Horseshoe, Western Australia

Abandoned town in Western Australia

25°27′14″S 118°34′34″E / 25.454°S 118.576°E / -25.454; 118.576Established1901Elevation568 m (1,864 ft)Location

897 km (557 mi) NNE of Perth
126 km (78 mi) north of Meekatharra

LGA(s)Shire of MeekatharraState electorate(s)North West Federal division(s)Durack

Horseshoe is an abandoned town in Western Australia located in the Murchison goldfields within the Mid West region of Western Australia situated between Meekatharra and Newman. The town is adjacent to the Peak Hill goldfields.

History

Gold was discovered in the immediate area in 1897 and the government had an area thought to be suitable for a townsite surveyed in 1898. The area proved to not be satisfactory to the locals who wanted another area to be used. The new area was surveyed and the town was gazetted in 1901.^[1]

The population of the town was 60 (60 males and no females) in 1898.^[2]

The town was often known as Horseshoe Bend as a result of one of the original leases in the area was the shape of a horseshoe. It was also commonly known as The Shoe.

The townsite is one of many ghost towns in the area; others include: Peak Hill, Gabanintha, Abbotts and Garden Gully.^[3]

References

^ "History of country town names – H". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ "POPULATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1898. p. 23. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ "Sydney Morning Herald - Travel - Meekatharra". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 29 September 2008.