Kathleen, Western Australia

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Kathleen
Western Australia
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Kathleen
Coordinates 27°30′32″S120°33′50″E / 27.509°S 120.564°E / -27.509; 120.564
Established1900
Postcode(s) 6355
Elevation499 m (1,637 ft)
Location
  • 1,018 km (633 mi) north east of Perth
  • 50 km (31 mi) north of Leinster
LGA(s) Shire of Leonora
State electorate(s) Kalgoorlie
Federal division(s) O'Connor

Kathleen is an abandoned town located between Leinster and Wiluna along the Goldfields Highway in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Gold was discovered in the area in 1897 and it was originally referred to as Kathleen Valley by the locals since gold had been found in the valley area near the town. The townsite was eventually gazetted as in 1900, once the valley part of the name was dropped. [1]

A shop and butchers was opened in 1901 and by 1902 the town supported two hotels. One of the main mines in town was the Yellow Aster mine. [2]

A 95 MW off-grid hybrid power station operates to support the lithium mine. It has 30 MW windpower, 16 MW solar power, a 17 MW / 19 MWh battery, and synchronous condensers to reduce fuel consumption from 26 MW gas motor generator and 5 MW diesel generator. [3] [4]

References

  1. "History of country town names – K". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  2. "Morawa District Historical Society" (PDF). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  3. Vorrath, Sophie (20 November 2023). "First turbine blade leaves port for epic road trip to mine's remote renewable microgrid". RenewEconomy.
  4. "Gina Rinehart-backed lithium mine achieves 81 pct renewables over last year, with wind, solar and battery". Renew Economy. 25 September 2025.