NORSEMAN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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A gold and pyrites mining town on Lake Cowan and Gt. Eastern Highway. It is the last major Western Australian town on the road to the eastern states, Eyre Highway, which begins at Norseman before crossing the Nullarbor Plain.
Location: 741 km east of Perth; 201 km south of Kalgoorlie.
Origin of name: Norseman is the only town in Australia to be named after a horse. On the way from the Coolgardie goldfields to his home to Esperance in 1892, a gold miner named Laurie Sinclair stopped off to see his brother who lived where Norseman now stands, and his horse 'Hardy Norseman' uncovered a large gold nugget with its hoof. Sinclair, a native of the Shetland Islands, once worked for the Dempsters who pioneered Esperance, to the south.
Brief history: gold was first discovered here in 1892 and it became known as the Dundas goldfield. The town was declared in 1895 and by 1905 Norseman had a population of over 3000. Low rainfall in the area meant that miners were not only engaged in a search for gold but also for water. Rainwater was supplemented by distilling salt water but it wasn't until 1936 that a regular supply of water was available in the town. The surface gold ran out years ago but the area continues its mining tradition in what is a very mineral rich region.
Natural features: Mt. Jimberlana; Buldania Rocks; Peak Charles National Park; Bremer Ranges; Peak Eleanora
Built features: Beacon Hill Lookout; Bromus Dam; Lake Dundas Mine