Wikipedia

Wittenoom, Western Australia

Wittenoomis aformer townand adeclared contaminated site,1,420 kilometres (880 mi) north-north-east ofPerth,in theHamersley Rangein thePilbararegion of Western Australia.[3][4]The declared contaminated site comprises 46,840 hectares (115,700 acres),[5]making it the largest contaminated site in the southern hemisphere, an area nearly1⁄5the size of theChernobyl exclusion zonearea.[6][7]TheGovernment of Western Australia"strongly advises againstalltravel through Wittenoom and the surrounding areas. "[8]: 2 [a]

Wittenoom
Western Australia
State government warning sign near the entrance to the former Wittenoom township.
Wittenoom is located in Western Australia
Wittenoom
Wittenoom
Map
Coordinates22°14′23″S118°20′05″E/ 22.2397°S 118.3347°E/-22.2397; 118.3347(Wittenoom)Edit this at Wikidata
Population0 (SAL2021)[1]
Established1950[2]
GazettedDegazetted June 2007
Postcode(s)6751
Area353.1 km2(136.3 sq mi)
Location140 km (87 mi) fromTom Price
LGA(s)Shire of Ashburton
State electorate(s)North West Central
Federal division(s)Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
32.8 °C
91 °F		 19.7 °C
67 °F		 453.7 mm
17.9 in

The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1930s when mining forblue asbestosbegan. By 1939, major mining began in Yampire Gorge, which was closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947, acompany townwas built and, during the 1950s, it was the Pilbara's largest town. The peak population, as recorded by the Australian census conducted on 30 June 1961, was 881 (601 males and 280 females).[9]During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966 due to its unprofitability, and growing health concerns from asbestos mining in the area.

Wittenoom Gorge Airportserved as part of the routes thatMMAand Airlines (WA) operated on for bringing workers and supplies in and out of the asbestos mine.[10]It later closed as being one of the health concerns as runways were made of gravel and asbestos tailings.[11]

The former townsite no longer receives government services. In December 2006, theGovernment of Western Australiaannounced that the town's official status would be removed and, in June 2007,Jon Ford,the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite had officially beendegazetted.The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs, and theShire of Ashburtonis able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.

The Wittenoom steering committee met in April 2013 to finalise closure of the town, limit access to the area, and raise awareness of the risks. Details of how that would be achieved were to be determined but it would probably necessitate removing the town's remaining residents, convertingfreehold landtocrown land,demolishing houses, and closing or rerouting roads. By 2015, six residents remained. In 2017, the number had dropped to four,[12]to three in 2018, and to two in 2021.[13]

As of September 2022,Wittenoom had no remaining residents, and demolition of remaining structures by the Western Australian Government began in May 2023.[14]

Name

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Wittenoom was named byLang HancockafterFrank Wittenoom,his partner in the nearbyMulga Downs Station.The land around Wittenoom was originally settled by Wittenoom's brother, politician SirEdward Horne Wittenoom.[2]

By the late 1940s, there were calls for a government townsite near the mine, and the Mines Department recommended it be named Wittenoom, advising that adoption of that name was strongly urged by the local people.

The name was approved in 1948, but it was not until 2 May 1950 that the townsite was officially gazetted.[15]In 1951, the name was changed to Wittenoom Gorge at the request of the mining company but, in 1974, it was changed back to Wittenoom.

The mine closed in 1966, and the official abolition of the town was gazetted in March 2007.[2]

Religion

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In 1968, Wittenoom was one of only twoCatholicparishes in thePilbara.[16]

History

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The area was originally resided on by the Panyjima, also known as the Banjima, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They hold Native Title over the area.[17]

In 1917, the Mines Department first recorded the presence of blue asbestos in the Hamersley Ranges. In the early 1930s,Lang Hancockdiscovered Wittenoom Gorge, on the Mulga Downs property.[18]

In 1937, Hancock showed samples of blue asbestos (crocidolite) that he had picked up in the Gorge to Islwyn Walters and Walter Leonard, who were mining and treating white asbestos at Nunyerrie, and at Lionel near Nullagine. When Hancock learned the fibre would fetch £70 per ton, he immediatelypeggedthe best claims in Wittenoom Gorge.

Leo Snell, a kangaroo shooter on Mulga Downs, pegged a claim on Yampire Gorge, where there was a lot more blue asbestos. Walters and Leonard purchased Yampire Gorge from Snell, moved their treatment plant there, and began mining and treating the fibre. When Leonard cabled London that two miles (3.2 km) of asbestos in sight at Yampire Gorge, they cabled him back saying he should take a holiday. Leonard had to send a photograph before it was believed Yampire Gorge contained that much asbestos.

Walters and Leonard cleared the way into Yampire Gorge by blasting the biggest rocks and pulling them out of the way with a camel team. Even after that, it took them seven hours to drive their lorry the 24 kilometres (15 mi) from the workings to their treatment plant.

By 1940, twenty-two men were employed at the Yampire Gorge workings and about 375 tons were mined and transported by mule team wagons to the coast at Point Samson. DuringWorld War II,communications with England became difficult, and de Berrales acquired an interest in the mines.

In 1943, theColonial Sugar Company,through its subsidiary, Australian Blue Asbestos Ltd., took over both the Wittenoom and Yampire Mines. Lang Hancock, who watched his station property transform to a town, stated in 1958: "Izzy Walters was the man who stuck it and produced the market that made Wittenoom of today possible." Walter's partner, Len Leonard, put it this way in 1958: "but for his (Islwyn Walters) sheer grit and hard work there would be no such thing as Wittenoom. We have him to thank for that."[citation needed]

Due to a lack of profitability however, the mine at Wittenoom was closed in 1966.

As of 2024, more than 2,000 of the approximately 20,000 former mine workers and residents of Wittenoom had died ofasbestos-related diseases.[19][20]

Closing of the town

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Road sign with the town's name patched over

As of 2016, Wittenoom had only three permanent residents[21]who defied theGovernment of Western Australia's announced intention to remove services, disconnect electric power, compulsorily acquire the remaining privately-owned properties and demolish the town.[22][23]There were still three residents in late 2018 and in September 2022, the last resident was evicted.[24][25][26]

In November 2006, a report by consultantsGHD GroupandParsons Brinckerhoffevaluated the continuing risks associated with asbestos contamination in the town and surrounding areas,[27]classing the danger to visitors as medium and to residents as extreme.[22][23]In December 2006, Minister for the Pilbara and Regional Development, Jon Ford, said that Wittenoom's status as a town would be removed and, in June 2007, he announced that the townsite status had been officially removed.[28]

Both the Department of Health and an accredited contaminated sites auditor reviewed the report, with the latter finding that the detected presence of free asbestos fibres in surface soils from sampled locations presented an unacceptable public health risk. The auditor recommended that the former townsite and other impacted areas defined in the report be classified as "Contaminated - Remediation Required". On 28 January 2008, theDepartment of Environment and Conservationclassified Wittenoom as a contaminated site under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003.[22][23]

However, opinion is not unanimous on the danger posed.Mark Nevill,a geologist and formerLaborMLC for theMining and Pastoraldistrict, said in an interview in 2004 that the asbestos levels in the town were below the detection level of most equipment, and the real danger was located in the gorge itself which contains the minetailings.

Residents once operated a camping ground, guest house and gem shop for passing tourists. The roof of the gem shop is now caved in and the wood of the guest house is rotten, while the camping ground is nowhere to be found.[29][30]

It was reported in 2018 that thousands of travellers still visited the ghost town every year, as a form ofextreme tourism.[31]

The Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) is a national database that keeps track of information about people who have been diagnosed withmesotheliomaafter July 2010. It records all new cases in order to help the government develop policies about how to deal with asbestos that still remains in the country and reduce the incidence of mesothelioma in the future.[32]

The Wittenoom Closure Bill was reintroduced to theWestern Australian Parliamentin August 2021, and was passed on 24 March 2022.[33]The bill enabled the compulsory acquisition and demolition of the 14 remaining privately-owned properties in the former townsite.[34]

Thetraditional ownersof country where Wittenoom is situated, thePanyjima people,have petitioned the Western Australian Parliament to not only remove all of Wittenoom's remaining buildings, but to remediate the land so that it is no longer contaminated.[13]

The Wittenoom Closure Bill was passed by the Western Australian Parliament in March 2022, allowing the government to permanently close Wittenoom by compulsorily acquiring the remaining private properties and remove all infrastructure from the town.[33][35]In September 2022, the last resident was evicted.[24][36]As of September 2022, the town was classified as deserted, and closed to the public. A bushfire reportedly hit the area around 26 December 2022, causing damage to remaining buildings and disrupting plans to demolish the site during the 2023 dry season.[37]

Legacy

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Doc Holidays cafe (abandoned) at the entrance to the town

The 1990Midnight Oilsong, "Blue Sky Mine"and the group's album,Blue Sky Mining,was inspired by the town and its mining industry,[38]as wereHe Fades AwayandBlue MurderbyAlistair Hulett.The town and its history are also featured in the novelDirt MusicbyTim Winton.

Digital poetJason Nelsoncreated the workWittenoom: speculative shell and the cancerous breeze,an interactive exploration of the town's death. It won theNewcastle Poetry Prizein 2009.[39]

In the thriller novelThe Dead Heart,by Douglas Kennedy, the plot involves an imaginary location calledWollanup,[40]which corresponds to Wittenoom.The Dead Heartwas adapted as a comic by Kennedy and the illustrator Christian de Metter, under the titleDead Heart.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Nanutarra Road, Wittenoom-Munjina Road and Roebourne – Wittenoom Road all in part pass through theasbestoscontaminated area.[5][8]: 2 

References

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  1. ^Australian Bureau of Statistics(28 June 2022)."Wittenoom (suburb and locality)".Australian Census 2021 QuickStats.Retrieved28 June2022.
  2. ^abc "History of country town names – W".Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2022.Retrieved10 September2007.
  3. ^"Prohibited Areas – Wittenoom and Yampire Gorge"(PDF).Shire of Ashburton.2019. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 July 2020.Retrieved16 July2019.
  4. ^"Closure of former Wittenoom Townsite Roads".Shire of Ashburton(News). Western Australia. 9 May 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2019.Retrieved16 July2019.
  5. ^ab"Wittenoom".Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Government of Western Australia. 21 January 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2021.Retrieved26 December2024.
  6. ^Macmath, Antoine (11–13 November 2019).Keynote discussion: The Wittenoom legacy(PDF).Asbestos Safety 2019 Conference. Perth, Western Australia. pp.4–16.Archived(PDF)from the original on 20 March 2024.Retrieved22 September2020.
  7. ^Foster, Ally (21 July 2019)."Tourists flock to 'Australia's Chernobyl' despite health risks".news.au.Surry Hills.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2020.Retrieved26 September2020.
  8. ^ab"Wittenoom: Information on the former town of Wittenoom".Department of Lands, Government of Western Australia. Archived fromthe originalon 22 March 2019.Retrieved26 December2024.
  9. ^"PART V.-POPULATION AND DWELLINGS IN LOCALITIES"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 21 June 2024.Retrieved1 October2023.
  10. ^Goodall, Geoff (10 June 2021)."Macrobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) 1934–1980".Geoff Goodall's Aviation History Site.Archivedfrom the original on 1 November 2024.Retrieved26 December2024.
  11. ^Bennett, Cortlan (2015)."The Blue Ghosts of Wittenoom".WA Today.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2024.Retrieved26 December2024.
  12. ^Croy, Liam (2 January 2017)."It may be a ghost town but for some Wittenoom is home".The West Australian.Perth.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2017.Retrieved26 September2020.
  13. ^abMoussalli, Isabel; Tyndall, Andrew (11 November 2021)."Last homes in asbestos-riddled Wittenoom to be demolished, but some want to stay".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2024.Retrieved12 November2021.
  14. ^"Demolition of asbestos town Wittenoom starts, as government warns visitors to stay away".ABC News.8 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved5 August2024.
  15. ^"Western Australian Government Gazette 42, 1950 Page 974"(PDF).State Law Publisher.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 March 2020.Retrieved15 November2010.
  16. ^"Place No. 60 St Paul's Catholic Church Karratha"(PDF).City of Karratha.Shire of Roebourne. 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 March 2022.Retrieved26 September2020.
  17. ^"Welcome | Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation".bntac.org.au.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2024.Retrieved18 February2024.
  18. ^Edmonds, Jack (25 July 1958). "North-West Pioneer lived in a packing Case".Daily News.Perth.ISSN1839-8146.
  19. ^Wynne, Emma (11 March 2024)."Unauthorised Wittenoom visitors slammed after social media post documents visit to asbestos contaminated town".ABC Radio Perth.Archivedfrom the original on 20 July 2024.Retrieved11 March2024.
  20. ^Zhuang, Yan; Abbott, Matthew (29 September 2022)."The Last Days of an Outback Town Where Every Breath Can Be Toxic".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 11 March 2024.Retrieved11 March2024.
  21. ^Garrick, Melanie; Florance, Loretta (18 November 2016)."Wittenoom: The survivors of an erased town".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2016.Retrieved26 September2020.
  22. ^abcDepartment of Environment and Conservation."Search for Known Contaminated Sites".Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2017.Retrieved14 November2010.
  23. ^abcSnell, Beryl; Langley, Jeffrey (2009).The Wittenoom Disaster(PDF)(Report). West Perth: WorkSafe, Department of Commerce, Government of Western Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 September 2009.Retrieved14 November2010.
  24. ^abCarr, Cameron; Tyndall, Andrew (12 September 2022)."Wittenoom's last resident evicted without compassion from WA Lands Minister, daughter says".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 11 September 2022.Retrieved15 September2022.
  25. ^Carr, Cameron (15 September 2022)."WA Lands Minister John Carey stands by eviction of last Wittenoom resident Lorraine Thomas".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2022.Retrieved15 September2022.
  26. ^Michelmore, Karen (20 March 2019)."Wittenoom residents to be forced out as frustration boils over in effort to close deadly site".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2019.Retrieved13 February2021.
  27. ^Twohig, J. (November 2006).Management of Asbestos Contamination in Wittenoom: Non-Technical Summary(PDF)(Report). Department of Industry and Resources, Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Government of Western Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 November 2022.Retrieved26 December2024.
  28. ^"New report into Wittenoom's asbestos risks".Regional Development Minister Jon Ford - Government of Western Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 11 March 2012.Retrieved14 November2010.
  29. ^O'Donnell, Mick (6 December 2004)."Wittenoom's diehard residents stay put".The 7.30 Report.Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2017.Retrieved15 February2008.
  30. ^Fildes, Andrew (2006)."The Doom of Wittenoom".pbase.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2023.Retrieved30 October2020.
  31. ^De Poloni, Gian (12 July 2018)."Tourists warned over visiting asbestos-riddled Wittenoom, Australia's most dangerous ghost town".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2018.Retrieved30 October2020.
  32. ^"Australian Mesothelioma Registry database".Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2024.Retrieved26 December2024.
  33. ^abRobinson, Tom; Gorman, Verity; Williams, Eddie (24 March 2022)."WA government bill to close asbestos-riddled town Wittenoom ends 'dark chapter' of state's history".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2022.Retrieved24 March2022.
  34. ^Government of Western Australia (4 August 2021)."Final closure of Wittenoom nears as Bill returns to Parliament".mediastatements.wa.gov.au.Archived fromthe originalon 12 November 2021.Retrieved12 November2021.
  35. ^"Wittenoom to be closed permanently with passing of bill through State Parliament".wa.gov.au.24 March 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2024.Retrieved5 August2024.
  36. ^Carr, Cameron (15 September 2022)."WA Lands Minister John Carey stands by eviction of last Wittenoom resident Lorraine Thomas".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2022.Retrieved15 September2022.
  37. ^Robinson, TOM (8 January 2023)."Asbestos-littered town of Wittenoom on track for demolition after bushfire razes buildings".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2023.Retrieved9 January2023.
  38. ^"Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil".Songfacts. 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2023.Retrieved30 October2020.
  39. ^Nelson, Jason."Curriculum Vitae"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 30 April 2024.Retrieved30 October2020.
  40. ^Kennedy, Douglas(1994).The Dead Heart.Brown Little.ISBN0316909475.OCLC42954313.Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2023.Retrieved10 June2021.

Bibliography

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  • Glossop, Laurie (11–13 November 2019).Wittenoom Geology and History(PDF).Asbestos Safety 2019 Conference. Perth, Western Australia. pp.19–39.Retrieved22 September2020.

Further reading

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