Porlell, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PorlellWestern Australia |
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 Porlell
Location in Western Australia
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| Established | 1899 |
| Elevation | 463 m (1,519 ft) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Meekatharra |
| State electorate(s) | North West |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Porlell is a ghost town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is found between the towns of Nannine and Gabanintha. This old town is situated within the Murchison goldfields, an area famous for gold mining. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, often because the main reason for the town's existence, like a mine, closed down.
Discovering Porlell
Gold Rush Beginnings
Gold was first found in the area around Porlell in the mid-1890s. A person named Leslie Robert Menzies made this important discovery. The gold find was known as The Star of the East. Because of this gold discovery, a town began to grow in the area.
How Porlell Got Its Name
The townsite was officially recognized in 1899. This process is called "gazetting." It happened after a lot of building and development had already taken place. The name Star of the East was not chosen for the town. Instead, the town was named after a nearby lake, Porlelle Lake. This lake had been named when the area was surveyed in 1886. For reasons that are not known, the spelling of the town's name was changed slightly to Porlell. The meaning of the name Porlell is also unknown today.
Life in Porlell
Porlell was a busy place for a while. It had important services for the people living there. Jules Gascard's coachline offered a weekly coach service. This coach traveled every Sunday to Nannine. This service was known to be running as early as 1896. A postal service was also set up in 1896, allowing people to send and receive mail. The town also had two hotels: The Gabanintha Hotel and the Yagahong Hotel. These hotels would have been important places for travelers and miners to stay and gather.
