Things to see & do in and around Meekatharra
Meekatharra Court House
The town's heat and dryness inevitably presented special problems
for its inhabitants and the Former Court House in Darlot street, with its
high ceilings and ventilation ducts which connect to roof vents, is an
attempt to conquer the problems. The former Court House, which is now a
National Trust building, was originally used as the local court house and
the mining registrar's office and, as such, was central to the development
of the town. In one of those delightfully ironic twists which characterise
outback Australia the Court House, which has seen many local Aborigines
in the docks, is now used by the local Aboriginal community.
Mount Gould Police Station
Another National Trust building is the Mount Gould Police Station
which was restored by the Meekatharra Shire Council in 1987. The first
police station of the Murchison, it is located 156 km west of Meekatharra
on the Gascoyne Junction Road. The details provided in the Shire of Meekatharra
Information Directory about the Police Station are sketchy. It is known
that a police camp was established in the area in 1888 after a police constable
named Christmas had left Geraldton on horseback earlier in the year. The
police station was completed and opened around 1890 and the following year
a Sergeant Houlahan was placed in charge of the station. He was assisted
by three constables. The Directory records 'There are no further records
of what did occur from after that time down to the closure of the station
for records cannot be found.'
Royal Flying Doctor and School of the Air
Meekatharra is now the administrative centre for the vast isolated
region which now surrounds it. It is home to the Royal Flying Doctor service
and the School of the Air (both of which are located on Main Street - visitors
are welcome) as well as a number of government departments including Community
Services, the Agricultural Protection Board, the Department of Agriculture
and Homeswest.
Ghost Towns in the Area
An excellent booklet is the comprehensive Shire of Meekatharra
Information Directory which is a 'must' for anyone interested in exploring
the ghost towns in the area. It has detailed directions and potted histories
relating to Nannine, Garden Gully, Abbotts, Gabanintha, Peak Hill and Horseshoe.
The entry on Garden Gully, for example, provides the following details:
'North of Meekatharra 8 km along the Great Northern Highway. Turn left
onto the Mt Clere Road approximately 12 km. A ten head battery was erected
by Haig and Lamond. The battery was later used by Carr and party (Adelaide)
to treat ore from their mine 'The Crown'. 260 tonnes of ore was treated
between 1897-1901 for a return of 525.11 ounces before the mine was abandoned.
The most successful in this district was called the 'Kyarra' employing
19 men 28 936 tonnes of ore was treated for a return of 20 193.63 ounces.
This was over a six year period between 1909 and 1915.' There are similar
detailed entries for the other ghost towns in the shire.
Mount Augustus
Located 348 km north-west of Meekatharra, this is said to be
the largest isolated monolith in the world, measuring 8 km in length, 3
km in width and attaining a height of 377 metres.