Steam era water supplies
During the time the narrow gauge railway was in operation, due to the distances through dry country, dams and tanks were of importance to supply the steam engines in operation.
Between Coolgardie and Esperance, water supply sources were from Water Supply Department (Coolgardie), Mines Department Dam (Widgiemooltha), [8] and WAGR dams. Early WAGR annual reports took into consideration: Catchment area, Capacity, Pumped or gravitation collection of water, estimated loss by evaporation and absorption, and total amount of water stored. [9]
Norseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, 726 kilometres (451 mi) east of Perth and 278 metres (912 ft) above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border 720 kilometres (447 mi) to the east. At the 2021 census, Norseman had a population of 562, of which 17% were Australian Aboriginal.
Southern Cross is a town in Western Australia, 371 kilometres east of state capital Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. It was founded in 1888 after gold prospectors Richard Greaves and Ted Paine during their October 1887 expedition successfully found gold, and gazetted in 1890. It is the major town and administrative centre of the Shire of Yilgarn. At the 2016 census, Southern Cross had a population of 680.
Esperance is a town in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately 720 kilometres (450 mi) east-southeast of the state capital, Perth and 189 kilometres (117 mi) south of Norseman. The urban population of Esperance was 12,145 at June 2018. Its major industries are tourism, agriculture, and fishing.
The Eastern Railway is the main railway route between Fremantle and Northam in Western Australia. It opened in stages between 1881 and 1893. The line continues east to Kalgoorlie as the Eastern Goldfields Railway.
Coolgardie–Esperance Highway is a 370-kilometre (230 mi) Western Australian highway between Coolgardie and Esperance. It runs in a north–south direction linking the state's Eastern Goldfields to the coast.
The Eastern Goldfields Railway, historically also referred to as the Fremantle-Kalgoorlie Railway, was built in the 1890s by the Western Australian Government Railways to connect Perth with the Eastern Goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.
Railways in Western Australia were developed in the 19th century both by the Government of Western Australia and a number of private companies. Today passenger rail services are controlled by the Public Transport Authority through Transperth, which operates public transport in Perth, and Transwa, which operates country passenger services. Journey Beyond operates the Indian Pacific.
The Port Hedland–Marble Bar railway was a railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, running into the hinterland from the north-west coast.
Kalgoorlie railway station is the easternmost attended station in Western Australia, located at the eastern terminus of the Eastern Goldfields Railway. It serves the city of Kalgoorlie. Beyond Kalgoorlie, the line continues east as the Trans-Australian Railway.
The K class are a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1966 and 1969.
Mount Morgans, known as Mount Morgan until 1899, is an abandoned town in Western Australia 900 kilometres (559 mi) northeast of Perth and 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Laverton on the original Malcolm-Laverton Road, in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Widgiemooltha is an abandoned town in Western Australia 631 kilometres (392 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia between Kambalda and Norseman in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is found on the southern shoreline of Lake Lefroy.
The Mullewa–Meekatharra railway was a section of the Northern Railway in Western Australia.
The Nannup Branch Railway, also known as the Wonnerup to Nannup Railway, was a branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between Wonnerup and Nannup.
The York–Bruce Rock railway line is a closed railway line in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia running from York to Bruce Rock.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Goldfields–Esperance region. While the region is the state's largest, the major roads are restricted to the region's western and southern edges. From the major population centres of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Great Eastern Highway heads west towards Perth via the Wheatbelt ; Coolgardie–Esperance Highway leads south to the port of Esperance via Norseman; and Goldfields Highway proceeds north to Wiluna and then on to the Mid West Region. From Norseman, Eyre Highway takes interstate traffic east across the Nullarbor Plain and into South Australia.
The Kalgoorlie to Leonora railway line or Leonora branch line is a railway line in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, connecting Kalgoorlie via Malcolm to Leonora. The line is 259 kilometres (161 mi) long and formerly also had a 103-kilometre (64 mi) branch line from Malcolm to Laverton. At Kalgoorlie, the railway line connects to the Eastern Goldfields Railway, where it also connects to the Esperance Branch Railway.
The Hopetoun to Ravensthorpe railway line was a state government-owned and WAGR-operated railway line in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, connecting the coastal town of Hopetoun to Ravensthorpe, located inland. The line, 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, was stand-alone, not connecting to any other railway line in the state.
The Goomalling to West Merredin railway line is a 183-kilometre (114 mi) long railway line operated by Arc Infrastructure in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, connecting Goomalling with West Merredin. Only the western part of the railway line, the 66-kilometre (41 mi) section from Goomalling to Wyalkatchem, is operational, while the 117-kilometre (73 mi) section from Wyalkatchem to West Merredin is not in use.
