Wattie Davys and Davyhurst town:

The following story was sent by Julia Flavel with thanks:

Walter (Wattie) Davys from Julia Flavel

My GT GT Uncle Walter (Wattie) Davys found gold in Davyston now Davyhurst. It is our understanding it was named after him. The Davy came from his name and the Hurst from Hurstone farm which was the name of the farm they left behind in England before going to New Zealand. He and a couple of friends found gold there. Waihi was named after a town in NZ where he and his friends mined for gold before travelling to Western Australia  Walter was born in 1855 in Milverton, Somerset, England, and died in Geraldton in 1944.

Gold nugget in tin found by Walter Davys in  WA – photo from Patsy Whistler

From Landgate:

Davyhurst – Latitude 30 03 S Longitude 120 39 E

A goldfields townsite southwest of Menzies, Davyhurst was gazetted in 1901. When it was proposed to declare a townsite here in 1900 the place was referred to as “Davyston”, better known as “Mace’s Find”. Warden Owen of Menzies then advised the Department the place was known as “Davyhurst”, and this was the name used when the townsite was gazetted. It is believed to be named after a miner Walter Davys.

The Waihi GM, Davyhurst.

From the Outback Family History Files:

Walter DAVYS founded the Waihi GM in Davyhust, which he named after a famous mine in New Zealand. Davy arrived in the area from the Goldfields near Broad Arrow in 1899, with his mates Charles Mace, Patrick Glenny, and Miller. They first started working on the Welcome GM, but as this was not producing much Davys started prospecting further afield, leaving his mates to continue to work the Welcome. He was to find the Waihi within two weeks and returned for his mates who then pegged two leases. Davys and Mace traveled to Menzies and applied for the lease on the 18^th of November 1899.

About a mile from the mine, a townsite was proclaimed and buildings were hastily erected. Three hotel licenses were granted along with several businesses.

The Birth of a Town Davyhurst 1902

Davyhurst 19 May 1937

In the next post, we will have details of those buried in the Davyhurst Cemetery:

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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