I would like to take this opportunity to show you some photographs which I have only just seen for the first time myself of the town and people of Bulong and to tell you a brief history. For some reason there are not a great number of photographs around of Bulong so I hope that you will like these ones.
Bulong Councillors 1904 – Photo SLWA
Bulong is an abandoned town in Western Australia located 580 kilometers (360 mi) east of Perth in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. A goldfields town about 34 kilometers east of Kalgoorlie, Bulong was gazetted in 1895. In 1893 a group of prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull, discovered gold on a lease they were granted called IOU. After the discovery of gold in this vicinity the area became known as the “I.O.U” which was the name of a mine or a gold-mining lease.
In October 1894 surveyor G.C.Hamilton was instructed to lay out a townsite at “I.O.U” and to “suggest a better name for it”. Hamilton suggested “Boolong”, the aboriginal name of a small soak situated nearby. This name was adopted but was spelt “Bulong” to conform with the Standard system of spelling Aboriginal names.
Bulong Hospital- Photo SLWA
On the back of gold mining the population of the town grew to 620 by 1900 and boasted large number of businesses including several hotels, bakeries, accountants, butchers and stores.
The town also had a hospital, school, police station, telegraph station and post office. The towns water supply was obtained from Lake Yindarlagooda, condensed on the lakes banks then pumped to the top of Mount Stuart to gravity feed to the town.
First Match Bulong V Kanowna 1904 – Photo SLWA
In this photograph you will see that some of the men are in uniform. Because of the date I can only presume that they are Boer War Uniforms but I have sent it to a friend who knows a great deal more about war uniforms than me. As you will see it is a rifle shooting match. Its a pity the photograph is not clearer.
Mechanics Institute Bulong 1904 – Photo SLWA
Unfortunately I can’t tell you of any recommended reading on Bulong because as yet there has not been a book published on its history. However, a friend and fellow historian has a personal connection to this area and is working on a book which will be well received. I have some more photograph to share in another post.
Moya Sharp
nice article .. had no idea bulong was that large a town
Hi Moya. My Grandmother, Mary Coen, came out from Ireland in 1901 and went directly to Bulong to join her two brothers, John and James Coen. John owned the Court Hotel. Her elder sister, Catherine was also in Bulong and she married William McIntyre in 1901. He owned a Brewery in Kanowna. John Coen was a Bulong Councilor and on a number of Boards in Bulong. They had a property which was called Whitegate, named after the town they came from in County Clare. The Jones family bought the property in the late 40’s following a severe drought. Their younger sister, Julia also came to Bulong. My grandmother met my grandfather, Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Haire from Victoria, in Bulong and they married in the St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Bulong in 1907. Julia met her husband, Jim Barry, an Irishman from Cork, in Bulong and they also married in St Patrick’s Catholic Church. The two couples left Bulong around 1909/1910 and settled in Denmark where they were two of the pioneer families of the District. John Coen married Annie Josephine McDonagh but she died in childbirth in 1913. John died in 1955 aged 84. They are buried together in the Kalgoorlie cemetery. James Coen never married. He died in 1954 aged 80 and is also buried in the Kalgoorlie cemetery.
I will be interested to know when your friends book on Bulong is published.
Carmel M Ryan