Laverton
Typical outback mining town
Located 120 km east of Leonora and 457 m above sea level, Laverton is a goldmining town which, having died in the 1950s, has recently been revitalised by the discovery of nickel and the opening of a major nickel mining operation.

Laverton once had the dubious reputation of being the wildest town in the west. The area, inhospitable land on the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert, was first explored by Europeans when John Forrest travelled through the area in 1869 searching for the remains of the Ludwig Leichhardt expedition.

There is some confusion about the origins of the town's name. Some sources suggest that Forrest named the area after his personal surgeon, Dr Charles Laver. While others, acknowledging that the town was indeed named after Dr Laver, suggest that the doctor actually arrived in the town on a bicycle and set up a local practice.

In the 1870s and 1880s sandalwood cutters, moving further westward, travelled through the area looking for supplies of the valuable aromatic timber.

The 1890s saw miners from Coolgardie arriving in the area hoping to find goldfields richer than the ones they had left behind. In 1896 gold was discovered and the first wild settlement was called British Flag after the first mine. Within a few years there was a population of 3500 and a number of large mines. By 1904 the railway had arrived.

Legend has it that, at this time, Laverton was like a true wild west town. It is claimed that the only person buried in the local cemetery as the result of natural causes was a six weeks old baby.

The area declined slowly. The last major mine in the area was closed in 1957 and it seemed that Laverton was heading for ghost town status when, in 1969, nickel was discovered at Mount Windarra, 28 km northwest of the town. This was part of the famous Poseidon share scandal. In early 1969 the full time prospector, Ken Shirley, pegged forty–one claims around Laverton for the Poseidon company. A report on one of the claims on 1 October 1969 claimed that a 3.65 per cent concentration of nickel had been found in ore samples taken from one of the Windarra claims. This led to the hysteria which saw the price of Poseidon shares rise from $1.20 to $280 on 5 February 1970.

Although the Poseidon mine was closed down in 1977, nickel had been discovered in the area.

This is marginal country where the average annual rainfall is only 220 mm. In recent times, apart from the growth of mining, Laverton has become the western starting point for the interesting 4WD drive across the Great Victoria Desert to Ulura. It is a journey which needs considerable preparation.

Roadhouse Information
The following information about roadhouses between Laverton and Alice Springs has been provided by Kerry at the Laverton Caravan Park.

Tjukayirla Roadhouse, 315km from Laverton, accommodation, caravan and camping sites, basic food lines, diesel, unleaded petrol and avgas, minor mechanical repairs, phone (08) 9037 1108 operates on Western Standard Time.

Warburton Roadhouse, 567 km from Laverton, accommodation, camping sites, basic grocery items, diesel, avgas, unleaded petrol (opal), minor mechanical repairs, phone (08) 8956 7656 operates on Western Standard Time

Warakurna Roadhouse, 798 km from Laverton, accommodation, camping sites, basic grocery items, diesel, avgas (vehicles), avgas (planes), unleaded petrol (opal), minor mechanical repairs phone (08) 8956 7344, operates on Central Standard Time.

All of the roadhouses are open at different times, so it would pay to ring ahead, as some do charge a call out fee if you require fuel outside of the hours.

Things to see:  

Mount Windarra Nickel Mine
Today the Mount Windarra nickel mine, while not open to the public, can be viewed from the top of Mount Windarra. There is a gravel road up to the summit

	Tourist Information
	Laverton Tourist Information Centre Shire Council P.O. Box 42 Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9931 1202 Facsimile: (08) 9031 1340
	Motels
	Desert Inn Motel/Hotel 2 Laver St Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9031 1188 Rating: **
	Laverton Motel 29 Augusta St Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9031 1130
	Lodges & Chalets
	Laverton Downs Station Lodge P.O. Box 61 Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9037 5998
	Caravan Parks
	Laverton Caravan Park Weld Dve Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9031 1072 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Desert Inn Motel/Hotel 2 Laver St Laverton WA 6440 Telephone: (08) 9031 1188