In the scorching summer of 1909, the rugged bushland of Western Australia swallowed a young man named Charles Cummins, sparking a relentless search that captivated the small mining communities of Woolgar and Menzies. This is the haunting tale of a man who vanished into the wild, leaving behind only whispers of his presence and a […]
From Woolgar to Yunndaga: A Forgotten Chapter of the Gold Rush
YUNNDAGA Latitude 29° 45′ S Longitude 121° 03′ E Yunndaga is an abandoned town on the Western Australian goldfields located 7 km south of Menzies. Gold was discovered in the area in the mid-1890s, and in 1898, a business and residence subdivision was laid out at what was then referred to as Woolgar. Business and […]
The Byrne Family – pioneers
I have been sent this wonderful story of the Byrne family in the Western Australia Goldfields. They were to have an amazing fourteen children all apart from three, survived to adulthood. The family history has been extensively researched and I have kindly been given permission to share this extract with you. What an amazing woman […]
The Remarkable Potter Sisters – a family story
I was recently contacted by Dorothy Maude Rodoreda (nee McMeikan). She told me of her very interesting family story from Yunndaga (Woolgar). Her great-uncle, Richard Goninon, was the mine manager of Menzies Consolidated Goldmine for some 25 years from about 1900 to 1925. She had photos of the Manager’s Residence next to the mine and […]
Yunndaga – ghost town
Yunndaga was originally known as Woolgar: The staff of the Menzies Consolidated Gold Mine 1916- Thomas ELLIS back row far left, Centre back row is Arthur BELDON. A new town has recently been added to the Outback Family History website. Yunndaga, is a small town about 7 km South of Menzies. The above photograph is […]