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Wittenoom, Western Australia
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Wittenoom, Western Australia
Wittenoom is a former mining town and a declared contaminated site, 1,420 kilometres (880 mi) north-north-east of Perth, in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The declared contaminated site comprises 46,840 hectares (115,700 acres), making it the largest contaminated site in the southern hemisphere, an area nearly 1⁄5 the size of the Chernobyl exclusion zone area. The Government of Western Australia "strongly advises against all travel through Wittenoom and the surrounding areas".
The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1940s when mining for blue asbestos began. By 1941, major mining began in Yampire Gorge, which was closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947, a company town was built and, during the 1950s, it was the Pilbara's largest town. The peak population, as recorded by the Australian census conducted on 30 June 1961, was 881 (601 males and 280 females). During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966 due to its unprofitability, and growing health concerns from asbestos mining in the area.
About 100 people were still living in the town by 1979, despite the State Government proposing to close the town. The former townsite no longer receives government services. In December 2006, the Government of Western Australia announced that the town's official status would be removed and, in June 2007, Jon Ford, the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite had officially been degazetted. The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs, and the Shire of Ashburton is able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.
The Wittenoom steering committee met in April 2013 to finalise closure of the town, limit access to the area, and raise awareness of the risks. Details of how that would be achieved were to be determined but it would probably necessitate removing the town's remaining residents, converting freehold land to crown land, demolishing houses, and closing or rerouting roads. By 2015, six residents remained. In 2017, the number had dropped to four, to three in 2018, and to two in 2021. As of September 2022[update], Wittenoom had no remaining residents, and demolition of remaining structures by the Western Australian Government began in May 2023.
The Panyjima ("Banjima") Aboriginal Australian people hold native title over the area, known as Ngambigunha by its people, and campaign for the area's clean-up by the government.
Wittenoom was named by Lang Hancock after Frank Wittenoom, his partner in the nearby Mulga Downs Station. The land around Wittenoom was originally settled by Wittenoom's brother, politician Edward Horne Wittenoom.
By the late 1940s, there were calls for a government townsite near the mine, and the Mines Department recommended it be named Wittenoom, advising that adoption of that name was strongly urged by the local people.
The name was approved in 1948, but it was not until 2 May 1950 that the townsite was officially gazetted. In 1951, the name was changed to Wittenoom Gorge at the request of the mining company but, in 1974, it was changed back to Wittenoom.
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Wittenoom, Western Australia
Wittenoom is a former mining town and a declared contaminated site, 1,420 kilometres (880 mi) north-north-east of Perth, in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The declared contaminated site comprises 46,840 hectares (115,700 acres), making it the largest contaminated site in the southern hemisphere, an area nearly 1⁄5 the size of the Chernobyl exclusion zone area. The Government of Western Australia "strongly advises against all travel through Wittenoom and the surrounding areas".
The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1940s when mining for blue asbestos began. By 1941, major mining began in Yampire Gorge, which was closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947, a company town was built and, during the 1950s, it was the Pilbara's largest town. The peak population, as recorded by the Australian census conducted on 30 June 1961, was 881 (601 males and 280 females). During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966 due to its unprofitability, and growing health concerns from asbestos mining in the area.
About 100 people were still living in the town by 1979, despite the State Government proposing to close the town. The former townsite no longer receives government services. In December 2006, the Government of Western Australia announced that the town's official status would be removed and, in June 2007, Jon Ford, the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite had officially been degazetted. The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs, and the Shire of Ashburton is able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.
The Wittenoom steering committee met in April 2013 to finalise closure of the town, limit access to the area, and raise awareness of the risks. Details of how that would be achieved were to be determined but it would probably necessitate removing the town's remaining residents, converting freehold land to crown land, demolishing houses, and closing or rerouting roads. By 2015, six residents remained. In 2017, the number had dropped to four, to three in 2018, and to two in 2021. As of September 2022[update], Wittenoom had no remaining residents, and demolition of remaining structures by the Western Australian Government began in May 2023.
The Panyjima ("Banjima") Aboriginal Australian people hold native title over the area, known as Ngambigunha by its people, and campaign for the area's clean-up by the government.
Wittenoom was named by Lang Hancock after Frank Wittenoom, his partner in the nearby Mulga Downs Station. The land around Wittenoom was originally settled by Wittenoom's brother, politician Edward Horne Wittenoom.
By the late 1940s, there were calls for a government townsite near the mine, and the Mines Department recommended it be named Wittenoom, advising that adoption of that name was strongly urged by the local people.
The name was approved in 1948, but it was not until 2 May 1950 that the townsite was officially gazetted. In 1951, the name was changed to Wittenoom Gorge at the request of the mining company but, in 1974, it was changed back to Wittenoom.
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