Peak Hill, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peak HillWestern Australia |
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 Peak Hill
Location in Western Australia
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| Established | 1897 |
| Postcode(s) | 6642 |
| Elevation | 608 m (1,995 ft) |
| Area | [convert: needs a number] |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Meekatharra |
| State electorate(s) | North West |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Peak Hill is a place in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. It's known as a gold mining area and was once a busy town. Now, it's mostly a ghost town because most people have moved away. The gold mine here is quite large, covering about 2,162 hectares. It has four main digging areas called Main, Jubilee, Fiveways, and Harmony.
Discovering Gold at Peak Hill
People first started exploring this area in the 1890s. Gold was found here in 1892 by a person named William John Wilson. This discovery led to the creation of the town.
The Town of Peak Hill
The town of Peak Hill was officially created in 1897. In its early years, the gold mine had good times and bad times. Before 1913, the mine produced a lot of gold, about 270,000 ounces (which is about 7.7 metric tons).
In 1898, the town had a population of 190 people. Most of them were men, with 180 males and 10 females. During the 1920s and 1930s, Peak Hill was also part of a newspaper network for mining communities.
The Last Resident
Alfred Walker owned the Peak Hill General Store. He was the last person to live in Peak Hill full-time. He stayed there until 1954. After that, he moved to his daughter's farm near Capel.
Peak Hill Today
By the 1970s, Peak Hill had become a ghost town. Only a few people still lived there. However, in the 1980s, mining started again. During this time, the mine produced even more gold, around 650,000 ounces (about 18.4 metric tons). The mine became quiet again in the 2000s.
