Big Bell, Western Australia
| Big Bell Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 The ruins of the Big Bell Hotel, 2009. | |
  Big Bell | |
| Coordinates | 27°20′25″S 117°39′38″E / 27.34028°S 117.66056°ECoordinates: 27°20′25″S 117°39′38″E / 27.34028°S 117.66056°E |
| Population | 0 (abandoned) |
| Established | 1936 |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Cue |
| State electorate(s) | North West |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Big Bell is a ghost town in Western Australia near the town of Cue, established in 1936, and was home to the Big Bell Gold Mine.[1]
Mining ceased in 2003 and the plant was dismantled and transported to the Westonia minesite in 2007.
It is a former railway branch terminus in Western Australia's Murchison Region. The first train arrived in Big Bell on 6 January 1937, however the line was not officially opened until 12 August that year. Services ceased from September 1944, but were revived the following year when the war in Europe was winding down and the gold mine reopened. The line finally closed on 31 December 1955[2] Not much of the buildings remain, but the roads stay visible in their original position as dirt tracks. It is very visible from an aerial view.
The Big Bell hotel reputedly had the longest bar in Australia.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Big Bell, Western Australia. |
- ↑ History of country town names - B Landgate website, accessed: 25 January 2010
- ↑ The Big Bell Branch Line Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December 1999 pp452-457
Further reading
- O'Sullivan, Mardie.The Big Bell Hotel, 1937-1987, 1988
- Warne, L. Big Bell 1904-1954 : some historical notes of interest. [Big Bell, W.A.] : Big Bell Historical Committee, 1954.