| Wittenoom Western Australia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 State government warning sign near the entrance to the former Wittenoom township. | |||||||||
  Wittenoom | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 22°14′23″S 118°20′05″E / 22.2397°S 118.3347°E | ||||||||
| Population | 0 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1950[2] | ||||||||
| Gazetted | Degazetted June 2007 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6751 | ||||||||
| Area | 353.1 km2 (136.3 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location | 140 km (87 mi) from Tom Price | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Ashburton | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | North West Central | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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Wittenoom is a former town and a declared contaminated site, 1,420 kilometres (880 mi) north-north-east of Perth, in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.[3][4] The declared contaminated site comprises 50,000 hectares (120,000 acres), making it the largest contaminated site in the southern hemisphere.[5][6]
The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1930s when mining for blue asbestos began. By 1939, major mining began in Yampire Gorge, which was closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947, a company town was built and, during the 1950s, it was the Pilbara's largest town. The peak population, as recorded by the Australian census conducted on 30 June 1961, was 881 (601 males and 280 females).[7] During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966 due to its unprofitability, and growing health concerns from asbestos mining in the area.
Wittenoom Gorge Airport served as part of the routes that MMA and Airlines (WA) operated on for bringing workers and supplies in and out of the asbestos mine. It later closed as being one of the health concerns as runways were made of gravel and asbestos tailings.[8][9]
The former townsite no longer receives government services. In December 2006, the Government of Western Australia announced that the town's official status would be removed and, in June 2007, Jon Ford, the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite had officially been degazetted. The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs, and the Shire of Ashburton is able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.
The Wittenoom steering committee met in April 2013 to finalise closure of the town, limit access to the area, and raise awareness of the risks. Details of how that would be achieved were to be determined but it would probably necessitate removing the town's remaining residents, converting freehold land to crown land, demolishing houses, and closing or rerouting roads. By 2015, six residents remained. In 2017, the number had dropped to four,[10] to three in 2018, and to two in 2021.[11]
As of September 2022[update], Wittenoom had no remaining residents, and demolition of remaining structures by the Western Australian Government began in May 2023.[12]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wittenoom (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "History of country town names – W". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
- ^ "Prohibited Areas – Wittenoom and Yampire Gorge" (PDF). Shire of Ashburton. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Closure of former Wittenoom Townsite Roads". Shire of Ashburton (News). Western Australia. 9 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
mac19was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
fos19was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "PART V.-POPULATION AND DWELLINGS IN LOCALITIES" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "The Blue Ghosts of Wittenoom".
- ^ "Geoff Goodall's Aviation History Site".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cro17was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Demolition of asbestos town Wittenoom starts, as government warns visitors to stay away". ABC News. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.