Sand dunes in the Pilbara

Nullagine
An old goldmining town.
Located on the Nullagine River 296 km south east of Port Hedland and 1186 km north of Perth on the Great Northern Highway, Nullagine is an old goldmining town which is but a glimmer of its former glory. The area was first settled by graziers in the 1880s. A few years later gold prospectors moving south from the short-lived mines at Halls Creek found gold in the area. The town became part of the general goldrush to the Pilbara in the 1880s and 1890s and between 1895-1914 it boasted three hotels, a number of general stores, 8 gold stamping batteries and a population which peaked at 3000 - at one point it was larger than Marble Bar.

William Lambden Owen, who was the warden of the Pilbara goldfields in the 1880s and 1890s, wrote his autobiography Cossack Gold in 1933. In the autobiography he gives an unforgettable picture of the hardships which existed on the goldfields at this time. His account of a funeral at Nullagine recalls how the coffins were made from old packing cases 'with the specifications of their original contents still upon them. One of them read: 'Fresh condensed milk. Please keep away from boilers.' The other read: 'Prime Columbia salmon. Please keep away from boilers.' At the foot of one was a crowing rooster. Beneath his toes was painted the legend, 'Wake up!''

The area around Nullagine is rich in all kinds of minerals. In 1902 Nullagine was the site of Australia's first discovery of diamonds. Since then prospectors and fossickers have come to the area and found agate, asbestos, antimony, beryl, chalcedony, copper, jade, jasper, manganese, tiger eye and wolfram.

Things to see:  

Attractions in the Area
Visitors eager to fossick for gold can visit the beautiful Beaton's Rockhole and Gorge 4 km to the west of the town where both gold and precious stones can be found.

Another interesting journey can be taken to the town's lookout on the Conglomerate hills 4 km to the north of the town. Nearby (in the gully to the north of the lookout) are the unusual Chinese walls which were built by the Chinese gold miners as sluices. Such structures are found nowhere else in the Pilbara.

	Hotels
	Conglomerate Hotel Cooke St Nullagine WA 6758 Telephone: (08) 9176 2022
	Caravan Parks
	Nullagine Tourist Park & Accommodation Gallop St Nullagine WA 6758 Telephone: (08) 9176 2090
	Restaurants
	Nullagine Roadhouse Walter St Nullagine WA 6758 Telephone: (08) 9176 2012