This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia.

DateEventLocationNotes1627 Gulden Zeepaert, skippered by François Thijssen sails along the coast of the Great Australian Bight Great Australian Bight 1791 George Vancouver sails through the Recherche Archipelago and Esperance Bay aboard HMS Discovery Recherche Archipelago 1792 French sailors visit Recherche Archipelago and Esperance Bay aboard Recherche and Espérance captained by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux Recherche Archipelago 1801 Nicolas Baudin sails across the Great Australian Bight as part of his expedition to map the coast aboard Le Géographe and Le Naturaliste Great Australian Bight 1802 Matthew Flinders sails across the Great Australian Bight as part of his expedition to map the coast aboard Investigator Great Australian Bight 1820s Whalers and sealers operating along the south eastern coastline of Western Australia. Recherche Archipelago 1824 Wreck of the sealer Belinda Middle Island 1841 Edward John Eyre and Wylie traverse Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor Plain by land as part of their expedition from South Australia to Albany Nullarbor Plain 1870 Fraser Range Station established by John and Alexander Forrest on their expedition to Adelaide Fraser Range Station 1872 Mundrabilla Station established Mumndrabilla 1876 Pastoralists start breeding horses in the area near present-day Madura Station Madura Station 1877 The East West Telegraph Line is completed and the first Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed Nullarbor Plain 1892 Gold is discovered and the townsite of Coolgardie is established. Coolgardie 1892 Gold is discovered near Gudarra Gudarra 1892 Gold is discovered near Lawlers by prospectors Anderson, Hall and Heffernan Lawlers 1893 A group of Prospectors travelling to Mount Youle; Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, Tom Flanagan, and Dan O'Shea discover gold. Kalgoorlie Raymond Radclyffe, Wealth and Wildcats, Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian (1898, reprinted 2004), p.15.1893 Gold is discovered by prospector, R.H Henning, near Black Flag Black Flag 1893 Gold is discovered prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull near Bulong Bulong 1893 The townsite of Kalgoorlie is gazetted. Kalgoorlie 1893 The townsite of Esperance is gazetted Esperance 1894 Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Northam and Southern Cross Southern Cross 1894 Gold is discovered near Bardoc Bardoc 1895 Gold is discovered near Callion Callion 1895 Gold is discovered near Kookynie by a group of prospectors including W.A. Miller Kookynie 1895 The townsite of Bulong gazetted. Bulong 1895 The townsite of Dundas gazetted. Dundas 1895 Sturt Meadows cattle station established by Henry Manuel Sturt Meadows Station 1895 The townsite of Goongarrie gazetted. Goongarrie 1895 The townsite of Menzies is gazetted Menzies 1896 Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Southern Cross and Boorabbin Boorabbin 1896 The townsite of Bardoc is gazetted Bardoc Western Australian Government Gazette, file 4204/95, 3 June 1896, p.917. 1896 The townsite of Broad Arrow is gazetted Broad Arrow 1896 The townsite of Lawlers is gazetted Lawlers 1896 Gold is discovered and mining commences near Mount Morgans Mount Morgans Gold Mine 1896 The townsite of Murrin Murrin is gazetted Murrin Murrin 1896 Pinnacles cattle station established by Messrs Routledge, Morris and Willis Pinnacles Station 1896 St John of God Sisters establish hospital in Coolgardie Coolgardie 1896 St Mary's Catholic Church, Kalgoorlie, opened Kalgoorlie 1897 The townsite of Black Flag is gazetted Black Flag 1897 The townsite of Gudarra is gazetted Gudarra 1897 The townsite of Kambalda gazetted. Kambalda 1897 The townsite of Leonora is gazetted Leonora 1897 The upgraded stone Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed near Cocklebiddy 1897 The townsite of Callion gazetted. Callion 1897 Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Boorabbin and Kalgoorlie, completing the line all the way to Perth Kalgoorlie 1897 The townsite of Widgiemooltha gazetted. Widgiemooltha 1898 The townsite of Waverley gazetted. Waverley 1899 The townsite of Mount Morgans gazetted. Mount Morgans 1900 The townsite of Laverton gazetted Laverton 1900 The townsite of Kookynie gazetted. Kookynie 1901 Crusading editor of Kalgoorlie Sun, Hugh Mahon, elected first member for federal electorate of Coolgardie 1903 Goldfields Water Supply Scheme commences operations and first water arrives at Mount Charlotte Reservoir Kalgoorlie 1903 The townsite of Yarri gazetted. Yarri 1903 Banjawarn Station established initially to graze sheep Banjawarn Station .1904 The townsite of Princess Royal gazetted. Princess Royal 1904 Erlistoun cattle station established by Butcher and Uhr Erlistoun 1904 The townsite of Lakewood gazetted. Lakewood 1904 Yundamindera cattle station established by Dr Charles Laver Yundamindera Station 1904 The townsite of Yunndaga gazetted. Yunndaga 1906 Credo cattle station established by William Henry Halford Credo Station 1907 Gold Stealing Detective Squad formed in KalgoorlieGold Stealing Detection Unit1908 The Coolgardie to Widgiemooltha section of the Esperance branch railway opened Widgiemooltha 1909 The Widgiemooltha to Norseman section of the Esperance branch railway opened Norseman 1910 The townsite of Kurrawang is gazetted Kurrawang 1912 The townsite of Ora Banda is gazetted Ora Banda 1912 Daisy Bates appointed Honorary Protector of Aborigines at Eucla Eucla 1916 The townsite of Comet Vale gazetted. Comet Vale 1917 Trans-Australian Railway completed Nullarbor Plain 1919 Prospector, Pat Ives, discovered gold at his working known as Ives Reward St Ives Gold Mine 1922 Albert Green begins 18-year term as federal member for Kalgoorlie 1923 The townsite of Grass Patch gazetted. Grass Patch 1924 Adelong cattle station established Adelong Station 1924 The townsite of Scaddan gazetted. Scaddan 1925 The Esperance to Salmon Gums section of the Esperance branch railway opened Salmon Gums 1925 The townsite of Salmon Gums gazetted. Salmon Gums 1926 Walsh and Pitman - two detectives murdered by gold thieves Gold Stealing Detection Unit 1927 The East West Telegraph ceases operations Nullarbor Plain 1927 The Salmon Gums to Norseman section of the Esperance branch railway opened Norseman 1928 Construction of Kalgoorlie Aerodrome commences Kalgoorlie 1933 Warburton is established as an Aboriginal Mission Warburton 1934 The townsite of Mount Palmer gazetted after gold is found. Mount Palmer 1934 Construction of the Esperance Deepwater wharf, known as Tankers Jetty, commences. Esperance 1935 Construction of Tankers Jetty is completed. Esperance 1936 The townsite of Agnew is gazetted Agnew 1941 Construction of Eyre Highway commences 1942 Construction of Eyre Highway completed 1942 The Boulder bombings kill 15 Boulder 1948 Katherine Susannah Prichard's novel Golden Miles portrays Goldfields life of the 1920s 1952 Mount Morgans gold mine closes after producing 328,000 ounces of gold at 15 g/t. Mount Morgans Gold Mine 1952 Kurrawang Native Mission established Kalgoorlie 1953 Construction of Anne Beadell Highway commences 1955 Construction of Gunbarrel Highway commences 1956 Giles Weather Station established Warakurna 1958 Construction of Gunbarrel Highway completed Carnegie Station 1960 Fall of Millibillie meteorite Wiluna 1961 Arubiddy sheep station is established Arubiddy Station 1962 Construction of Anne Beadell Highway completed Laverton 1962 The townsite of Caiguna is established Caiguna 1962 Rawlinna sheep station, the largest sheep station in the world, is established by Hugh G. MacLachlan Rawlinna Station 1962 The townsite of Munglinup gazetted. Munglinup 1963 The townsite of Condingup gazetted. Condingup 1965 The townsite of Koolyanobbing gazetted. Koolyanobbing 1965 First land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port Esperance 1966 The townsite of Jerdacuttup gazetted. Jerdacuttup 1966 Malcolm Campbell Ross takes up the lease on Mount Elvire Station Mount Elvire Station 1967 Mining of Iron Ore commences at Dowd Hill Koolyanobbing 1969 A prospector named Ken Shirley discovered a huge nickel deposit at Mount Windarra in the Laverton area Laverton 1970 Indian Pacific transcontinental train begins operation, with change of locomotive at Kalgoorlie 1971 Nullarbor Nymph hoax Eucla 1972 Second land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port Esperance 1976 The townsite of Leinster is established by Agnew Mining as a dormitory town for workers at its nickel mine Leinster 1980 Graeme Campbell begins 18-year term as federal member for Kalgoorlie 1979 Granny Smith gold deposit discovered near Mount Weld Granny Smith Gold Mine 1988 Gold is discovered at Sunrise Dam Sunrise Dam Gold Mine 1988 Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1952 Mount Morgans Gold Mine 1989 Super pit created in Kalgoorlie from the consolidation of a number of small underground mines into a single open pit mine by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Kalgoorlie Treadgold, Tim. (1995) History of the pit's development from 1989 to 1995 Australia's mining monthly, May 1995, p. 31, 33–36,1991 Bulk carrier Sanko Harvest sinks after striking reef Recherche Archipelago 1993 Ten mile Lagoon wind farm commences operations near Esperance Ten Mile Lagoon Wind Farm 1993 Gold mining commences at Tarmoola mine near Leonora Tarmoola Gold Mine 1993 Mining commences at Kanowna Belle near Kalgoorlie Kanowna Belle Gold Mine 1997 Mount Morgans gold mine closes again after reopening in 1988 Mount Morgans Gold Mine 2002 Third land-backed berth opened and 65 million upgrade at Esperance Port completed Esperance 2004 Mining ceases at Tarmoola following a pit wall collapse Tarmoola Gold Mine 2006 Mining commences at Wattle Dam gold mine Wattle Dam Gold Mine 2008 Death of Mr Ward from overheating in police van Kalgoorlie 2009 Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1997 Mount Morgans Gold Mine 2010 Buildings damaged in Kalgoorlie-Boulder earthquake Kalgoorlie-Boulder 2012 Mining commences at Tropicana gold mine Tropicana Gold Mine

See also Kimberley historical timeline Pilbara historical timeline Regions of Western Australia

References