Leonora
Goldmining town in the desert.
Located 236 km north from Kalgoorlie and 833 km east of Perth, Leonora, like so many of the small goldmining towns in the Eastern Goldfields, has had a chequered history. The first European explorer through the area was John Forrest who, on his 1869 expedition in search of Ludwig Leichhardt, named the nearby 420 m high landmark, Mount Leonora.

It was the discovery of gold which changed everything. The eager searching beyond Kalgoorlie's 'Golden Mile' resulted in alluvial gold being found in 1896. Immediately a rush was on. Later that year two reefing claims - 'Johannesburg' and 'Sons of Gwalia' - were pegged. For a short time the latter claim grew to become the largest gold mine outside Kalgoorlie.

The town grew quickly. The Leonora townsite was declared in 1898 and two years later the thriving settlement became a municipality. In 1900 a steam tramway linked Leonora and Gwalia. Two years later this small service was linked to Menzies and thus to the main railway line to Perth.

Leonora is always vulnerable to changes in world gold prices. After a long and slow decline (it was only sustained by its importance as an administrative centre for the surrounding pastoral holdings) it was revitalised by the boom in world gold prices which occurred in the 1980s. The famous Tower Hill mine was reopened in 1983 and the Harbour Lights mine came into existence in 1985.

Things to see:  

Tower Street
The appeal of the town lies in the fact that Tower Street, the main street, has remained largely unchanged since the turn of the century. The shops, with their footpath verandahs, and the hotels have a charm which offers an insight into what the town must have been like during the boom.

	Tourist Information
	Leonora Tourist Information Centre Lot 16 Tower St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6044
	Motels
	Leonora Motel Tower St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6181 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Central Hotel Tower St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6042
	White House Hotel Tower St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6030
	Caravan Parks
	Leonora Caravan Park Rochester St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6568
	Restaurants
	Central Hotel Tower St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6042
	Leonora Roadhouse Rochester St Leonora WA 6438 Telephone: (08) 9037 6110