At Widgiemooltha

Gold was discovered in the area not long after the establishment of Coolgardie and the town was gazetted as Widgiemooltha in 1897. The name is Aboriginal in origin and is variously thought to be the name of a hill or nearby rock hole, or related to the beak of an emu.

By 1898 the town, on the southern shores of Lake Lefroy, had a population of 100 men and 12 women. Today the Coolgardie-Esperance highway bypasses the original townsite, which is at the rear of the Widgiemooltha Tavern and Roadhouse.

Golden Eagle nugget

On 15 January 1931, 17-year-old Jim Larcombe discovered a massive gold nugget at Larkinville while prospecting with his father. Named the Golden Eagle for its resemblance to a bird with outspread wings, the nugget weighed 1,135oz (35.325kg).Amid the hardship of the Great Depression, the find sparked a gold rush and the population of the tiny settlement soared to 1,000 within weeks.

The Golden Eagle still holds the record for the largest gold nugget found in Australia in the 20th century and the largest nugget ever found in Western Australia.

Tee: George Lister

Another success story of Widgiemooltha is that of the Lister Brothers, George, Jack and Arthur. They were the oldest family there for many years. Two of the brothers came from Mundijong during the depression and worked the Paris mine as a family concern until 1948. “The freest run a man can have” was the comment especially as 300 ounces of gold was produced monthly to a total of 14,808 fine ounces. The Paris mine was about twenty-two miles from Widgiemooltha and residents were proud of the high standard of living there, even owning a private tennis court.

But when the mine closed down George Lister sold it and bought the salt works at Lake Lefroy. He then bought the store, later the hotel, the post office and the garage.

The salt deposit at Lake Lefroy has an exceptional purity with an average content of about 99% sodium chlorides George Lister had the foresight to recognise this and planned accordingly. As far back as 1942 he estimated that 20,000 tons of salt were produced and that the workers, many of them Aborigines, received 150 pounds per annum. George Lister works on principle; treat your employees fairly and they will stick by you.

George Lister is without a doubt one of the great pioneers to live and thrive in Widgiemooltha.