Goldfields-Esperance historical timeline
# Goldfields-Esperance historical timeline

This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

| Date | Event | Location | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1627 | Gulden Zeepaert, skippered by François Thijssen sails along the coast of the Great Australian Bight | Great Australian Bight | |
| 1791 | George Vancouver sails through the Recherche Archipelago and Esperance Bay aboard HMS Discovery | Recherche Archipelago | |
| 1792 | French sailors visit Recherche Archipelago and Esperance Bay aboard Recherche and Espérance captained by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux | Recherche Archipelago | |
| 1801 | Nicolas Baudin sails across the Great Australian Bight as part of his expedition to map the coast aboard Le Géographe and Le Naturaliste | Great Australian Bight | |
| 1802 | Matthew Flinders sails across the Great Australian Bight as part of his expedition to map the coast aboard Investigator | Great Australian Bight | |
| 1820s | Whalers and sealers operating along the south eastern coastline of Western Australia. | Recherche Archipelago | |
| 1841 | Edward John Eyre and Wylie traverse Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor Plain by land as part of their expedition from South Australia to Albany | Nullarbor Plain | |
| 1870 | Fraser Range Station established by John and Alexander Forrest on their expedition to Adelaide | Fraser Range Station | |
| 1872 | Mundrabilla Station established | Mumndrabilla | |
| 1876 | Pastoralists start breeding horses in the area near present-day Madura Station | Madura Station | |
| 1877 | The East West Telegraph Line is completed and the first Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed | Nullarbor Plain | |
| 1892 | Gold is discovered and the townsite of Coolgardie is established. | Coolgardie | |
| 1892 | Gold is discovered near Gudarra | Gudarra | |
| 1892 | Gold is discovered near Lawlers by prospectors Anderson, Hall and Heffernan | Lawlers | |
| 1893 | A group of Prospectors travelling to Mount Youle; Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, Tom Flanagan, and Dan O'Shea discover gold. | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1893 | Gold is discovered by prospector, R.H Henning, near Black Flag | Black Flag | |
| 1893 | Gold is discovered prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull near Bulong | Bulong | |
| 1893 | The townsite of Kalgoorlie is gazetted. | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1893 | The townsite of Esperance is gazetted | Esperance | |
| 1894 | Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Northam and Southern Cross | Southern Cross | |
| 1894 | Gold is discovered near Bardoc | Bardoc | |
| 1895 | Gold is discovered near Callion | Callion | |
| 1895 | Gold is discovered near Kookynie by a group of prospectors including W.A. Miller | Kookynie | |
| 1895 | The townsite of Bulong gazetted. | Bulong | |
| 1895 | The townsite of Dundas gazetted. | Dundas | |
| 1895 | Sturt Meadows cattle station established by Henry Manuel | Sturt Meadows Station | |
| 1895 | The townsite of Goongarrie gazetted. | Goongarrie | |
| 1895 | The townsite of Menzies is gazetted | Menzies | |
| 1896 | Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Southern Cross and Boorabbin | Boorabbin | |
| 1896 | The townsite of Bardoc is gazetted | Bardoc | |
| 1896 | The townsite of Broad Arrow is gazetted | Broad Arrow | |
| 1896 | The townsite of Lawlers is gazetted | Lawlers | |
| 1896 | Gold is discovered and mining commences near Mount Morgans | Mount Morgans Gold Mine | |
| 1896 | The townsite of Murrin Murrin is gazetted | Murrin Murrin | |
| 1896 | Pinnacles cattle station established by Messrs Routledge, Morris and Willis | Pinnacles Station | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Black Flag is gazetted | Black Flag | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Gudarra is gazetted | Gudarra | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Kambalda gazetted. | Kambalda | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Leonora is gazetted | Leonora | |
| 1897 | The upgraded stone Eyre Telegraph Station is constructed | near Cocklebiddy | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Callion gazetted. | Callion | |
| 1897 | Eastern Goldfields Railway completed between Boorabbin and Kalgoorlie, completing the line all the way to Perth | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1897 | The townsite of Widgiemooltha gazetted. | Widgiemooltha | |
| 1898 | The townsite of Waverley gazetted. | Waverley | |
| 1899 | The townsite of Mount Morgans gazetted. | Mount Morgans | |
| 1900 | The townsite of Laverton gazetted | Laverton | |
| 1900 | The townsite of Kookynie gazetted. | Kookynie | |
| 1903 | Goldfields Water Supply Scheme commences operations and first water arrives at Mount Charlotte Reservoir | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1903 | The townsite of Yarri gazetted. | Yarri | |
| 1903 | Banjawarn Station established initially to graze sheep | Banjawarn Station | . |
| 1904 | The townsite of Princess Royal gazetted. | Princess Royal | |
| 1904 | Erlistoun cattle station established by Butcher and Uhr | Erlistoun | |
| 1904 | The townsite of Lakewood gazetted. | Lakewood | |
| 1904 | Yundamindera cattle station established by Dr Charles Laver | Yundamindera Station | |
| 1904 | The townsite of Yunndaga gazetted. | Yunndaga | |
| 1906 | Credo cattle station established by William Henry Halford | Credo Station | |
| 1908 | The Coolgardie to Widgiemooltha section of the Esperance Branch Railway opened | Widgiemooltha | |
| 1909 | The Widgiemooltha to Norseman section of the Esperance Branch Railway opened | Norseman | |
| 1910 | The townsite of Kurrawang is gazetted | Kurrawang | |
| 1912 | The townsite of Ora Banda is gazetted | Ora Banda | |
| 1916 | The townsite of Comet Vale gazetted. | Comet Vale | |
| 1917 | Trans-Australian Railway completed | Nullarbor Plain | |
| 1919 | Prospector, Pat Ives, discovered gold at his working known as Ives Reward | St Ives Gold Mine | |
| 1923 | The townsite of Grass Patch gazetted. | Grass Patch | |
| 1924 | Adelong cattle station established | Adelong Station | |
| 1924 | The townsite of Scaddan gazetted. | Scaddan | |
| 1925 | The Esperance to Salmon Gums section of the Esperance Branch Railway opened | Salmon Gums | |
| 1925 | The townsite of Salmon Gums gazetted. | Salmon Gums | |
| 1927 | The East West Telegraph ceases operations | Nullarbor Plain | |
| 1927 | The Salmon Gums to Norseman section of the Esperance Branch Railway opened | Norseman | |
| 1928 | Construction of Kalgoorlie Aerodrome commences | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1933 | Warburton is established as an Aboriginal Mission | Warburton | |
| 1934 | The townsite of Mount Palmer gazetted after gold is found. | Mount Palmer | |
| 1934 | Construction of the Esperance Deepwater wharf, known as Tankers Jetty, commences. | Esperance | |
| 1935 | Construction of Tankers Jetty is completed. | Esperance | |
| 1936 | The townsite of Agnew is gazetted | Agnew | |
| 1941 | Construction of Eyre Highway commences | | |
| 1942 | Construction of Eyre Highway completed | | |
| 1952 | Mount Morgans gold mine closes after producing 328,000 ounces of gold at 15 g/t. | Mount Morgans Gold Mine | |
| 1953 | Construction of Anne Beadell Highway commences | | |
| 1955 | Construction of Gunbarrel Highway commences | | |
| 1956 | Giles Weather Station established | Warakurna | |
| 1958 | Construction of Gunbarrel Highway completed | Carnegie Station | |
| 1961 | Arubiddy sheep station is established | Arubiddy Station | |
| 1962 | Construction of Anne Beadell Highway completed | Laverton | |
| 1962 | The townsite of Caiguna is established | Caiguna | |
| 1962 | Rawlinna sheep station, the largest sheep station in the world, is established by Hugh G. MacLachlan | Rawlinna Station | |
| 1962 | The townsite of Munglinup gazetted. | Munglinup | |
| 1963 | The townsite of Condingup gazetted. | Condingup | |
| 1965 | The townsite of Koolyanobbing gazetted. | Koolyanobbing | |
| 1965 | First land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port | Esperance | |
| 1966 | The townsite of Jerdacuttup gazetted. | Jerdacuttup | |
| 1966 | Malcolm Campbell Ross takes up the lease on Mount Elvire Station | Mount Elvire Station | |
| 1967 | Mining of Iron Ore commences at Dowd Hill | Koolyanobbing | |
| 1969 | A prospector named Ken Shirley discovered a huge nickel deposit at Mount Windarra in the Laverton area | Laverton | |
| 1972 | Second land-backed berth opened at Esperance Port | Esperance | |
| 1976 | The townsite of Leinster is established by Agnew Mining as a dormitory town for workers at its nickel mine | Leinster | |
| 1979 | Granny Smith gold deposit discovered near Mount Weld | Granny Smith Gold Mine | |
| 1988 | Gold is discovered at Sunrise Dam | Sunrise Dam Gold Mine | |
| 1988 | Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1952 | Mount Morgans Gold Mine | |
| 1989 | Super pit created in Kalgoorlie from the consolidation of a number of small underground mines into a single open pit mine by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines | Kalgoorlie | |
| 1993 | Ten mile Lagoon wind farm commences operations near Esperance | Ten Mile Lagoon Wind Farm | |
| 1993 | Gold mining commences at Tarmoola mine near Leonora | Tarmoola Gold Mine | |
| 1993 | Mining commences at Kanowna Belle near Kalgoorlie | Kanowna Belle Gold Mine | |
| 1997 | Mount Morgans gold mine closes again after reopening in 1988 | Mount Morgans Gold Mine | |
| 2002 | Third land-backed berth opened and A$65 million upgrade at Esperance Port completed | Esperance | |
| 2004 | Mining ceases at Tarmoola following a pit wall collapse | Tarmoola Gold Mine | |
| 2006 | Mining commences at Wattle Dam gold mine | Wattle Dam Gold Mine | |
| 2009 | Mount Morgans gold mine reopens after closing in 1997 | Mount Morgans Gold Mine | |
| 2012 | Mining commences at Tropicana gold mine | Tropicana Gold Mine | |
