Meekatharra
Mining town and service centre for the East Murchison
Located 764 km north east of Perth, 541 km east of Geraldton and 521 m above sea level, Meekatharra is a gold town which has developed into a major supply centre for the pastoral and mining interests in the East Murchison. With a population of about 2 000, it is a centre of a vast shire which covers 99 974 sq. km of semi-desert where mining, sheep and cattle (there are only 48 properties in the shire) are the major activities.

The Aboriginal word 'Meekatharra' is thought to mean 'little water' or 'place of little water' or 'bad watering place' - an accurate description given the town's position on the edge of the desert and its annual rainfall of 200-250 mm.

Like the rest of the East Murchison, Meekatharra came into existence in the 1890s when gold was discovered in the area. By 1891 gold was being mined at both Nannine and Annean Station. The Peak Hill field was opened up in 1892 and by 1894 a ten-head battery had been built to crush and process ore at Garden Gully. It seems the first settlement at Meekatharra occurred in 1894 and that, in May 1896, after the prospectors Meehan, Porter and Soich discovered gold, miners moved to the new settlement from the other East Murchison fields.

Success on the Meekatharra field was short-lived. It was only because a second gold discovery occurred in 1899 that the town survived. In 1901 the Meekatharra State Battery began operation and by Christmas Day 1903 the township had been officially gazetted.

In 1906 Alfred Wernam Canning was appointed to develop a stock route from the East Kimberleys to the Murchison. The stock route, comprising 54 wells, was completed in 1908 and, when the railway arrived in Meekatharra in 1910, the town became the railhead at the end of the route. In many ways the railway ensured the town's survival. In 1910 it took the first shipment of wool out of the area and it continued to serve the local pastoral interests until it was closed down in 1978.

The importance of the town is well captured in Grant Watson's novel The Desert Horizon. Written in 1923 it describes the town as 'which was at that time head of the line, provided the chief Labour Exchange for all the district. Employers came from fifty and even a hundred miles to find labour to shear their sheep or work their mines...all the life of the district converged towards the town'.

While the town experienced a dramatic increase in its population during the goldrushes it was its central location which ensured that it became something more than just another Murchison goldrush town.

In recent times Meekatharra has achieved some fame as the first town in Australia powered by solar energy. Given that it has recorded temperatures of 45°C (in December, 1972) and 30 consecutive days over 100°F in 1956, such a development was sensible. When a solar-diesel power station was built near the town in 1982 it was the largest of its kind in the world.

Equally the town boasts a huge 2181 metre runway (built by the Americans during the war) which is still used as an alternative when the runway in Perth is closed.

Things to see:  

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.

	Hotels
	Commercial Hotel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1020
	Meekatharra Hotel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1134 Facsimile: (08) 9980 1240
	Royal Mail Hotel Motel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1148
	Caravan Parks
	Meekatharra Caravan Park Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1253
	Restaurants
	Commercial Hotel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1020
	Meekatharra Hotel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1134 Facsimile: (08) 9980 1240
	Royal Mail Hotel Motel Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1148
	Cafés
	Balcony Coffee Shop 75 Main St Meekatharra WA 6642 Telephone: (08) 9981 1185