Yalgoo : a book review and photographs

  The history of  pastoral stations and  mining in the Yalgoo district, east of Geraldton. Available from Hesperian Press. YALGOO  –  Latitude 28° 20′ S Longitude 116° 41′ E The townsite of Yalgoo is located in the Murchison region, 499 km north north east of Perth and 118 km east north east of Mullewa. Gold […]

His Epitaph and The Rhyme of the West

He lies here. See the bush All grey through grief for him Hoar scrub-like ashes cast Sprinkles the valley grim The saltbush is his shroud Wide skies his only pall And’in-memoriam’ A thousand stamp-heads fall Gold-lured to death- and yet he would have had it so Say mass, sing requiem With the grey bush and […]

I J K Cohn – pioneer profile

Isidore James Knight COHEN JP, (he later changed the name to COHN), was born in Melbourne in 1843, the son of Victor Cohen (Born 1813 on the  Isle of Thanet in Kent England) and Annie Henrietta MAGNUS. From his early boyhood had been associated with gold mining. If there was ever a calling conducive to […]

Jacky and Polly and Jimmy: a tragic tale

In the Christmas week of 1894, a prospector James Anderson, known as ‘New Zealand Jimmy’, finally had some success after a run of bad luck at Kurnalpi and Peake’s Find, by finding a nugget at Pig Flat at Coolgardie. It weighed in at 28 ozs for which he received £102 from the Union Bank. James […]

Yellowdine : Treasures in the Bush – book review

Yellowdine, Reen’s Soak, Bronti, Kellandi and Mt Palmer – by Delys Howlett This excellent book, published in 2007 by my good friend Delys Howlett, is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the district. Delys has a strong personal connection to this place she loves, as it is where she was brought […]