Leonora (Western Australia)

Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located 833km northeast of the state capital, Perth, and 237km north of the city of Kalgoorlie.At the 2011 census, Leonora had a population of 779, 24% of which were of Aboriginal descent. The area has a semi-arid climate, with a mean annual rainfall of 233mm. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from 18 °C (64 °F) for July to 37 °C (99 °F) for January.Leonora is primarily a mining town. There are a number of major gold mines in the Shire, as well as the Murrin Murin laterite nickel project. The area supports a significant pastoral industry.The first European explorer was John Forrest, who visited the area in 1869. On 21 June 1869 Forrest's party made camp near a conspicuous hill, which Forrest named Mount Leonora, after his six-year-old niece Frances (Fanny) Leonora Hardey. In 1894, gold was discovered in the area by a prospector named Morrisey, and in the following two years a number of rich finds resulted in rapid development of the area. The Sons of Gwalia gold mine brought Leonora to the attention of the world. By 1897 a residential and business area had been established, and the town was gazetted as Leonora in 1897.