Leinster, Western Australia

Leinster
Western Australia
Site of the Agnew Nickel mine before open-pit mining began.
Leinster is located in Western Australia
Leinster
Leinster
Map
Coordinates27°54′43″S 120°41′49″E / 27.91194°S 120.69694°E / -27.91194; 120.69694
Population395 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established1976
Postcode(s)6437
Elevation497 m (1,631 ft)
Area8,151 km2 (3,147 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Leonora
State electorate(s)Kalgoorlie
Federal division(s)O'Connor
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
27.9 °C
82 °F
14.6 °C
58 °F
292.5 mm
11.5 in

Leinster is a town in the northern Goldfields area of Western Australia. It is 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Goldfields Highway in the Shire of Leonora, and 968 km (601 mi) northeast of the state capital, Perth.[2]

The town was established in 1976 by Agnew Mining, initially as a dormitory town for miners working in the nearby Perseverance and Rockys Reward nickel mines, now the Leinster Nickel Mine, and Agnew gold mines, now the Agnew Gold Mine. It was named for the nearby Leinster Downs station. Facilities at Leinster include a supermarket, service station, community school, day care centre, medical centre and tavern. Sporting facilities include an indoor sports centre, a 50 m (160 ft) Olympic sized pool and a baby pool, squash courts, BMX track, football and cricket oval, and an 18-hole golf course. The school is an independent public school for students up to year 12.[3]

The Leinster Nickel Operation is part of the BHP's Nickel West business group. As at 2006, the operation employed 992 workers and produced 40,000–45,000 t (88×10^6–99×10^6 lb) of nickel in concentrate per year.[4][5] Leinster Airport was built adjacent to the mine.

Apart from the nickel operations, gold was mined 41 km (25 mi) south-east of Leinster, at the Thunderbox Gold Mine, from 2002 to 2007 and again since 2016.

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Leinster (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "{{{name}}}". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  3. ^ "Leinster Township". Shire of Leonora. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
  4. ^ "Nickel West". BHP Billiton. Archived from the original on 11 February 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  5. ^ Perseverance Mine, Leinster, Leonora Shire, Western Australia on Mindat.org