Kookynie, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Kookynie
state = wa


caption =
lga = Shire of Menzies
postcode = 6431
est = 1900
pop = 77 (2006 Census) [Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC54386|name=Kookynie (State Suburb)|quick=on|accessdate=2008-09-20]
elevation= 425
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Kalgoorlie
fedgov = Kalgoorlie
dist1 = 796
dir1 = ENE
location1= Perth
dist2 = 70
dir2 = NE
location2= Menzies
dist3 = 52
dir3 = SSW
location3= Leonoracoord|-29.3365|121.4937|type:city(20)_region:AU-WA_scale:100000|format=dms|display=title

Kookynie is a town located in the Eastern Goldfields region in Western Australia.The name of the town is believed to be an aboriginal word which means 'water hole' or 'spring'. From being a busy town with a population of around 1,500 in 1905, Kookynie has become a ghost town with around 77 inhabitants in 2006.

Overview

The town originates from when gold was discovered close to the present townsite in 1895 by a group of prospectors including W.A. Miller who took up the lease of the Englishman mine in the same year.By 1899 the townsite was declared by the government and was gazetted in 1900. The town was named by Mr Beaumont, who managed the Lady Shenton gold mine. [LandInfo WA|c|K|2008-09-20] Kookynie grew at an impressive rate on the back of a gold rush and by 1907 the town had a population of well over 3,500, a public swimming pool, eleven hotels, a brewery and received four trains a day from Kalgoorlie. [cite web|url=http://www.menzies.wa.gov.au/tourism/things_to_see/kookynie.html|title=Shire of Menzies - Kookynie|year=2008|accessdate=2008-09-20]

Today Kookynie has one pub and hotel to serve the tourists. For a Western Australia ghost town (and there are many) it is surprisingly intact. A walk around the ruins reveals that Kookynie was once a surprisingly large town. [cite web|url=http://www.touristaustralia.com.au/destinations/westernaustralia/destination.asp?product_id=9027438|title=Tourist Autralia, Kookynie|publisher=Tourist Australia]

Located on the road to Kookynie from the Menzies end is Niagara Dam - a concrete gravity dam in the most unlikely of locations. During the usual dry periods the dam level can range from half-full to nothing more than a stagnant puddle of muck. However for a couple of years after some good cyclone activity in the region the dam is a popular destination for its cool waters. [cite web|url=http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/wa/goldfields/northerngoldfields/guide/kookynie|title=Total Travel|publisher=Total Travel]

References

External links

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/AS/8/Kookynie.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 402m (Red dots are railways)]