Wiluna, Western Australia
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Wiluna is a town and shire in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The town of Wiluna is located at 26°36'S 120°14'E, 947 kilometres north east of Perth, 182 kilometres east of Meekatharra, and 518 metres above sea level. It is situated on the edge of the desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway.
The Shire of Wiluna covers an area of about 184,000km2, and has a resident population of about 300 people. It is primarily a mining area, and many more people work on mines in the area on a "fly-in/fly-out" basis. Wiluna's climate is hot and dry, with an annual rainfall of just 254mm (10in). Mean maximum temperatures range from 19°C (66°F) in July, to 38°C (100°F) in January.
The Wiluna area was first explored by the explorer Lawrence Wells in 1892. Gold was discovered in the area in 1896, and within a few months there were over 300 prospectors in the area. The town of Wiluna was gazetted in 1898, the name Wiluna being the aboriginal name for the area. By the 1930s, the town had a population of over 9,000 people, but World War II severely affected the gold mining industry, and many mines was shut down. By 1963 the population had fallen to less than 100. Gold mining resumed in the area in 1981.
External links
- Shire of Wiluna homepage (http://www.wiluna.wa.gov.au/)