Western Australia For Everyone: Three Springs

Three Springs

The townsite of Three Springs is a regional centre located in the northern agricultural region.

Cockatoo Canyon

(32 km west) Cockatoo Canyon is situated in breakaway country with scenic views. Copper was discovered in 1907 and some was mined but the source quickly ran out and mining quickly ceased. It is estimated that the mine produced 106 tons of copper during its working life.

There are plenty of wildflowers here between mid August and early November. They can also be seen at other localities around the town.

Talc Mine

(10km east) Talc is mined by open cut method and exported for use in the paper, paint and ceramic industries. The largest Talc Mine in the Southern Hemisphere and second largest in the World, its annual production exceeds 240,000 tonnes. Visitors can observe the open cut mine from the Three Springs/Perenjori Road. Public access to the mine site is not permitted. Talc samples and souvenir carvings are available from the Three Springs Tourist Centre.

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Where is it?

316 km north of Perth and 23 km north west of Carnamah

History

Land was first taken up for pastoral leasing in the 1860s. When this section of the railway was opened in 1895, Three Springs was one of the new stations on the line. Demand from settlers resulted in the government opening up more land, and the Kadathinni Agricultural Area was declared in 1905. In 1907 a townsite adjacent to the Three Springs Station was declared, and following the survey of lots.

Three Springs derives its name from nearby springs, first recorded in the 1870s. The name is descriptive. When the townsite was created in 1908, it was gazetted as Kadathinni. It was intended to change the name of the station when the townsite was named, but this was overlooked, and it remained Three Springs. The town's name was officially changed back to Three Springs in 1946.