28 February 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
