Leinster, Western Australia

A private mining town of around 1,000 people, built to support the Agnew Nickel project.
Location: 968 km north east of Perth; 135 km north north west of Leonora; 368km north of Kalgoorlie.
Origin of name: it was first recorded as the name of the Leinster Downs pastoral station on which the Agnew Nickel project was established. The station is in turn named after the Leinster gold find of the 1890s. Leinster is a province of Ireland, and is believed to be the origin of the name.
Brief history: gold was discovered here around 1892 by Julius Anderson, and the Leinster workings developed in 1899-1900 for commercial production. The main production period was 1900-1906. The present day town was established in the late 1970s to support the Agnew nickel project, and was the subject of a special lease to Western Mining Corporation for the purpose of a Townsite for a term of 21 years from 1977. It was gazetted a town in 1981.
Natural features: Mt. Mann; Mt. Pascoe; Violet Range; Mt. Harris; Mt. Goode