- Leonora, Western Australia
Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name =Leonora
state = wa
caption = Leonora's location within Western Australia
lga =Shire of Leonora
postcode = 6438
est = 1900
pop = 401 (2006 census)
elevation= 376
maxtemp = 27.9
mintemp = 13.9
rainfall = 234.5
stategov = Kalgoorlie
fedgov = Kalgoorlie
dist1 = 833
dir1 = NE
location1= Perth
dist2 = 237
dir2 = N
location2= Kalgoorlie
dist3 = 124
dir3 = NNW
location3= Leinstercoord|-28.885|121.331|type:city(401)_region:AU-WA_scale:100000|format=dms|display=titleLeonora is a town in the
Goldfields-Esperance region ofWestern Australia , located convert|833|km|mi|0 northeast of the state capital, Perth, and convert|237|km|mi|0 north of the city of Kalgoorlie. About 1,500 people live in the town of Leonora, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a mean annual rainfall of just convert|230|mm|in|0. It is also quite warm, with mean daily maximum temperatures ranging from 18°C (64°F) in July to 37°C (99°F) in January.Leonora is primarily a
mining town. There are a number of majorgold mines in the Shire, and the Murrin Murin laterite nickel project is located in the shire. The area is too arid to supportagriculture , but there is a substantial pastoral industry.The Leonora area was first explored byJohn Forrest , who visited the area in 1869. Forrest's party made camp near a hill, which Forrest named Mount Leonora, after a lady friend of his, Miss Phylis Leonora Hardey. In 1894,gold was discovered in the area by a prospector named Morrisey, and in the following two years a number of rich finds resulted in rapid development of the area. TheGwalia andSons of Gwalia gold mines 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 in 1898.Leonora had an urban tramway system between 1901 and 1921: perhaps it was the smallest town in the world to have an electric tram.
ee also
*
Leonora Airport External links
* [http://www.wannerooshs.det.wa.edu.au/PARSONSS/Pages/Leonora.htm Leonora tramway history]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.