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This article is about the town of Wiluna. For the local government area, see Shire of Wiluna.
Wiluna is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated on the edge of the desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway. It is the centre of an area primarily dedicated to mining, 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 254 mm (10 in). Mean maximum temperatures range from 19°C (66°F) in July, to 38°C (100°F) in January.
[edit] OverviewThe closest mine site to town is the Wiluna Gold Mine, approximately 3 km south of Wiluna. The mine was shut down by its new owner, Apex Minerals, in August 2007 for refurbishment and resource definition. The mine commenced milling again in November 2008 with plans to mill up to 1Mtpa (million tonnes per annum) and produce initially 150kozpa (thousand ounces per annum) increasing to 200kozpa. The Wiluna area was first explored by 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 Indigenous Australian 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 were shut down. By 1963 the population had fallen to less than 100. Gold mining resumed in the area in 1981.[2] In October 1960, two station workers named F. Vicenti and F. Quadrio were opening a fence gate on the Millbillillie-Jundee track 11 kilometres from Wiluna when they witnessed a bright fireball falling into spinifex (Triodia) grassland to the north of their location. The debris from this meteor became known as the Millbillillie meteorite and is understood to be actual pieces of the asteroid Vesta that had at some point been knocked off by a collision in the asteroid belt. Although no official specimens were recovered until 1970 it is understood that members of the local Aboriginal community had collected pieces. [1] [edit] RailwaysWiluna was the furthest away from Perth that the narrow gauge Western Australian Government Railways system reached. The Wiluna branch was connected to the main Northern Railway at Meekatharra. The branch opened to Wiluna on 2 November, 1932. The line was closed on 5 August, 1957[3]. With the emergence of iron ore traffic, this railway may be rebuilt in whole or in part, possibly as standard gauge. [edit] People from WilunaThe former Governor-General of Australia, Major General Michael Jeffery was born in Wiluna on 12 December 1937. A new primary school was constructed in Wiluna after Jeffery visited the town in 2006 and criticised the condition of the existing school.[4][5] [edit] See also[edit] References
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