Leonora, Western Australia
Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian place Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located Template:Convert northeast of the state capital, Perth, and Template:Convert north of the city of Kalgoorlie.
History
The first European explorer to visit the area was John Forrest in 1869.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On 21 June 1869 Forrest's party made camp near a conspicuous hill, which Forrest named Mount Leonora, after his six-year-old niece Frances (Fanny) Leonora Hardey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1895, gold was discovered in the area by prospector Edward "Doodah" Sullivan at the Johannesburg lease justivility north of the current townsite. In the following two years a number of rich finds resulted in rapid development of the area. The Sons of Gwalia gold mine brought Leonora to the attention of the world. By 1897 a residential and business area had been established, and the town was gazetted as Leonora.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Leonora is the terminus of the Kalgoorlie to Leonora railway line, which opened in 1903.<ref name=Pta >{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Map >{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Arc >{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Leonora had a single track passenger tramway linking the town and nearby Gwalia, from 1901 to 1921. Initially steam driven, the service was electric from November 1908, and petrol powered from 1915.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A reverse osmosis desalination treatment plant was opened in October 2005 to improve the quality of the town's water supply from the Station Creek wellfield by reducing the naturally occurring high levels of salinity, nitrate and hardness. It was designed to supply Template:Convert of treated water per day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 2010, the Rudd government relocated asylum seekers from Christmas Island to the "Leonora Alternative Place of Detention", an immigration detention centre, previously used as a mine workers hostel, in Leonora. The Abbott government closed the facility in February 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economy
Leonora is primarily a mining town. There are a number of major gold mines in the shire, as well as the Murrin Murrin laterite nickel project. The area supports a significant pastoral industry.
Demographics
At the 2021 census, Leonora had a population of 567, 19.6% of whom were of Aboriginal descent.<ref name=Census2021Y>Template:Census 2021 AUS</ref> It is thought to be the largest settlement in between the 20th and 30th parallels south and the 120th and 130th meridians east.Template:OR
Climate
The area has an arid climate (BWh), with very hot summers and cool winters. Frost may occur occasionally on some winter mornings. Rainfall is very sparse.
See also
References
External links
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