Gwalia Historic Precinct

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A ghost town with a mining history

The Gwalia Historic Precinct includes a ghost town and a museum featuring collections from the old Sons of Gwalia Mine and the Leonora district. The museum collection items are housed in the main shed and various original buildings from the Sons of Gwalia mine. Learn about the Aboriginal people and migrant workers who lived in Gwalia, the assay process of separating gold from ore or view the only large timber incline headframe in Australia. This large collection requires some walking. If you get tired you might like to rest your legs and grab a Devonshire tea at Hoover House café between 10am and 3pm, on the very edge of the present-day open cut mine. You can also spend the night in the Hoover House for a unique Goldfields experience!

Visit website

Address:

16A Tower St
Leonora WA 6438
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9037 71220

Email:

museum@gwalia.org.au

Opening Hours

Mon to Sun 9am - 4pm

Gwalia Rifle Club trophy

Marksmanship

Oscar Edward Johnson won the ‘Robert Stuart Cup’ at the Gwalia Rifle Club in October 1910 and was awarded this trophy. Johnson was a miner at the Sons of Gwalia Mine and a member of the Rifle Club for...

Crucible and cupel

Cupellation

These crucibles and cupels were used in the gold testing process, which involves very high temperatures and is called, cupellation. Ore samples with gold are crushed and mixed with other metals to...

Seal and embosser

Approving documents

This is an original seal and embosser from the Sons of Gwalia Mine. Seals and embossers like this were used on official documents to confirm and legitimise them. A stamp similar to the embosser was...

Northam Heritage Centre: Northam and Districts Historical Society and Northam Army Camp Heritage Association

Historic railway station captures Northam’s history

Northam’s old railway station remains in such good condition that it’s easy to imagine it as it was from its earliest days in 1900. The station formed part of the Eastern Goldfields Railway which, at...

The Lace Place

A world recognised lace collection plus so much more.

With renowned Wave Rock, just nearby, this is an unusual treasure. The site includes The Lace Place, The Miniature Soldier Museum, Pioneer Town, Tourist information Centre, and the Wildlife Park and...

Dowerin District Museum

A charming museum in an old house built by a saddler.

This charming museum is built upon the legacy of one family: the O’Shaughnessy’s. It is housed in the original home built in 1915, for Eugene O’Shaughnessy the local boot maker and saddler. The...

Grain Discovery Centre

From planting to plate: discover how grain helped communities grow.

The Grain Discovery Centre is located inside the Narembeen Roadhouse and gives a history of farming and grain growing in the district. There is a fascinating shop display, which shows some of the...