Menzies

History

Gold was discovered in the area in 1894, and Leslie Robert Menzies, a Canadian-born prospector, and John McDonald were the first to take up a lease here in October 1894, naming it the "Lady Shenton". It was a rich gold find, and the Mining Warden for the area recommended a townsite be declared in 1895, named in Menzies' honour. The townsite was gazetted in August 1895. Land around the town was sold in 1895 and by 1896 it had become a municipality. A railway line was constructed from Kalgoorlie to Menzies and opened on 22 March 1898. By 1900, Menzies had a population of approximately 10,000 with thirteen hotels and two breweries. There were applications for 320 mining leases, with an average area of , and within a radius of the post office. The prosperity of the town declined shortly after 1901. The gold rush lasted for about 10 years and by 1905 most of the miners had left town to try their luck elsewhere. By 1910 the population of the town had declined to less than 1,000. Gold mining continues in and around Menzies to the present day.

Most-observed species

• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  12
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  12
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  11
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  11
• Little Crow

  Corvus bennetti North, 1901 · Aves
  8
• Pied Butcherbird

  Cracticus nigrogularis (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  8
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  7
• Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

  Acanthagenys rufogularis Gould, 1838 · Aves
  7

Most recent

• M 3.2 — 2002-07-24
  52 km NNW of Hannans, Australia