Agnew, Western Australia
| Agnew Western Australia |
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|---|---|
 Agnew
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Established | 1936 |
| Postcode(s) | 6435 |
| Elevation | 519 m (1,703 ft) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Leonora |
| State electorate(s) | Kalgoorlie |
| Federal Division(s) | O'Connor |
Agnew is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia 982 kilometres (610 mi) north-east of Perth [1] and the closest populated town is Leinster. The town is named after a miner, John A. Agnew, who worked for a local mining firm, Bewick, Moreing & Co. The townsite was declared in 1936.[2] Having no official post office in 1936, an unofficial one operated two days per week but only offered limited service.[3]
The town's Post Office was robbed in 1937, with over £250 being stolen during the course of the night. The post office was part of the Emu mine premises and it was noted that the safe from which the money was stolen from was found locked afterward.[4]
At one point the town had a population of 500. The Agnew hotel, that is still operating, was built in 1945 amongst a row of shops on the main street and is all that remains today of the town. An old head frame of a stamp mill and the large taling dumps of the East Murchison United gold mine also remain just outside the town.[5]
In 1947 two prospectors, Charles Farranda and Alberto Barnardi, discovered a new gold find north of the Emu mine. The quartz reef containing coarse gold returned about 10oz per ton and was described as the best find in the district for years.[6]
The town water supply failed in the same year when, following six days of calm weather, the windmill was unable to pump water from the town bore and most of the town's tanks had run dry. The town's population at the time was about 200 including 33 children.[7] Water had been pumped by windmill from a well about 90 feet (27 m) deep and then pumped to a raised 5,000 imperial gallons (22,730 L) tank, then gravity fed back down to the town. Following the failure the residents refused to pay their rates to the Goldfields Water Supply Department.[8]
The Emu mine closed in 1948, ore breaking stopped late in January and employees received a one-month notice of dismissal. The mine closed as a result of the high cost of production and the inability to secure capital for development work. Over 80 men were employed at the mine at the time.[9]
In 1949 the Agnew gold mine closed, this was closely followed by the closure of the town's school as the number of enrolments dropped from 30 to 5. The population of the town was reduced from 150 to 25.[10]
The Emu mine was severely flooded in 1989 resulting in the death of six men who were working underground at the time.[11]
An operating gold mine is located adjacent to the townsite and is also named Agnew. The mine is owned by Gold Fields Ltd.[12]
Three miners were seriously injured when part of the mine collapsed in early 2012. The men were working underground when mesh used to reinforce a rock wall gave way. Two suffered spinal injuries and the Royal Flying Doctor Service sent two planes to transfer then men to hospitals in Perth.[11]
Climate
| Climate data for Agnew | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 36 (96) |
35 (95) |
32 (89) |
27 (81) |
22 (71) |
18 (64) |
17 (63) |
19 (67) |
24 (75) |
27 (81) |
32 (90) |
35 (95) |
27 (80.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22 (71) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
14 (58) |
9 (49) |
7 (44) |
6 (42) |
7 (44) |
9 (49) |
13 (55) |
17 (63) |
21 (69) |
13.8 (56.7) |
| Average precipitation cm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1) |
| Source: Weatherbase [13] | |||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
