Paynes Find, Western Australia
| Paynes Find Western Australia | |||||||||
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 Paynes Find c. 1980 | |||||||||
 Paynes Find September 2023 | |||||||||
  Paynes Find | |||||||||
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| Coordinates | 29°15′S 117°41′E / 29.250°S 117.683°E | ||||||||
| Population | 26 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1911 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6612 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 339 m (1,112 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 10,951 km2 (4,228 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Yalgoo | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | North West | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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Paynes Find also called Paynes is a settlement approximately 430 kilometres (267 mi) northeast of Perth in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is reachable by the Great Northern Highway. It was originally founded after the discovery of a gold bearing quartz vein; a roadhouse, a battery, and a few other buildings remain today. Alongside its fluctuating gold activity the area is known for its annual everlasting bloom, and sheep stations.
History[edit]
The townsite was gazetted in 1911, the same year the gold battery was constructed. The battery is the only currently operational battery left in the state.[2]
The town is named after the prospector, Thomas Payne, who was the first to discover gold in the area and was the first to register a lease for gold mining with the Mines Department. He was rewarded with free use of the state's gold battery and his ore was the first to be crushed using the battery. The ghost town of Paynesville is also named in his honour.
Water supply was an ongoing issue for mining at Paynes both for drinking and for the operation of the battery.[3][4][5]
By the 1930s the town had prospered and the population was estimated at about 500. In 1987 the battery was sold to the Taylor family who use it as a tourist attraction.[6]
In popular culture[edit]
The character "Dar Dar" in The Numtums was named after Dar Dar Spring near Paynes Find.
References[edit]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Paynes Find (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Australia's Golden Outback". 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
- ^ "PAYNE'S FIND". Mount Magnet Miner And Lennonville Leader. Vol. 21, no. 39. Western Australia. 25 March 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Payne's Find". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. V, no. 684. Western Australia. 20 July 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PAYNE'S FIND". The Daily News. Vol. XXX, no. 11, 393. Western Australia. 21 December 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Totaltravel - Paynes Find". 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
External links[edit]
Media related to Paynes Find, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons
- Payne's Find at Tourism Western Australia