Southern Cross, Western Australia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Southern Cross
Western Australia

Southern Cross townsite.

Population:

708^[1]

Established:

1890

Postcode:

6426

Elevation:

355 m (1,165 ft)

Location:

371 km (231 mi) E of Perth
225 km (140 mi) W of Kalgoorlie
110 km (68 mi) E of Merredin

LGA:

Shire of Yilgarn

State District:

Murchison-Eyre

Federal Division:

Kalgoorlie

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
25.5 °C ^{78 °F}	10.7 °C ^{51 °F}	294.9 mm ^{11.6 in}

Southern Cross is a town in Western Australia, 371 kilometres east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. It was founded by gold prospectors in 1888, and gazetted in 1890.^[2] It is the major town and administrative centre of the Shire of Yilgarn.^[3] At the 2006 census, Southern Cross had a population of 708.^[1]

The town of Southern Cross is one of the many towns which run along the Mundaring to Kalgoorlie Goldfields Water Supply Scheme engineered by C. Y. O'Connor.^[4]

A succession of gold rushes in the Yilgarn region near Southern Cross in 1887, at Coolgardie in 1892, and at Kalgoorlie in 1893 caused a population explosion in the barren and dry desert centre of Western Australia.

It is named after the Southern Cross constellation,^[2] and the town's most significant streets are named after stars.

Southern Cross also serves as a stop on the Prospector and Indian Pacific train services.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Southern Cross (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
^ ^a ^b Western Australian Land Information Authority. History of country town names - S. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
^ Shire of Yilgarn, Western Australia. Shire of Yilgarn. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
^ Southern Cross. Heritage Australia. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.

Preceding station		Transwa Trains network	Following station
Moorine Rock towards East Perth		Prospector	Bonnie Vale towards Kalgoorlie
Preceding station		Great Southern Railway	Following station
Merredin towards East Perth	Indian Pacific		Kalgoorlie towards Sydney