The original name for Whim Creek was Whim Well Copper Mine where a small town developed nearby. At its peak there were about 400 people living in the town with 130 working directly for the mine. At that time there were two hotels, a blacksmith, stables and a racetrack. Copper was discovered in the area in 1872 and the last major operation ended in 1896. It was worked sporadically from then until 1960. In 2004 the mine was re-opened by Straits Resources. Today there is a working mine virtually next door to the Hotel carpark.
The first Whim Creek Hotel was a tin-roofed structure which was blown down in a cyclone in the 1890 s. The hotel was reconstructed, and has been blown down twice since; in the mid-20th century and in the
1990 s. The current Whim Creek Hotel was erected in the early 20th century. It is said that the original building frame, made of steel, was intended to be the frame for the Marble Bar courthouse. The frame and materials were landed at the Balla Balla Creek jetty, ready for transport inland to Marble Bar, but the effort was stranded by a large cyclone. The building was erected at its current site on the banks of Whim Creek, where the steel frame has stood ever since. The wooden facade has, however, been blown off twice. The Pub was bought as part of the Whim Creek Copper Mine by Venturex Resources in 2010, and closed in 2011. In late 2013 it was purchased by the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation and Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation, are restoring it and plan to and re-open it soon. I feel that it will be quite a popular spot for travellers as a welcome oasis in the middle of nowhere especially since it is only 15 kms along a good dirt road to the Balla Balla free camp.
Just across the road we found the old Whim Creek Cemetery that unfortunately is now in disrepair with only 2 or 3 gravestones remaining. I did manage to find some interesting historical facts that explained who had been buried there and how they died included in a pamphlet available from the Roebourne info centre:
Name Date of Death
Barnadeo , J 8/8/1913
Aged 35, died at Negri Well. A miner Drowned
Darlington, T 23/12/1911
Aged 33, Stabbed in the neck.Murdered by Joseph Saleno
Davy, C 21/2/1920
Aged 56, husband of Emma
Donohue, W November 1894
Aged 24. A miner. Died from dehydration
Eyre, GH 18/2/1914
Aged 47. Died from mitral disease and syncope. He was a miner.
Fahey, T 1/8/1910
Aged 45. A miner who died from pneumonia at the Whim Creek Police station
Farrera, JE 13/4/1923
Aged 42. Died at the police station from nephritis and heart failure. He was a cook.
Grey, H B 12/9/1917
Aged 38. He was a miner.
Gilmore, H 15/8/1913
59. A cook who died of mitral incompetence and syncope
.
Gordon, NH 27/7/1907
Born 16/8/1879. Accidentally killed.
Hartmann, J 7/5/1910
24 years old. Drown. He was a mine labourer.
Just, F 22/3/1911
45 years old. Fell from a horse between Roebourne and Whim Creek. He was a butcher.
Kimmerman,h 14/9/1917
45 years old. He was a labourer and died of dengue fever.
Leigh, JA 18/10/1913
35 years old. A miner who shot himself in the head. at Sherlock River.
McIntyre, J 1/10/1912
60 y. He was a station hand who died of heart failure at the residence of
G Adlams .
Petersen, P 26/1/1910
20 y. He was a carpenter and died at the town slaughter yard.
Piper, CC 1/3/1901
Cecil.C. Piper, born 1888, Broken Hill, N.S.W. youngest son of Richard Piper & Lavinia nee Davidson.Drowned in Balla Balla Pool, aged 19 years.
Capt. Richard Piper was the former underground manager of the Whim Creek Copper Mines Ltd, Whim Creek, his contract expired, left the Creek for Balla Balla to go south. Cecil employed on ore classing tables, decided to accompany his father on the Saturday afternoon. After seeing him off Sunday morning, Cecil and 3 mates decided on a swim. He dived into a very deep part of the pool and did not resurface the second time. Funeral held Monday with the Whim Creek Mine suspending operations.Father Richard Piper was the inaugural Mayor of Broken Hill and well known in mining circles.
Pope, H J 9/5/1912
36 y. A carpenter who died accidentally
.
Pope, T 14/12/1909
57 y. A miner.
Smith, CES 7/1/1911
33 y. Died at Campbell's house. A miner who died of inflamed bowels.
Toon , AH
(Click on a Photo to enlarge)
Across the highway is the track to Balla Balla inlet that was once a town site and was gazetted in 1898. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘parla’ which means mud. Balla Balla probably means lots of mud and if you go there you will find it is very appropriate. We camped here for quite a while beside the creek waiting for the weather down south to improve a bit. A nice spot but very windy at times.
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