Duketon – ghost town

DUKETON 27° 38′ 30” South , 122° 16′ 49” East Duketon is named after brothers Jack and Charles Duke who with P. Hayes and J McDonald discovered gold here in 1897. A small town developed from around 1900, but only lasted a few years, as by the outbreak of WW1, much of the mining had […]

Lightning Can Strike Twice –

The coincidence of the following two events was uncovered by Derek Prosser, an OFH reader and contributor. He noted that on the OFH website, I had James Heffernan buried in the Black Flag Cemetery (30 km north of Kalgoorlie). However, this seems to be incorrect from what is said in the newspaper reports of the […]

Across No Mans Land in Central Australia – part 3 (final)

Part 1 Part 2 Advertiser SA  2 February 1933, page 11 ACROSS NO MAN’S LAND IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA Camel Bitten By Copperhead Mr. Terry Given a Fright. by Michael Terry LIGHTNING struck a nearby range and fused the rock, one night when the Terry prospecting party was in camp. Next day a copperhead snake killed […]

The Probable Fate of James Thomas Whyte

Another page from the ‘Book of the Bush’ Truth Perth -13 November 1915, page 4 TALE OF THE WILDS THE PROSPECTOR THAT NEVER RETURNED. Probable Fate of James Thomas Whyte The result of a par in our last week’s mining budget has been the cause of considerable inquiry as to the fate of a prospector […]

Who was George Dainty ?

George Dainty died in 1901, aged about 40yrs (date unknown). His remains were found in the bush by a prospector, Henry Frederick KESTEL when searching for lost donkeys, on the 5 Jul 1903 between Childe Harold, 7 miles from the mine and 12 yards off the travelled road in the Laverton district. The undertaker, James […]